Could Patrick Kane Still End Up with the New York Rangers?

The New York Rangers' acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko earlier this month seemed to take them out of the running in the Patrick Kane sweepstakes. The 34-year-old Chicago Blackhawks winger didn't hide his disappointment from reporters following the Tarasenko trade.

However, it's still possible that Kane could join the Rangers before the March 3 trade deadline. The New York Post's Larry Brooks reports they're still eyeing the longtime Blackhawks superstar.

Sources told Brooks the Rangers will try to work out a deal if Kane agrees to waive his no-movement clause to come to New York. Given the winger's $10.5-million cap hit, Brooks believes Rangers GM Chris Drury must find a third team to broker the deal. The Blackhawks would retain half of Kane's cap hit, with the Rangers and the third club splitting the remainder.

The Athletic's Scott Powers and Arthur Staple examined the possibility of such a move. They believe Drury could be intrigued if the Rangers become Kane's only preferred destination. The Blueshirts would have to trade Vitaly Kravtsov and Jake Leschychyn to free up sufficient cap room to take on their share of Kane's cap hit ($2.65 million) under a three-team trade scenario.

Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson would love to land a first-round pick in a package for Kane. However, Powers and Staple believe that won't happen if the veteran winger only wants to join the Rangers. The more teams with an interest in Kane, the better Davidson's chance of getting a first-rounder. 

There's no certainty the Rangers can bring in Kane, given the complications of swinging a three-team swap. If they can pull it off, however, it could become the deal that puts them over the top in this year's Stanley Cup race.