NEW YORK — Three weeks ago, when the Rangers made the trade to acquirer Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, Patrick Kane was none too happy, and he let his disappointment be known in his comments to the media.
Thursday afternoon, as he sat behind a table in the news conference room at Madison Square Garden, giving his first remarks since he joined Tarasenko on the Rangers’ roster late Tuesday night, he felt a little differently.
“When they made the move for Tarasenko ... it didn't seem like it was in the cards [that a trade to the Rangers would] still be an option for me,’’ Kane said, a wide grin starting to spread across his face. “So now obviously, I'm very happy they made that move [to get Tarasenko], and both of us are here."
On Thursday night, after more than a week of maneuvering to clear enough room under the salary cap to get him, Kane will make his Rangers debut when the Blueshirts host the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. According to Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, he’ll be skating on a line with his old Chicago linemate Artemi Panarin and center Vincent Trocheck.
“I mean, he played with ‘Bread’ [Panarin] before,’’ Gallant said. “The system doesn't change around the league a whole lot, so we just kind of go out and play, and have fun.’’
Rangers fans figure to have a lot of fun after all the things the team had to do to bring Kane on board, and Kane — while expecting a few butterflies before his first NHL game for someone other than Chicago — was expecting he’d have plenty of fun, too.
“I just feel like this is such an amazing opportunity, with what they have going on here in New York,’’ he said. “When the option was still there to possibly make a move ... it wasn't the easiest decision [to agree to be traded] but I’m just really excited to be here. And with this team, with the amount of skill and good players they have here, it's just another chance to make a run."
Kane, 34, won three Stanley Cups and a Hart Trophy as league MVP in Chicago, but after 16 years and with the organization having decided to rebuild, it was time to go. Armed with a no-move clause in his contract, he had the leverage to decide if and where he would be traded. And he wanted the Rangers.
“I just think they're a great team,’’ he said. “They obviously had a great run [to the Eastern Conference finals] last year. It seems like expectations are pretty high around here this year as well. So I think it's a good thing. It's good to have those expectations and have people thinking that you're going to win."
Kane could have made his debut Wednesday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers, but management decided to hold him out until Thursday. With only 12 forwards on the roster, including Kane, and with defenseman Ryan Lindgren injured and K’Andre Miller suspended for spitting at Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, that left the now cap-strapped Rangers playing two men short. They managed to rally from behind, though, and won, 3-2, in overtime, on Tarasenko’s winning goal.
“I kind of feel bad, I feel like the guys have been playing short here for a while just to bring me in,’’ Kane said. “But hopefully it's worth it in the long run. And I’m definitely happy they were still able to move some money around and make it work.’’
When he didn’t go to Philadelphia on Wednesday, Kane went to the Rangers’ practice facility in Greenburgh, which they share with the Knicks. There, he met Jalen Brunson, who grew up in Chicago, and is a fan of his. Brunson said he FaceTimed his father and put Kane on the line, and then wore Kane’s No. 88 Rangers jersey to the Knicks' game against the Nets on Wednesday night.
“It was pretty cool,’’ Kane said of seeing Brunson wear his jersey. “I was talking to [Brunson] for a little bit and he said he was looking forward to coming to a game, and you know, vice versa. I would love to go to a Knicks game and support him as well.
“So it seems like, just the energy in the city, throughout the organization, is at a pretty big high right now. I’m excited to be part of that."
