Vancouver Canucks veteran Evander Kane's grit and scoring touch could make him a valuable playoff rental, and he's in the trade rumor mill. Which NHL team is likely to be Kane's next destination?
Vancouver Canucks right winger Evander Kane is a trade candidate ahead of the NHL's March 6 trade deadline.
Kane's agent, Dan Milstein, received permission to speak with other clubs and find a suitable trade partner, CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal reported.
The 34-year-old discussed the trade speculation on Tuesday with Vancouver media.
"I think there's a lot of names that are out there," he told reporters. "All of a sudden, just because a member of the Vancouver media to tweet it out, we got a big scrum today. But yeah, it's part of the process. It's part of the way business is done at the NHL level."
Kane has only nine goals and 24 points in 52 games this season, but he's a solid Stanley Cup playoff performer who posted six goals and 12 points in 21 playoff games with the Edmonton Oilers last year.
He is in the final season of a contract paying him $5.125 million, so Kane won't be a long-term investment for any team seeking the grit and scoring touch he has provided over the course of his 17-season NHL career.
Kane has a partial no-trade clause that allows him to submit a list of 16 teams he'd accept a trade to. But which teams are a good fit for him? Let's look at three potential options.
Boston Bruins#
The Bruins are unexpectedly competitive this season, but they need to avoid trading too much for a potential rental. They're still a retooling team.
Kane could be the right acquisition. If the Canucks acquired Kane from Edmonton for a fourth-round pick, the Bruins could meet a similar asking price without sacrificing much of their future.
Boston's feisty style of play could be an ideal match for what Kane can deliver. He's no longer likely to be a top-six forward, but Boston wouldn't need him to be. So long as he can chip in some goals, Kane would give the B's some experience and depth up front.
The Bruins have only $2.79 million in cap space, so they'd have to move around some assets to bring Kane aboard. But the chance to play on a playoff-bound team like Boston would probably be a great selling point for Kane. And if Kane doesn't work out, the Bruins would be free of their commitment to him at the end of this season. So, as a strict rental asset, Kane would be a good addition in Beantown.
Dallas Stars#
As per ESPN's Kevin Weekes, the Stars and Colorado Avalanche reportedly have interest in acquiring Kane, but the Stars feel like the better fit.
Dallas GM Jim Nill is famous for loading up on talent in advance of a deep playoff run, so while it's true the Avalanche have slightly more cap space than the Stars, it's also true that the injury-depleted Stars currently have more of a need for a top-six winger than Colorado does.
It's hard to imagine the Canucks demanding anything more than a fifth or sixth-round draft pick in a Kane trade, and the Stars presently have each of their fifth-rounders in the next three drafts, and all three of their sixth-rounders. Going to a market in Dallas that doesn't have the media spotlight of a Canadian team may be appealing as well.
That all means that Nill could wind up acquiring Kane in a low-risk, decent-reward scenario.
Washington Capitals#
Washington has underachieved this season, and the Capitals sat 14th overall in goals-for per game heading into Wednesday's games, with 3.17.
Two of Washington's top five point-getters are defensemen, so you have to think Caps GM Chris Patrick would have interest in acquiring Kane and bolstering his group of forwards.
The Capitals currently have $7.59 million in cap space, meaning they can fully absorb Kane's full cap hit without having to send any contracts back to Vancouver. Washington has all three of its fifth-rounders in the next three years and two of its sixth-rounders, meaning they can afford to spend a low-round pick or two to acquire Kane. Thus, a trade for Kane should absolutely be palatable for the Caps and Canucks.
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