NHL Rumors: Patrick Kane Trade Interests Rangers If Blackhawks RW Waives NMC

The New York Rangers already made a splash ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues, but it appears they still haven't ruled out bringing "Showtime" to Broadway.

The Blueshirts "have signaled they will try to make" a deal for Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane work if he is willing to waive his no-movement clause to head to New York, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

"We are told interest has not waned in the least since the acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis on Feb. 10," Brooks wrote.

Kane, who is in the final season of an eight-year, $84 million contract, still hasn't informed the Blackhawks whether he would like to be traded or not.

The three-time Stanley Cup winner has been viewed as a trade candidate since the offseason when Chicago indicated it would be entering a rebuild following the deals that sent Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat to the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators, respectively, for draft picks.

Kane admitted earlier this month following the Tarasenko deal that he was disappointed by the move, adding that the Rangers were "definitely" a team he was paying attention to and was "intrigued by" should he decide to waive his no-move clause.

"If things were going to happen, that was a team I was definitely looking at," Kane said of the Rangers. "It seems like they kind of filled their void and went ahead and made a deal, so it is what it is."

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Rangers are still in on Kane, especially after ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported earlier this month that the franchise went after Tarasenko over the Blackhawks star and San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier because it felt the asking prices for both players were too high.

Kaplan also reported the Rangers expressed concerns over Kane's hip injury.

However, the star winger told reporters earlier this month that he believes his hip aliment has been overblown.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure what the story is to be honest with you, but I feel better than I did last year," he said. "It's just one of those things that maybe the story leaks out and it piles up a little bit."

There's no denying the impact Kane would have on Broadway alongside the likes of Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox.

If the 34-year-old is dealing with a hip ailment, it hasn't slowed him much as he's notched 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points in 54 games. He's been particularly potent following the All-Star break, tallying seven goals and four assists for 11 points in nine games.

If the Rangers swing a deal for Kane, they'll become one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference once the playoffs begin this spring. The team currently sits third in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-15-9 record and are just four points back of the second-place New Jersey Devils.