Kane on Rangers adding Tarasenko: 'It's not like the happiest I've been to hear about a trade'
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Chicago Blackhawks pending unrestricted free agent Patrick Kane admitted Friday he was "intrigued" by the New York Rangers as a potential trade destination.
The door for a move to Broadway appeared to close Thursday, though, with the Rangers acquiring winger Vladimir Tarasenko in a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Blues.
"It's not like the happiest I've been to hear about a trade," Kane said Friday, per NBC Sports Chicago. "I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons."
"If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at," Kane added. "It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is."
Playing out the last of an eight-year deal with the Blackhawks, Kane has a full no-move clause and has reportedly not yet made his decision on whether he'd prefer to be traded at the deadline.
TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston noted Thursday that Chicago will now have one less landing spot for Kane, if he elects to be moved, after the Tarasenko trade.
"I'm looking first and foremost at Patrick Kane because this move now gives him one less thing to think about. And it's a significant thing," Johnston said on Insider Trading. "There are those close to Kane that believed that if he got to a point where he was ready to waive his no-movement clause from the Chicago Blackhawks, that New York would be the prime destination in Patrick Kane's mind. And that's no longer in play.
"The Rangers, ultimately, decided that the acquisition cost plus the cap implications had Tarasenko making more sense for them. And so while Kane continues to mull his options, the odds of him leaving Chicago get just a little bit slimmer. Because I believe there's only a small handful of teams he'd even consider waiving that no-movement clause for."
Kane says hip injury is overblown
Kane has nine goals and 35 points in 46 games while reportedly playing through a hip injury.
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reported Thursday the Rangers had "some concerns" over the injury when considering a potential trade for the 34-year-old.
Kane said Friday he believes the injury has been blown out of proportion in the lead up to the deadline.
"Yeah, I think so," he said. "I'm not sure what the story is to be honest with you, but I feel better than I did last year. It's just one of those things that maybe the story leaks out and it piles up a little bit."
Following the Rangers move for Tarasenko, Kane dropped to No. 7 on the TSN Trade Bait list after previously being listed at No. 3.