Pacific Division team is apparently interested in Vancouver Canucks' Evander Kane
The underwhelming Evander Kane experience is likely coming to a close.
It doesn’t make much sense for the Vancouver Canucks to keep the 34-year-old winger beyond the March 6 trade deadline, considering his middling impact and where they are in the standings.
Whether they can get much for him is an entirely different story, but at least one team should bite, right?
Well, apparently, one Pacific Division team has some interest in acquiring the Canucks’ veteran.
Mayor’s Manor, a Los Angeles Kings blog, reported on Thursday that two of its sources have said general manager Ken Holland is exploring the possibility of trading for Kane.
There’s a previous relationship between Holland and Kane. The former Edmonton Oilers GM took a chance on the embattled winger back in 2022, after the San Jose Sharks terminated his contract. Holland signed Kane to a one-year deal, and the 6-foot-2, 215-pound winger didn’t disappoint.
Kane has 22 goals and 39 points in 43 games to finish off the 2021-22 season. He then followed that up by scoring 13 goals in 15 playoff games, as the Oilers made it to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
After his stellar audition with the Oilers, Holland extended Kane with a four-year, $20.5-million contract.
Of course, that was four years ago. This season, Kane has just seven goals and 21 points in 44 games. He’s currently playing on the fourth line of the worst team in the NHL.
However, Holland has already shown a willingness to dip back into the well of former Oilers, as the Kings’ GM surprised L.A. fans by signing 40-year-old Corey Perry during the offseason.
Although he’s the oldest forward playing in the NHL, Perry has enjoyed a good season with 10 goals and 23 points in 37 games.
Perhaps Holland believes the Kings can get a similar performance out of Kane.
The Kings currently have over $11 million in cap space, making them one of a handful of teams that could absorb Kane’s full cap hit. They also have 10 total picks in this year’s draft, with extra selections in the second, third, and sixth rounds.
Los Angeles sits two points out of a playoff spot, with both the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken narrowly ahead of them.