Evander Kane is off to a rocky start with the Vancouver Canucks
There are 11 different Vancouver Canucks players who have scored a goal this season. None of them are named Evander Kane.
Patrik Allvin didn’t make a ton of changes last offseason. His lone major acquisition was trading a fourth-round pick in exchange for Kane from the Edmonton Oilers.
The season is still young, but the early returns haven’t been great.
Kane remains goalless through 11 games, and his play at both ends of the ice has been an issue.
During the Canucks most recent loss to the New York Rangers, Kane got beaten by Mika Zibanejad, who scored the game-winning goal in the first period.
Mika Zibanejad – New York Rangers (4) pic.twitter.com/79VrGrdOyH
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 29, 2025
Overall, Kane’s play away from the puck has been questionable. He’s never been touted as a defensive savant, and that’s been evident so far in Vancouver.
At even-strength, the Canucks are allowing 3.24 expected goals per 60 when Kane is on the ice. Among 388 forwards to play at least 50 minutes at 5-on-5 this season, Kane ranks 324th in that category. It’s the second-worst mark among Canucks forwards, behind only Drew O’Connor.
He’s hurting his team defensively, and he’s also punishing the Canucks with his constant parade to the penalty box.
Kane’s seven minor penalties this season are tied for fourth-most in the NHL. He’s taken penalties at inopportune times as well, like when he put the Canucks shorthanded in the third period of a tie game against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday.
All of that could be forgiven if Kane was able to produce offensively.
While he does rank third on the Canucks in shots on goal, most of them haven’t been dangerous.
According to NHL Edge Data, Kane is among the league leaders in terms of shots from the perimeter.
(NHL Edge)
During his last full NHL season with the Edmonton Oilers in 2023-24, the Vancouver native was much better at shooting the puck from the dangerous areas of the ice.
(NHL Edge Data)
Kane’s mediocre play has been magnified by the fact that he leads Canucks forwards with 159 minutes played at 5-on-5. That’s 20 minutes more than the next closest Canucks forward, Conor Garland.
He’s been poor defensively, he’s frequenting the penalty box, and he’s not doing much offensively.
So, what is the purpose of Kane, who’s the Canucks fourth-highest paid forward with a $5.125 million salary?
Fans might argue that Kane was a worthwhile flier since the Canucks only traded away a fourth-round pick for him.
However, the opportunity cost of signing him was much pricier than a mid-round pick.
Trading for Kane meant the Canucks weren’t able to re-sign Pius Suter in free agency. The Swiss centre has held up his end of the bargain early for the St. Louis Blues, with three goals and five points in 10 games while playing in all situations.
Would the Canucks have dealt Dakota Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs if they hadn’t traded for Kane? Joshua has scored twice in his last four games as he finds his footing in Toronto. He’s also 14th in the NHL with 34 hits.
It’s also hard not to look at Vasily Podkolzin and the Edmonton Oilers, considering that the Canucks dealt the young Russian to their division rival for a fourth-round pick in the summer of 2024.
Podkolzin has more points and hits than Kane this season, and he’s doing it while playing with a paltry $1 million cap hit.
And that fourth-round pick that Vancouver acquired for Podkolzin? The Canucks traded away that exact same pick for Kane.
Allvin has made a number of good moves during his time as Canucks GM, but this is shaping up to be one of his most confounding deals yet.