As the NHL returns from the Olympic break and the season marches toward the annual Trade Deadline, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been linked with a potential trade target. On Tuesday's episode of Insider Trading, insider Chris Johnston revealed that the Lightning have inquired [https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/insider-trading-matthews-expected-to-play-wednesday/] about Vancouver Canucks forward Evander Kane. Kane, who is in the middle of his first season with the Canucks, is in the final year of a four-year contract that carries a cap hit of $5.125 million. It's expected that the Canucks would retain half of his salary, making the salary much more manageable for teams near the salary cap like the Lightning. Kane missed the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season before returning in the playoffs and registering six goals and six assists in 21 games for the Edmonton Oilers. During the summer, the Canucks traded a fourth-round draft pick for Kane. In 56 games this season, the 34-year-old forward has scored nine goals and added 16 assists for Vancouver. Although Johnston mentioned that Kane is expected to be traded to a playoff contender ahead of the deadline, he didn't give a time frame in which he expects the move to happen. It sounds as if nothing is imminent, but things can change in an instant.
