Can Patrick Kane elevate the Rangers as the NHL Playoffs loom?

The most exciting moments for Patrick Kane were warming up before the game and introducing the players, which is indicative of how things went on his first night playing for the Rangers. Kane skated onto the ice at Madison Square Garden about half an hour before Thursday’s opening game, and fans greeted him with a standing ovation, holding up signs of appreciation and cheering his every move until he skated off.

“It’s a special place to play,” said Kane after the game. “Original Six franchise, New York Rangers, play at MSG And to get a reception like that, I’ll never forget that.”

Kane said his new Ranger teammates whispered to him before the game to let him know what they knew was coming. Even Ottawa Senators’ opponents, such as former forest ranger Derick Brassard, took notice enthusiastic reception while they warmed up on the other side of the ice.

“It was pretty cool for us to see the ovation he got in the warm-up,” said Brassard, who was playing in his 1,000th game. “It’s going to take them a while to get the chemistry together.”

Kane, 34, is the latest superstar to join the Blueshirts in his 30s or late 20s, adding to a roster that includes Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros, Jaromir Jagr, Luc Robitaille and Phil Esposito.

But on a night supposed to celebrate the arrival of this new Ranger, an old Ranger ruined the festivities as Brassard scored twice in the Senators’ 5-3 victory over the Rangers, putting a minor damper on the high expectations.

Kane sometimes looked a little nervous or rusty, flipping the puck or failing to control it as deftly as usual. On a few occasions, he declined open shots in favor of an extra pass, much to the dismay of fans, who shouted for him to shoot when he had room.

But with 446 goals and 779 assists in 1,162 career games, Kane is as much a playmaker as he is a goalscorer. and emerged as one of the best American-born players in NHL history

It’s been a brilliant career so far, with three Stanley Cup championships, a Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie and a Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player in 2016 when he became the first American to win that award.

“I think our team likes him,” said Gerard Gallant, the Rangers coach. “It’s a pity that it didn’t go well tonight, but he is a great addition to our group.”

The Rangers acquired Kane from Chicago on Tuesday in a three-team deal with Arizona that didn’t cost them much. Chicago got minor league player Andy Welinski, a conditional second-round pick in 2023 and a fourth-round pick in 2025, and the Coyotes got a conditional third-round pick in 2025.

In return, the Rangers got a legend. After playing his entire career in Chicago, Kane grew tired of remodeling and wanted to become a Ranger. Since Chicago last won the Stanley Cup in 2015, they have lost or missed out altogether in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers seem to be heading in the right direction.

As with most teams and their supporters, the Rangers love the mega stars, and some fans were already wearing brand new Ranger shirts with Kane’s No. 88 and his name. Jack Walsh, 30, an accountant originally from Albany, said he bought his jersey at the NHL’s store in Manhattan on Wednesday. As an upstate New Yorker, he has long admired Kane, who is from Buffalo.

“It’s pretty awesome that he’s here,” Walsh said. “I hope it works. But you never know.”

The loss was a bit sobering for the fans. But the trade didn’t happen overnight, and Kane left the building feeling good, knowing that he was finally a Ranger, and that once he finds the chemistry with his new teammates in the coming weeks, wins are likely to follow.

“It’s not something that will happen overnight,” he said, “but we will find it.”

He doesn’t have long. The Rangers, ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, have 20 games left in the regular season, and the defeat in Kane’s first game was at least a small warning to the euphoria over his arrival ahead of the NHL trade deadline on Friday. .

It appeared that the transaction, which appeared to be months in the making, would not go through after the Rangers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues on February 9. Tarasenko was on his way to New York instead of him.

“It wasn’t that I was extremely angry about the situation when they made the move to Tarasenko,” Kane said after a short skate on Thursday morning. “It didn’t seem like it was still in the cards for me to still be an option. Now, of course, I’m very happy that they took that step and that we’re both here. I’m excited to play with Vladdy.

There is hope that Kane will reunite with Artemi Panarin, his former Chicago linemate when Panarin played there from 2015 to 2017. Kane won the Hart Trophy in their first year together and Panarin won the Calder. Gallant had them back on track Thursday, and even amid the rust flakes, there were also moments of telepathy across the ice.

The Rangers, having lost five of their last seven games, believe they are now much better positioned to challenge the mighty Boston Bruins in the East. Boston leads the league with 48 wins and has won the last nine games. The teams meet in Boston on Saturday afternoon as the Rangers try to revive their playoff ambition.

Kane and Tarasenko are now a big part of that ambition, and that has electrified Rangers fans. But there is also another side to trading. Many Chicago fans were sad to see Kane go. A handful showed up at the Garden Thursday in their red jerseys with Kane’s name and number, including Melanie DeCaprio, a nurse from outside New Haven and a longtime Kane fan.

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “When I first saw him on the ice, my stomach sank. I’m glad to see him play more often. But it’s hard to see him in another jersey.”