Where could Evander Kane get traded to?

So far this season, the Canucks have moved on from their former Captain Quinn Hughes, and more recently Kiefer Sherwood, and Evander Kane appears to be a likely candidate to be wearing another uniform by the trade deadline. 

Kane, a 17 year NHL veteran, is playing on an expiring contract after being acquired by the Canucks this past offseason from the Edmonton Oilers, and with the Canucks going into rebuild mode, the stockpiling of assets is on for Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin. 

Where could Kane end up?

In a tweet put out by Kevin Weeks, the NHL insider says two teams that are among the likely destinations for Evander Kane are the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. 

The Stars and Avalanche are two of the best teams in the NHL, so it is safe to say that the demand for Kane’s services is apparent, and that a player of his skillset and experience will be sought after for a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. 

But with respect to the Stars and Avalanche, there is an excellent fit both from a situational and lineup standpoint. 

In terms of team situation, both the Stars and Avalanche are doing well in the standings, they both have enough cap space left to where they could figure out how to fit Kane onto their respective rosters, and they both already have built in leadership groups which would allow Kane to step in and focus on fulfilling his role as a depth winger who can contribute scoring. 

In terms of lineup situation, Kane fits in well with both the Stars and Avalanche. The Stars are currently without Tyler Seguin due to an ACL injury that will keep him out long term, and the Avalanche are currently without Gabriel Landeskog who does not currently have a timeline after crashing into the post at a high speed, so minutes are up for grabs for both teams.

Aside from each team’s obvious need for depth on the wing, Kane can also provide a heavier presence with goal scoring ability alongside the fast and skilled centres of the Stars and Avalanche. 

Some other less obvious fits for Kane that match up well for his skillset and their desire to compete in the playoffs are Montreal, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Utah. 

The Canucks currently have $4.8 million in cap space available, and in the case of a cap crunch, I imagine the Canucks would be willing to eat some of the money left on Kane’s contract in order to secure a slightly better return if it complies with Kane's 16 team no-trade clause.

Kane’s performance this season, and what he can bring to a contending team

Naturally, any team who wants to contend in the playoffs could use a player of Kane’s skillset. Even at age 34, Kane is still able to do a bit of everything, as he is averaging 2.43 shots on goal per game, with .61 of them being high danger, but also 1.67 hits per game and 57 total penalty minutes. 

This to say, Kane will be able to not only provide his team with quality scoring opportunities, but will also be a player who throws his weight around and gets involved physically, which is what playoff hockey is all about. 

With respect to playoff hockey, Kane has played 68 playoff games with the Edmonton Oilers over the last four seasons, totalling 42 points in those games and a whopping 164 penalty minutes. 

This season, Kane has just 9 goals and 15 assists totalling 24 points in 51 games, but given the situation the Canucks find themselves in, and numbers such as Kane’s 11-4 primary assists to secondary assists and 12.4 expected goals per money puck, it is clear that Kane still has offensive ability, but is not in an environment that breeds successful offensive outcomes.