Rumor: Patrick Kane to the Rangers in a three team trade, if they can offload Kratsov

The New York Rangers made a blockbuster deal earlier this month when they acquired star forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues in what many analysts believe to be the Rangers' big pre-playoff acquisition.

In other words, most fans and analysts believe that the Rangers 'shot their shot' with the Tarasenko trade and now can't afford to acquire anyone else ahead of the NHL's March 3rd trade deadline. But... not so says Rangers insider Larry Brooks.

In his latest column for The New York Post, Brooks reports that the Rangers aren't done acquiring players and even reports on a potential deal involving Chicago Blackhawks' superstar Patrick Kane. After the Tarasenko acquisition and Sunday's acquisition of Tyler Motte from the Ottawa Senators, Rangers GM Chris Drury has just $900,000 in cap space to use at the deadline. But, Brooks reports that the Rangers can free up an additional $2 million in cap space if they dump underachieving forward Vitali Kravtsov on waivers.

Brooks reports that there's no interest on the trade market for the 23 year old Kravtsov, after Kravtsov himself requested a trade from the team. Brooks reports that teams are scared off of him, fearing that he'll return to the KHL this offseason.

So, what Brooks is proposing is that the Rangers waive Kravtsov to gain nearly $3 million in salary cap space and then they arrange a three-way deal that would make Kane's actual cap hit just $2.625 million.

More from Brooks:

Making like the stand-in President Bill Mitchell at the cabinet meeting in the movie, “Dave,” you take that, add it to the original $909,000, that gives you around $2.9 million, you get the Blackhawks to retain half of Kane’s $10.5 million cap hit, you get another team to take half of the resulting $5.25 million and voila, Kane’s ultimate cap charge becomes $2.625 million that fits and welcome to Broadway, No. 88.

Then, of course, there are the assets the Rangers would have to sacrifice in order to get this done. There is absolutely zero appetite within the hierarchy to move the club’s remaining first-rounder in this year’s draft, and the same hands-off edict will apply to Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle and the club’s blue-chippers.

It would be a challenge to get it done, though if Kane — audibly disappointed upon learning that the Blueshirts had acquired Tarasenko — tells Chicago he would waive the no-move only for a trade to the Rangers, the cost could become manageable.

If Kravtsov clears, that would be a benefit in itself by putting him in the position to get consistent top-line work with the Wolf Pack. That would prepare him if the Rangers need the winger in the playoffs because of injuries.

But if claimed, it is not as if the Blueshirts would have lost him for nothing. In essence, they would have traded him for $2 million in cap space…and the chance of adding Patrick K

- Larry Brooks

As Brooks himself admits... that's a LOT of hoops for Drury to jump through. It's not impossible, of course, but it does seem improbable. 

Thoughts, Blueshirts fans?