Canucks Trade
I’ve never been a big fan of Evander Kane, mainly for some of the off-ice incidents and his reputation in dressing rooms. Then again, I just happened to be speaking to a couple of different NHL head coaches on Wednesday and they both said they’d like to have him on their team.
Both are clubs that could use a little extra grit and muscle.
So, what of it?
Let’s play the angel’s advocate in this case, and we’ll work backwards. Let’s say it doesn’t go swimmingly, there’s always the trade deadline next March when the Canucks can unload the 34-year-old pending UFA for at least what they gave up for him. In this case a 4th-round draft pick to the Oilers.
It’s similar to the Seattle Kraken acquiring Mason Marchment from the Dallas Stars last week. There’s no guarantee it’ll work out and/or whether the 31-year-old UFA will want to stick around.
Maybe Kane has matured.
Or maybe not. Not a good look, skipping the handshake line after his Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final. Or did he eventually show up? Not to my recollection.
Wait, this is angel’s advocate!
How about that UFA thing. He should be motivated to play very well to earn what could be his last NHL contract, if it has any term whatsoever. And it might have a bit of term if he plays well this next season.
What about skating for his hometown, where he successfully played junior hockey for the Vancouver Giants and went on to be picked 4th-overall in the 2009 NHL Draft.
He’ll have a fun little conversation starter with Canucks D-man Tyler Myers. The two were traded for one another among a group during the 2015-16 season. Myers to the Jets; Kane to the Sabres.
Kane has proven he can produce, even lately, despite falling off in the latter part of that most recent Final. He pumped home 24 goals and added 20 assists last season.
At this point, and considering potential upside, he’s almost worth the $5.1-million cap hit.
Maybe combine all of it. How about the pride he’ll show for playing for the Canucks? He definitely doesn’t want to embarrass himself back here, as he has elsewhere, predominantly off the ice.
Enough said.
Which brings us to the Devil’s advocate stuff.
Wait, let’s not rehash the past. Let’s move on. Canucks fans, and his teammates for that matter, would prefer to go with angel’s advocacy. Put it out to the world …..
Good luck everyone.
Earlier Canucks:
— PWHL Vancouver Acquires 6 Players
Also of interest on the Seattle site:
— Kraken Wheel And Deal; Dump Burakovsky
