Canucks, Sabres have matching needs
Sabres looking for a solid blue-liner, such as Tanev
Can a polarizing left-winger with a scoring touch and checkered past be part of the Vancouver Canucks’ rebuild?
The answers: Absolutely and absolutely not.
Mention the possibility of acquiring 25-year-old Evander Kane in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres, who have a new general manager and are still looking to land an established defenceman like Chris Tanev, Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings, and debate in this market understandably rages like a wildfire.
The Sabres and Kings are open to doing business with new men at the GM helm — Jason Botterill and Rob Blake, respectively — but what about the Canucks? They have in the past expressed an interest in Kane and he might be worth another look.
Kane didn’t score in his first dozen games last season, but the Vancouver native finished with 28 goals — 25 came at even strength in his final 59 of 70 games played. He had a rib injury, played through pain and would help spark a 29th-ranked offence and also aid the first-line succession plan, especially with left-winger Daniel Sedin entering the final year of his NHL contract.
And after Sven Baertschi, the left side slides dramatically and creates audition season. Brendan Gaunce, Reid Boucher, Joseph Cramarossa, Jayson Megna, Jack Skille and Griffen Molino all got looks in the top nine.
Right-winger Loui Eriksson slumped so badly that he was moved to the left side even before promising right-wingers Nikolay Goldobin and Brock Boeser arrived.
Kane has a year remaining on his contract at a US$5.25-million salary cap hit. Making him fit here financially beyond next season is the challenge. There is $14 million in available cap space with the expected Sedins departure, but restricted free agents Baertschi, Markus Granlund, Troy Stecher and possibly Molino will also need extensions for 2018-19. And there will be other roster additions and deletions by that time.
Trading Tanev and his $4.45-million cap hit helps financially justify a Kane swap in the short term — as opposed to dangling the defenceman in a package to secure the third-overall pick from the Dallas Stars in the 2017 draft — but there will always be optics with the wayward winger.
How would a stubborn and selfish winger, who faced four counts of alleged non-criminal harassment, one for disorderly conduct and a misdemeanour trespass nearly a year ago, play out with a Vancouver franchise where conduct off the ice is as imperative as professionalism on it?
You have to wonder if Kane has a serious character flaw because he has had other missteps that ranged from juvenile to serious. You can also argue all this is simply the result of being a talented, well paid, fun-loving athlete who lacks judgment, maturity and his skewed sense of professionalism is because he lacks a real mentor at the rink and away from it.
In a locker-room that houses Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who received honourary degrees from Kwantlen University last week for citizenship, sportsmanship, civility and respect — a room that includes future captain Bo Horvat as the poster boy for everything right about the organization — Kane could be a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
However, Kane had his charges dismissed in November on the caveat of no legal issues for six months.
To his credit, he’s been good, but people have long memories. Kane allegedly had unwanted physical contact with three women during a June 24, 2016 altercation in a downtown Buffalo night spot where he was acting as a celebrity bartender.
Still, Kane has his backers. When trade rumours swirled again last July after the incident, his former junior coach came to his defence.
“I would take a chance on him,” said Don Hay.
“He would be a real interesting guy. You would need strong personalities in your leadership group and a strong personality as your coach.”
The Canucks have the leadership and a new coach in Travis Green, but it’s more about the player. Kane has always wanted to play here, but with Botterill willing to move him, what does that say about the GM not wanting to commit long term? Does he see a problem as opposed to the player?
“I found with Evander, the more structure you gave him, the more he responded,” added Hay, the former Vancouver Giants coach who now runs the WHL bench in his native Kamloops. “He was a young 18-year-old player in Atlanta with no mentor and a lot of distractions. He was too young.”
Now he’s not.
Kane turns 26 in August and if he has really turned a corner off the ice, the Canucks have to at least kick the trade tires. After all, what is the future first line, especially on the left side?
Is Baertschi a first-liner? Debatable. Kane could be.