The Rangers have gotten off to a hot start this season. They sit atop the Metropolitan division with a 7-2 record, despite playing through a tough section of their schedule. Now the team may be poised to add some reinforcements at a position where the team could use some help.
Analytically speaking, the Rangers may be overperforming just a touch so far this season. Having one of the best goalies in the world will do that for your team. However, a few players stand out as being particularly bad so far this season and Patrick Kane could potentially help.
Rangers fans online seem to be excited about the possibility of showtime returning to the big apple. While it remains unclear whether or not the interest is mutual, Kane has expressed a desire to return to the league as soon as possible.
The Rangers are going to do their due diligence when pursuing Kane if they chose to do so. One major concern would be his health status. Rangers fans saw last year just how hampered Kane was by his hip injury. At times it seemed like he could barely skate. In the offseason Kane had hip re-surfacing surgery, a procedure that has often ended the careers of athletes. Will Kane be still be able to skate effectively at NHL speed when he returns? This is yet to be seen.
Furthermore, the Rangers, like many NHL clubs, are right against the cap ceiling. There is no doubt that Kane would take a discount to play again at this point, but would he be willing to take league minimum? As it stands, the Rangers can't afford to give him any more than that. Cap hits are prorated based on the number of days left in the season so even a league minimum deal would carry a slightly higher cap hit than usual if he signed today. Regardless, the Rangers have a tough decision ahead of them.
