- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane admitted that he was looking at the New York Rangers as a possible trade option and isn’t happy they opted to acquire Vladimir Tarasenko instead.
“It’s not, like, the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” Kane said after the Blackhawks’ practice on Friday.
Kane, 34, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. With the Blackhawks in a rebuild, there’s been speculation that both he and teammate Jonathan Toews — also a pending free agent — may be playing their final games with the franchise ahead of the March 3 trade deadline. Both players have full no-movement clauses.
The Rangers filled their need for a scoring right winger by acquiring Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. A source told ESPN that while New York was interested in Kane, the asking price from the Blackhawks was higher than that from the Blues and there were concerns about a lingering hip injury with Kane.
Kane confirmed on Friday that the Rangers were a team that caught his interest, while reiterating that he has yet to formally decide whether to approve a trade out of Chicago.
“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. It is what it is,” he said.
According to NBC Chicago, Kane said he expects to make a decision about his future within the next 10 days, keeping in mind his interests and those of the Blackhawks.
“Obviously you want to do right by the franchise, and the organization here has been amazing to me and given me so much. So you definitely want what’s best for both sides,” he said.
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