Patrick Kane excited to 'make a run' at Cup with Rangers

Patrick Kane, who will make his New York Rangers debut Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, said he hasn't been this nervous about a regular-season game in a very long time.

After 1,161 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Kane is playing for another franchise for the first time after an NHL trade deadline deal.

Kane, 34, waived his no-movement clause to join the Rangers, leaving a rebuilding team for one poised to make a run at its first Stanley Cup since 1994. But he also left a legacy after 16 years in Chicago, where he helped the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup victories.

«You definitely go back and forth in your head a bunch of times on what was right,» Kane said during an introductory news conference ahead of Thursday's game at Madison Square Garden. «It wasn't the easiest decision, but I'm just really excited to be here. With the amount of skill and good players they have here, it's another chance to make a run.»

The Rangers acquired Kane as part of a three-team deal Monday, giving up three draft picks and defenseman Andy Welinski. Kane, a right wing, has 45 points in 54 games this season, including 16 goals. He's an unrestricted free agent after this season and said he hasn't yet considered whether the Rangers would extend his contract.

The trade ended days of speculation that Kane would waive his no-movement clause to facilitate a deal to the Rangers, while New York made the necessary salary cap moves.

«The team's been waiting for it, like us all,» Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. «You're hoping, you're not sure what's going to happen. It seems like a long wait, even though it hasn't been.»

Kane said he wasn't sure of the timeframe for his decision to waive his no-movement clause and join the Rangers, but that