Suffice to say, Evander Kane hears the trade chatter. He knows he is in hot demand right now. He seemingly knows he is about to move on from teh Buffalo Sabres.
Where? When?
That remains to be seen.
Kane and his Sabres teammates reported back to work on Wednesday after their NHL-mandate five day siesta. Kane said after the skate that he is aware of the advent of a trade to a contending team. He's a pending UFA playing on the 30th ranked club in the NHL.The NHL trade deadline in on February 26.
"Obviously I'm aware of my situation and things are probably going to happen with the position we're in as a team," Kane said. "It's something that I'm aware of but I'm taking it one day at and a time and one game at a time."
Kane is on pace for a career season. The Vancouver native has scored has 16 goals (14 even strength goals) and 20 assists. Kane is on pace for another 30-goal season in his contract year. Kane is averaging .82 points per game in the final year of his current contract. Of Kane’s 16 goals, 14 have come at even strength. Of his 36 points this season, 28 of Kane’s points have come at even strength. In his past 114 games since December 3, 2016, Kane has scored 44 goals and 35 assists; 39 of his 44 goals have been scored at even strength.
KA-CHING!
Despite all of the trade speculation, Kane has been a professional. He has kept his feet on the ice and his nose to the grind stone. He has been a fantastic teammate and a relaible player for Phil Housley and Jason Boterill.
"I'm not holding my breath, that's for sure," Kane added. "I'm aware of the situation that our team is in and the position that I'm in with my contract. You know, it's part of the business and it's not something that I worry about or concern myself too much with. I'm just focused on each and every game and with the break, you're able to get that focus a little bit tighter, so it's good."
Kane's agent has been in contact with Sabres GM Jason Botterill. Kane's value seemingly rises with each and every even strength goal he scores this season. The team that trades for kane will have to be willing to part with three or four premium pieces, including a top four defenseman, a premium draft pick, a top prospect and another draft choice. Four pieces for Kane is crazy talk, you say? Hell no, it isn't. How bad do you want to win a Stanley Cup in June? The wise NHL GM will see Evander Kane for what he is, not what he isn’t. In other words, Kane is an investment and not an expense. If you are the GM of a team that is one player away from winning your conference championship and playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, investing in Kane is a no brainer. Kane is a pending UFA, however, the GM who trades for him can work out a seven year contract extension in advance of the July 1 UFA market
Remember when Matt Duchene was traded for SEVEN pieces? How is the Duchene deal looking right now for Pierre Dorion and the Ottawa Senators? Looks great on Nashville and Colorado, eh?
A strong marketplace for Kane has formed since last summer. The 26 year old power forward is exactly the type of leader a contending team would love to add at the NHL trade deadline. The teams that lost out on the Duchene bank hesit find themselves locked in a battle to win Kane.
Several teams, including Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Tampa, Carolina, Vancouver, San Jose, Vegas, NY Rangers and Columbus are considering making a move for Kane before the February 26 deadline just so they don't get shut out. Kane's dogged determination and consistent play on the ice has driven demand for his services. It would not surprise me in the least if Kane is traded in the next two weeks. The NHL standings are so tightly compressed and currently smashed together like an accordian. In both conferences, there are several teams doing the doggy paddle just to keep their heads above water. Several teams have lost go-to forwards to injury in recent weeks. Losing a goal scorer to injury during a playoff quest can be debilitating. Several teams are in desperate need of a goal scorer today to help buoy their offense while incumbent scoring forwards recover from injuries. Filip Forsberg. Viktor Arvidsson. Chris Kreider. Bo Horvat. Sven Baertschi. Cam Atkinson. Sonny Milano. Alexander Wennberg. Ryan Callahan. The list goes on.
Even strength goal scorers like Kane do not grow hydroponically. They are born that way. Five-tool power forwards like Evander Kane are like unicorns. Very rare. Very valuable.
Kane isn't holding his breath while waiting for the trade to occur. He doesn’t have to. He will continue to play a leadership role on the struggling Sabres squad until such time he is traded to a contending team.
My friend Matt Bove caught up with Kane.
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