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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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Kane shoots on Lundqvist in the All star game
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 27: Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks shoots on Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers during the GEICO NHL Save Streak during the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition at Amalie Arena on January 27, 2018, in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The verdict

Before rendering a verdict let’s concede that trading future assets for Patrick Kane will set off a frenzy among Rangers fans.  The consensus will be that trading the future for a short-term benefit will doom the team for years to come.

Sure, that’s possible, but here’s a question.  Where will Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle, Adam Sykora, Brody Lamb, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Brett Berard, Ryder Korzak, Kalle Väisänen, Gustav Rydahl, Matt Rempe, Adam Edstrom, and Bobby Trivigno find a place to play on the Rangers’ roster?  You cannot keep them all.

Drury got Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte, and Justin Braun last season. It cost the Rangers draft picks and Morgan Barron. Did getting two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final justify the expense?  I would say yes.

Did Neil Smith moving on from Tony Amonte, Doug Weight, Mike Gartner, Todd Marchant, James Patrick, and Darren Turcotte in exchange for a Stanley Cup make sense? The fact is that they won and despite the excellence of what they traded away, there is no guarantee that they would have eventually won.

So, to Kane or not to Kane?   There is no easy answer, but the Rangers are positioned to win the Stanley Cup now and Chris Drury needs to do what he can to make this happen. If that means trading some future assets for Patrick Kane.  Go for it.

There will be a lot of differing opinions.  Feel free to chime in (I have a feeling you will!).

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