Patrick Kane at the New York Rangers is feeling a little weird
New York. Well, now the New York Rangers have to win the Stanley Cup.
With Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko in the lineup, anything else is a failure.
But there is, of course, a great risk that the adventure will end already in the first playoff round …
It took time and required salary-cap math gimmicks you need an undergraduate degree in quantum physics to fully understand, but on Tuesday night the most exciting streak of the season was finally played.
And now Patrick Kane – captain of the Chicago Blackhawks himself, along with Jonathan Toews – plays for the New York Rangers.
It feels a little weird – no matter how predictable the deal is in the end. Trying to imagine Showtime in a shirt other than the one in which he appeared during sixteen glorious seasons at the United Center is like imagining Francesco Totti anywhere but Rome.
But we’ll get a chance to get used to it quickly. Early Thursday night, he will make his debut for his new team, away against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Bomb moves rarely produce the desired results
When that game begins, the New York Rangers are living in a very different reality than when the last game ended, against Los Angeles at home in the park last Sunday. Then they were among the many contenders. Now, after that streak, they are clear favorites for the Stanley Cup.
Yes, well, even others in the Eastern Conference have been preparing ambitiously in recent days, to put it mildly. In Toronto, for example, all restrictions appear to have been loosened — and the neighboring New Jersey Devils dropped heavy lead trade Timo Meyer as recently as two days ago. But only Rangers have been associated with Patrick Kane. And Vladimir Tarasenko.
Then you have to find yourself in a whole new stressor. The club went all in and out will Winning, that’s it.
But of course there are no guarantees. Conversely, if we’ve learned anything from NHL history, it’s that these kinds of impressive moves rarely lead to the desired results. And with the absurd playoff format the league has been pushing for a few years now, there’s a high risk that everything will end up sloppy already in the first playoff round. Because the Rangers, who are third in the Metropolitan table, will face second-place New Jersey (or Carolina) instead of sixth in the overall table against eleventh-place Minnesota — and it will be a terrible challenge, no matter how. Many stars can put them on the ice.
But still:
They are now favourites.
It’s just like the situation.
Geez, what a night
Tuesday was otherwise a transformative day and evening, even from a blue-yellow perspective.
As many as five or even six Swedish plays had to quickly change clubs. Rasmus Sandin and Eric Gustafsson have switched places with each other in Toronto and Washington respectively, Marcus Johansson once again had to pack his bags to move from Washington to Minnesota, Pierre Engvall was traded from Toronto to the New York Islanders – and at the time he writes there is talk of Nashville Matthias Ekholm is about to ship to Connor McDavid in Edmonton.
Jeez, an NHL team member from the kingdom can only cheer. Sandin, for one, I never thought the Leafs would get rid of it, he was seen as one of their few big promises, but right now Gustafsson has more offensive potential and young GM Kayla Dubas is only thinking about it now. Because if his team is not successful this year, he will probably be fired this summer.
Yes, there are more who should win the Stanley Cup.
It could be an unforgettable spring in North America…