CHICAGO — “Showtime” is headed to Broadway.
Patrick Kane will close the books on nearly 16 seasons and three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks and chase another title with the New York Rangers.
The long-awaited Kane trade became official Tuesday evening as the Hawks sent their No. 2 all-time scorer to the Rangers in a three-team trade that also involved the Arizona Coyotes.
“This has been an emotional time for me and my family, but I feel this decision puts me in the best spot to immediately win another Stanley Cup,” Kane said in a statement through the Hawks. “This isn’t about me leaving the Blackhawks, but this is an opportunity for me — the Blackhawks did everything they could to put me in a great position and I will forever be grateful.
“It is bittersweet to leave a place that is so special to me, but I will always carry the memories we made in Chicago. I will miss the roar of the United Center, the deafening sound of the anthem and the people of Chicago. Together, we made memories that will last a lifetime.”
The Hawks received the Rangers’ second- and fourth-round draft picks this year, with the second-rounder possibly becoming a 2024 or 2025 first-rounder if the Rangers make the Eastern Conference finals this season. The Hawks also got defensemen Andy Welinski from the Rangers and Vili Saarijarvi from the Coyotes.
In addition to Kane, the Rangers received defenseman Cooper Zech from the Hawks, while the Coyotes got a conditional 2025 third-round pick from the Rangers.
The Coyotes were included in the trade to pick up 25% of Kane’s $10.5 million salary-cap figure. The Hawks are limited by rule from absorbing more than 50% of Kane’s salary.
“The contributions Patrick Kane has made to the Blackhawks organization and city of Chicago will never be forgotten,” Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz said in a statement. “While today marks the end of an era for the team, he will forever be a part of the Blackhawks family.
“Three Stanley Cups, over 1,000 games, more than 1,200 points, over 400 goals and countless awards are just part of the legacy he leaves here — one of the greatest Blackhawks players in club history.”
The Rangers’ flirtation with Kane had been the NHL’s worst-kept secret dating to last year’s trade deadline. Kane has longed to reunite with former Hawks linemate Artemi Panarin, who helped propel Kane to the 2015-16 Hart Trophy and scoring title.
But there were a lot of challenges this time around.
First, Kane had to commit to a trade and waive his no-movement clause. He told the Tribune in January: “I want to make the most of the back half of my career here and have fun playing hockey too.”
Yet he admittedly was slow to do so, and the Rangers swung a big deal with the St. Louis Blues for forward Vladimir Tarasenko on Feb. 9. Kane expressed disappointment as it became apparent that the Rangers not only were at the top of Kane’s short list — they might have been the entire list.
“It’s not like the happiest I’ve been to hear about a trade,” Kane said on Feb. 10. “But I think the Rangers I definitely pay attention to, intrigued by for obvious reasons.”
Then there was the chatter that a hip injury was bothering Kane and hampering his production.
“I’m not really sure what the story is out there, to be honest with you,” he said. “I think I feel better than I did last year.”
Kane then went on a hot streak, scoring seven goals and adding three assists in four games, including a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Rangers, third in the Metropolitan Division, followed up a shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers with three straight losses.
Whether that series of events piqued the Rangers’ interest or they never really lost it, buzz percolated that they were heavily back in the Kane market. But they had to clear the hurdles of cap, contract and compensation — as in draft capital.
In the Tarasenko trade, the Rangers needed the Blues to retain half of his $7.5 million cap hit ($3.75 million). The Rangers gave the Blues one of their two first-round picks this year, a 2024 fourth-rounder and a pair of prospects in exchange for the 31-year-old Russian.
Kane, 34, has a bigger cap hit: His $10.5 million contract expires after this season, then he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement that Kane’s legacy will be “hard to match.”
“Our goal from day one is to achieve sustained success throughout all levels of the organization, and that goal remains,” Davidson said. “I appreciate the continued support of team leadership and I look forward to leading the Blackhawks into this next era on the ice.”
While the Hawks have to be pleased with stocking up for the rebuild, the trade breaks up one of the all-time great hockey duos in Kane and Jonathan Toews, whose $10.5 million annual cap hit also expires after this season.
Toews was placed on injured reserve Feb. 15, and four days later he announced he’s “still dealing with the symptoms of long COVID and chronic immune response syndrome.”
Though the Hawks haven’t made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, the departure of Kane symbolically ends the 2010s Stanley Cup era.
Kane’s 1,225 points, 1,161 games and 67 game-winning goals rank second, third and fourth in franchise history, respectively.
The Hawks bid farewell to the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft and one of the greatest American-born hockey players:
— Three Stanley Cups (2010, ‘13 and ‘15).
— Olympic appearances in 2010 (silver) and 2014.
— 2007-08 Calder Trophy (top rookie).
— 2013 Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP).
— 2015-16 Hart Trophy (regular-season MVP), the first U.S.-born player to win it.
— 2015-16 Art Ross Trophy (points leader).
— Nine All-Star Games.
Kane’s legend with the Blackhawks includes his famous “phantom goal,” the sharp-angle shot that sneaked under Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michael Leighton’s legs and into the side of the net to secure a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, clinching the first of three Hawks championships in a six-year span.
An NHL.com panel named it the “Goal of the Decade.”
Kane scored and assisted on the only two goals in the Hawks’ 2015 Cup clincher against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kane is third in franchise playoff points (132), fourth in playoff goals (52) and tied with Toews and Bobby Hull with 11 postseason game-winning goals.
His exit likely ends his quest to ascend the franchise career ladder in regular-season goals (446, third), assists (779, second) and points (1,225, second), though Hull and Stan Mikita made those aspirations long shots.
Kane is tied with Mikita for the most 20-goal seasons with 14.
But Kane had rocky moments during his tenure too. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in August 2009 after an altercation with a Buffalo, N.Y., cabdriver, and in August 2015 he faced a sexual assault allegation, though the complaint was withdrawn and the case dropped after a three-month investigation.
Despite playing the better part of 16 seasons with the Hawks and advancing in age — he turns 35 on Nov. 19 — Kane has remained a force, leading the team last season with 92 points (26 goals and a team-high 66 assists).
After the trades of several teammates, including Brandon Hagel, Kirby Dach and longtime linemate Alex DeBrincat, Kane started slowly this season while trying to jell with new faces such as Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou.
Kane registered four goals and 18 assists in the first 30 games. But in the 24 games since then, he put up 12 goals and 11 assists.
During the summer, Davidson said players such as Kane and Toews can bring “all of the experience and all of the professionalism and what they know of the NHL” to a young locker room.
But absent that now, the Hawks hope trading Kane can be a catalyst for their next Cup run.
