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Oilers Send Evander Kane To Rival Vancouver Canucks
Oilers Send Evander Kane To Rival Vancouver Canucks
An Evander Kane trade is not a surprise. However, it is a surprise move between rivals, as the Edmonton Oilers shipped him to the Vancouver Canucks for just a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Kane brings a mix of scoring touch and physicality to Vancouver’s forward group, but he’s also a double-edged sword. While he can do some good with his speed and scoring touch, his knack for taking ill-timed penalties has burned teams before. For the Canucks, it’s a gamble that could either add bite to their playoff push or blow up at the worst possible time, while also helping their in-division enemy. Frank Seravalli confirmed the news earlier today:
Kane did not play a single game of the regular season, but returned for the playoffs. Naturally, that raised eyebrows in the league office. LTIR usage before the playoffs is always a topic of conversation in NHL circles, but it remains to be seen what kind of punishment could be handed down to Edmonton.
Playoff Warrior?
In any case, we can only judge Kane on how he did in the playoffs. He did chip in with 12 points in 21 games. However, that came with being exposed as a near-total liability in the Stanley Cup Final. Part of that was being moved up the depth chart with Zach Hyman’s injury in the WCF. You must also consider the Panthers’ style of grinding him out and rendering him useless in Edmonton’s own end. You can see for yourself what he brings to the table:
For the Canucks, they are receiving an offensive piece that needs support. You get him with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes on the power play, and maybe he looks a little better. However, banishing him to the third line with no play drivers and puck movers, he will look like a deer in the headlights. A fourth-round pick is a low cost to gamble with a player like him. However, if the gamble blows up they just gave their rivals some much-needed salary cap relief. All of the fans who hated on him have to now eat their words.
Stan Bowman needs to get this offseason right. That blueline and bottom six need a complete makeover, but that is pretty much impossible. The most important thing he can do is the keep Connor McDavid happy. With his contract out in 2026, no one knows what the former Conn Smythe winner is thinking. It’s a guarantee that teams will be sniffing around. Evander Kane should be the first of many dominoes that need to fall absolutely perfectly.
Moving Evander Kane clears just over $5 million off the books for Edmonton—a crucial bit of breathing room with a long list of free agents to address. At the top of that list is star blueliner Evan Bouchard, who’s due for a major payday after another breakout season. For the Oilers, this trade is less about subtraction and more about setting the stage to keep their core intact ahead of a critical season.
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