After months of speculation about his future and many rumours tying him to the New York Rangers, Patrick Kane reportedly on his way to the Big Apple. The long-time Chicago Blackhawks star has seemingly been traded to the Rangers for a 2023 conditional second-round pick and a fourth-round pick.

The 2023 second rounder can become a first-round selection if the Rangers make it to the Conference Finals. It would then be in either 2024 or 2025. Due to Kane’s hefty salary it seems a third team must be involved in the deal, which is rumoured to be the Arizona Coyotes retaining Kane's salary for a mid-round pick; in the vein of what Minnesota has done twice in recent weeks. The official trade call should be in this evening to enlighten us on the final details.

Kane has tallied 16 goals and 29 assists in 54 games with Chicago this season. He has not played since Feb. 22, choosing to sit out as his future was being determined. The 34-year-old spent 16 seasons with the Blackhawks after he was taken with the first-overall pick in 2007, scoring 446 goals and registering 1,225 points in 1,161 games.

Kane led Chicago to three Stanley Cups in the span of five seasons between 2010 and 2015, notably scoring the championship-clinching goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. The nine-time All-Star has won an Art Ross Trophy, a Hart Memorial Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Calder Memorial Trophy over his legendary career. The Buffalo native is in the final year of an eight-year, $84 million contract ($10.5 million AAV) he signed in July 2014.

With this addition It's very clear that the top squads in the Eastern conference are in an arms race, that has gone nuclear. With the Carolina Hurricanes picking up Jesse Puljujarvi today all of the top six east squads have made moves in the past week. Boston, Carolina, New Jersey, Toronto, Tampa and of course New York have championship aspirations and know it's going to be a tough battle to emerge from the East this spring. The top end of the East is incredibly impressive and the above six squads as they are listed are the top six league wide in points so far this season.

Overall, this seems like a good deal for the New York Rangers especially considering they had to do some cap gymnastics to get it to work. Adding Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko in the last couple weeks, easily gives them one of the best top six groups in the league. For a player of Kane's talent and playoff pedigree the price of a second and fourth round draft pick seems quite fair; especially when you factor in that due to Kane’s no movement clause he basically was able to determine where he was going.