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NEW YORK — Patrick Kane had always been the most skilled player on the Chicago Blackhawks from the time he arrived in the NHL.

That’s taking nothing away from all of the present and future Hall of Famers he played with on the Blackhawks, but from a pure skill standpoint, no one could match him.

Then Artemi Panarin showed up.

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“I feel like he was probably one of the players that came in that was maybe more gifted, talented than me,” Kane said after practicing at Madison Square Garden on Friday. “It was like, now all of a sudden, there’s a guy in practice that’s more talented, and you start watching him and realizing that he can push you in different ways, just by watching him in practice or being around him on the ice now.”

Panarin pushed Kane in a unique way. They played together in a unique way. They were even close friends in a unique way. Panarin spoke some English, Kane didn’t speak any Russian, but they always found a way to express themselves.

“There’ll be times we were on the road and go to dinner just the two of us and figure out a way to communicate, talk to each other,” Kane said. “And it wasn’t anything awkward or uncomfortable. It was just the way we communicated.”

Kane and Panarin played together for only two seasons, and it has been six seasons since they were last teammates. They’ve had individual successes and played with plenty of talented linemates since then. Still, neither downplays what they had together. It was special.

Why did they work so well together? Panarin said on Friday: “No ideas. Have to ask God about that, why he make us, our vision, so similar. Or am I better? (laughs) I think he’s quickest guy who I fit with right away, definitely in NHL. In Russia, I had couple guys like that – (Evgenii) Dadonov, (Vadim) Shipachyov, we start the same way. It’s too deep a question for me. I can control some things in my life, not everything.”

Kane has some control over whether he and Panarin reunite. The Blackhawks star is in the final year of his contract with Chicago. He has a no-movement clause, but if he were to waive it, there would certainly be plenty of suitors for him. The New York Rangers could be one of them.

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And with the way the Blackhawks’ season is heading — they’re 31st in points percentage — there seems to be a growing likelihood Kane will seek to play elsewhere. Kane didn’t go as far as saying that on Friday, but he did acknowledge it’s a conversation that has to happen soon.

“Right now, it’s not really at that point yet, like kind of making a decision of what’s going to come up,” Kane said. “Obviously, I think, sooner rather than later, there’s going to have to be discussions and probably talk with (Blackhawks general manger) Kyle (Davidson) and talk with my agent, yeah, figure things out. But I don’t think we’re at the point yet where you start having those discussions about where you want to play next or where you could possibly go. It’s probably in the future.”

Would Panarin like to play with Kane again? Sure. Would Kane like to play with Panarin again? The same. But both know it’s not that simple.

“I have no idea,” Panarin said of what Kane will decide. “I would love it (to play with him again). But that’s not my thing, making the decisions. Too young for that job.”

Kane laughed when he heard what Panarin said.

“He’s always got those quick, witty comments,” Kane said. “I mean, obviously, it’d be fun to play with Panarin again. It’d be fun to play with (Alex) DeBrincat again.”

If Kane were to waive his no-movement clause, he would probably have to be enticed by his potential linemates and the chance to win another Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks would likely want a first-round pick and a prospect in exchange for Kane and half of his cap hit. The Rangers could give both parties what they want.

A Kane-to-Rangers trade could take on a number of different forms. The Rangers’ recent trade of Ryan Reaves to the Wild gave New York general manager Chris Drury some breathing room against the salary cap – the Rangers currently could not afford Kane’s contract or even half of the $10.5 million cap hit, but if the Rangers continue to accrue cap space, they would be able to accommodate half of that cap hit near the March 3 trade deadline.

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Even without trading a player off the NHL roster, the Rangers could slot Kane in quite easily on the right wing opposite Panarin. It’s a spot that has seen a wide array of players shuffle through; Colin Blackwell, Dryden Hunt and Julien Gauthier have seen time with Panarin over the years, just to name a few.

As far as assets going to Chicago, the Rangers have two first-round picks this coming June: their own and the Stars’ from the Nils Lundkvist trade in October. The Rangers’ top prospect is winger Brennan Othmann, currently playing his final season in the OHL. It’s highly unlikely Drury would include Othmann in a Kane deal, but having Othmann in the 2023-24 lineup would allow Drury to trade another one of his young wingers without feeling much of a sting. Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in 2019, has shown flashes of success but has still underachieved. Vitali Kravtsov, the No. 9 pick in 2018, hasn’t yet established himself in the Rangers lineup either. Both Kakko and Kravtsov play the right side, where the Rangers are extremely thin, but Drury likely would be OK with moving either one for Kane.

Ever since the Blackhawks traded DeBrincat over the summer and fully committed to Davidson’s vision of a rebuild, the rumors around Kane leaving Chicago have escalated. You don’t have to look too hard on Twitter to find someone floating a hypothetical trade proposal for Kane. Despite the constant buzz around Kane, Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson feels Kane is handling everything well.

“I don’t think it bothers him at all,” Richardson said. “He’s just a guy that loves to get out on the ice and play the game. Even today at the end of practice, a little fun with the three-on-three, he loves that stuff. I don’t think the business side — it’s part of the game, but I don’t think he even worries about it or manages it, he has a team of people that do that for him. I don’t think it’s a distraction for him. When you’re in the last year of your contract, inevitably for everybody something is going to happen at some point. But even though some guys have control on trades or no trades, there really isn’t much you can do. You’re just here to play hockey and that’s what he does and that’s what I see.”

Coincidentally, two of Kane’s favorite linemates, DeBrincat and Panarin, are both in New York on Friday as the Ottawa Senators were scheduled to play the Rangers on Friday night. Kane said he and DeBrincat tried to get together on Thursday evening, but it didn’t work out. Kane and DeBrincat developed a similar relationship on and off the ice to Kane and Panarin. One difference is Kane and DeBrincat text often and Kane and Panarin are more likely to call each other.

Kane thought he and Panarin would likely meet up for a chat during warmups before their game on Saturday. They might even joke about Kane joining the Rangers, but don’t expect Panarin to put any pressure on or seriously recruit Kane.

“He’s a grown-up guy, he can make the decisions,” Panarin said. “I wish him to make the right decision for himself, his family. Can’t say much else.”

(Photo: Bill Smith / NHLI via Getty Images)

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