New York Rangers aware of trade noise; Patrick Kane given maintenance day
If you were wondering about the New York Rangers possibly being a little distracted with the trade rumblings about Patrick Kane, wonder no more.
“I can’t say no, it always does,” Gerard Gallant admitted on Friday. “It’s tough on some players, but at the end of the day you’re trying to make your team better. It’s going to be over in a week’s time. You’ve just got to focus on playing the games.”
The Rangers lost to the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 last night, and looked like their heads may have been elsewhere.
New York Rangers aware of trade noise
Rumors spread like wild fire and starting on Wednesday, the smoke we’ve been talking about since mid-February became just that.
Then those flames were fanned with the Rangers making both Vitali Kravtsov and Jake Leschyshyn unavailable for “roster management” purposes. Today, when asked about their status, Gallant joked about it.
“No change,” he smiled. “What’s the words we used? Roster management? Nothing’s changed today.”
The fire only got hotter with the Chicago Blackhawks giving Patrick Kane a “maintenance day” due to “soreness.”
I’m not sure about you, but these moves all scream wink, wink to me.
For those not following the situation closely, Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers was considered a foregone conclusion starting at the beginning of the year. The pending UFA and his old friend Artemi Panarin have mutually expressed a desire to play with each other again.
When the Blueshirts traded for Vladimir Tarasenko on February 9, Kane was publicly stunned and disappointed. According to reporting from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the two sides were close to a deal before several factors made it fall apart. However, she relayed that Kane still feels there’s a change a deal can be done. That was followed by the NY Post’s Larry Brooks report the GM Chris Drury is actively exploring a trade.
As Kane’s agent Pat Brisson continues to tell multiple outlets that no decision has been made regarding his client waiving his full no-move clause, the wheels are fully in motion as of late yesterday.
Per Elliotte Friedman, the Rangers are actively looking to shed salary either by waivers or trade. Neither Kravtsov or Leschyshyn were placed on waivers today, but it could happen tomorrow.
Kane, 34, has scored 45 points in 54 games this season.
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