“When Rangers went to get (Vladimir) Tarasenko, I thought it was because they weren’t able to get (Patrick) Kane, it was to make up for it. So when they acquired Kane, I was surprised. »
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Samuel Montembeault is not the only one to have felt this feeling when the transaction was announced. However, it was what the Blackhawks got in return from the face of their franchise (2024 conditional 2nd-round pick and 2025 4th-round pick) that startled many. Except that when a player of the caliber of the American striker mentions that it is the only possible destination for him, the bargaining power becomes rather thin.
This isn’t the first time a veteran has said he wants to pursue his career in Manhattan. Artemi Panarin made the same request to his agent when he became a free agent in the summer of 2019.
And, who doesn’t remember the saga involving Brendan Shanahan and the Canadiens in July 2006? The then 37-year-old veteran preferred the offer from the Rangers to that of the Habs. Even though Bob Gainey had offered him more money and a helicopter ride to see the city.
St-Louis lived it
Moreover, Martin St-Louis is well placed to understand this reality. In his 13th season with the Lightning, by the trade deadline, he had moved to the Rangers in a big trade.
Steve Yzerman, at the time general manager of the Floridian formation, had fulfilled the wish of his captain. A wish that, in this case, had nothing to do with the magnitude of the Big Apple.
“Yes, I wanted to go play there, but it was because I had a house there. For me, it was a way to end my career, a nice transition for the children, ”he explained on the eve of the visit of the Blueshirts.
That said, he understands the attraction that the American metropolis can have for NHL players.
“It’s a very attractive place for an NHL player,” he admitted. Playing at Madison Square Garden, living in the big city; I’m not surprised that a lot of star players want to go there. »
“For sure if you have an opportunity to play in New York, you try to take it,” he continued.
St. Louis seized it nicely, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, before retiring at the end of the following campaign.