There seems to be plenty of smoke in regards to the Patrick Kane-to-the-Rangers rumors, but is there any fire?
On Thursday, the Rangers scratched disgruntled forward Vitali Kravtsov and recently acquired center Jake Leschyshyn for “roster management” reasons, setting off alarms that a deal for Kane could be imminent.
On Wednesday, The Post’s Larry Brooks reported that GM Chris Drury was still very much eyeing up the Blackhawks forward — despite their acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 10.
Complicating any further deals, even one for Kane, is the Rangers’ salary cap situation: According to CapFriendly, they have just over $760k available, a far cry from the $10.5 million they would need to accommodate Kane’s hit — meaning a third team would have to get involved to facilitate a deal.
Kane, 34, also would have to approve a trade, something his agent, Pat Brisson, told The Athletic he has yet to do.
“Patrick hasn’t made any decision at this point,” Brisson said in a text to Pierre LeBrun.
Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup winner in Chicago, seemed disappointed when Drury acquired Tarasenko ahead of the March 3 trade deadline after a season full of rumors connecting the Buffalo-born forward to the Blueshirts.
“It’s not like the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” Kane said. “I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons.
“If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at. It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is.”