The Chicago Blackhawks traded Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers in a three-team trade that also involved the Arizona Coyotes.

Heading to the Blackhawks from the Rangers is a conditional second-round pick in 2023 which becomes a first-round pick if the Rangers reach the Eastern Conference Finals. However, that first-rounder will be in 2024 or 2025. The Blackhawks also receive the Rangers’ 2023 fourth-round pick.

The Blackhawks will retain 50 percent of Kane’s $10.5 million cap hit. The Coyotes will receive the Rangers’ 2025 third-round pick and will retain half of the remainder of Kane’s cap hit with the Rangers picking up the rest.

Chicago Blackhawks trade winger Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The long-speculated deal sending Kane to New York has finally taken place.

It’s not as significant a return for the Blackhawks as their fans may have hoped. There’s no certainty the Rangers will reach the Eastern Conference Final and even if they do the Hawks must wait at least another year to claim a first-round pick. Nevertheless, if you’re a Blackhawks fan, you should probably cheer for the Rangers to reach the Conference Finals this spring.

The Blackhawks had limited options here. It’s believed Kane would only waive his no-movement clause for the Rangers. The Hawks were going to do whatever they could to honor his wishes after everything he’d done for the franchise over the past 16 seasons. This was the best they could get given the circumstances.

While the Blackhawks have declined over the past seven years as core players departed via trades and free agency, trading Kane really does make it feel like the end of an era in Chicago. He and Jonathan Toews were the last two links to the franchise’s glory days between 2009-10 and 2014-15. With Toews plagued by illness and possibly facing retirement, trading Kane finally closes the book on that chapter in Blackhawks’ history.

The Rangers already made one significant move by acquiring Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues earlier this month to bolster their offensive at right wing. Adding Kane now gives them even more scoring punch from the right side. It’s assumed he’ll be reunited with Artemi Panarin, his old Blackhawks linemate. Should those two rediscover their former offensive chemistry, the Rangers will have two potent scoring lines that could carry them toward the Stanley Cup in June.