More Patrick Kane to the Rangers rumors starting to surface

It looks like there are going to be more Patrick Kane to the Rangers rumors this summer. Chris Johnston noted there is a lot of smoke around the Rangers and Kane, and he noted the Blueshirts are the front runners the winger this offseason. Kane was overall fine with the Rangers in 2023, putting up 5-7-12 in 19 games (3-5-8 at 5v5) and 1-5-6 (1-2-3) in the 7 game loss to the Devils.

Last season with Detroit, Kane put up 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games, with a line of 18-14-32 at even strength. While Kane would certainly be the playmaker that Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad need, there are serious concerns about his health and his age. The soon to be 36 year old is certainly still productive, but whether the fit is appropriate remains to be seen.

Beyond health and age, Kane’s fit is also a question mark. We know at this stage of his career, he’s not a big play driver anymore and he’s certainly more of a perimeter player. His ability to create space is also coming into question. He doesn’t drive offense and is certainly a defensive liability, though his numbers did improve in Detroit with a far more structured system. In theory, more structure and appropriate deployment gets the best out of him.

Per Evolving-Hockey, Kane is “most likely” to get a 1 year deal in the $2.5 million range. Certainly not cap killing, but it gets rough when you get into the 2 year ($5 million) and 3 year ($7 million) projections. Essentially, anything over 1 year becomes a huge cap increase and doubles the risk.

Kane feels more like a band-aid than a true difference maker and what this roster needs. Chris Drury isn’t known to go after retreads that aren’t Tyler Motte, so take this with a grain of salt.