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New York Rangers: To Kane or not to Kane, that is the question

By Steve Paulus

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 14: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates his first period goal with teammate Artemi Panarin #72 during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on March 14, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 14: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates his first period goal with teammate Artemi Panarin #72 during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on March 14, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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NEWARK, NJ – SEPTEMBER 30: Vitali Kravtsov #74 of the New York Rangers warms up prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils on September 30, 2022, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – SEPTEMBER 30: Vitali Kravtsov #74 of the New York Rangers warms up prior to the game against the New Jersey Devils on September 30, 2022, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images) /

Is Kane what they need?

Looking at the current roster, an argument could be made that while a scoring right winger would help, the trade deadline focus should be on defense.  Face it, a team with Ben Harpur or Libor Hajek getting regular minutes in the playoffs is not destined for a long run.  We still like Zac Jones, but he isn’t the answer and Matthew Robertson is not ready yet.  Remember that Justin Braun stepped in and played heavy minutes in the last playoffs and he is far from an All-Star.

Would the team be better off pursuing pending free agent blueliners like Blue Jacket Vladislav Gavrikov, Shayne Gostisbehere of Arizona, Ottawa’s Travis Hamonic or Anaheim’s John Klingberg, or Kevin Shattenkirk?

Adding a scoring right winger like Kane would fill a hole in the roster.  It would allow Barclay Goodrow to move down in the lineup instead of playing on the top line, a role he shouldn’t be filling.

Is there an in-house answer?  While we can still hope that Vitali Kravtsov will step into that role, there is no indication that Gerard Gallant has faith in the young Russian.  The Julien Gauthier experiment looks to be a non-starter.  Jimmy Vesey belongs on the penalty kill and the fourth line and Sammy Blais just cannot score.

Is Kane the only option?  There’s another big name on the free agent list. Vladimir Tarasenko has been linked to New York in the past and he’s three years younger than Kane, but considering his salary requirements, he would be a pure rental.  It’s possible that after making $84 million in the last eight years, Kane may just take a discount to sign an extension in New York for a chance to play with Panarin and go for another Cup after this season.

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