Patrick Kane has been one of the brightest stars in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks and he played a key role in Chicago's Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But with the team lingering at the bottom of the NHL standings and clearly in a rebuilding phase, Kane is looked at a player who could make a difference for teams with championship aspirations.

While Kane has not given his approval to be traded at this point — he has a no-movement clause in his contract — he certainly is considering potential moves. One of the teams he has considered is the New York Rangers, so the news of Vladimir Tarasenko's trade from the St. Louis Blues to the Rangers did not please Kane.

“It’s not like the happiest I've been to hear about a trade,” Kane said on Friday. “I think the Rangers are a team that you definitely pay attention to and definitely are intrigued by, for obvious reasons.”

Tarasenko had indicated that he was looking for a trade more than a year ago and he never rescinded that request. Tarasenko has exceeded the 30-goal mark six times in his career, and he gives the Rangers a right wing with a shoot-first mentality. New York needs more scoring, so Tarasenko appears to be a solid fit.

The Rangers traded  Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick for Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Miccola.

Patrick Kane has been battling a hip injury this season, and it's difficult to get a read on how well he could perform for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations