Patrick Kane Says Rangers Debut 'Was a Pretty Cool Experience' After Blackhawks Trade

Despite a 5-3 home loss to the Ottawa Senators, future Hall of Fame winger Patrick Kane largely enjoyed his New York Rangers debut Thursday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Kane said: "My first game as a Ranger was a pretty cool experience. Obviously, I would've liked to play a little bit better and come out with the win. But hopefully it'll come. I haven't played in a little bit. Maybe a little bit rusty."

Kane, 34, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft and had spent his entire 16-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks before getting sent to the Rangers this week as part of a three-team trade that also included the Arizona Coyotes.

The Rangers parted with a conditional 2023 second-round pick, a 2025 third-round pick, a 2025 fourth-round pick and defenseman Andy Welinski to bring in a three-time Stanley Cup champion, one-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, one-time Art Ross Trophy winner and one-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner in Kane.

With the Blackhawks being among the NHL's worst teams this season and Kane set to hit free agency during the offseason, it was long expected he would be on the move.

Because of that, he hadn't played since Feb. 22, as the Blackhawks sat him in anticipation of a trade.

Even so, Kane played 19 minutes and 36 seconds on Thursday, recording no points, four shots on goal and a minus-2 rating.

It was something of a rocky start, but the Rangers are expecting plenty of production out of Kane down the stretch based on his 1,225 points in 1,162 career NHL regular-season games.

The Rangers fell just short of the Stanley Cup Final last season, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals, but a player like Kane with tons of playoff experience and success could be precisely what they need to get over the hump.

Kane's next opportunity to get his Rangers tenure moving in the right direction will come Saturday afternoon when they travel to Boston to face the first-place Bruins.