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Bob Stauffer questions Evander Kane trade after Edmonton Oilers' free agency additions
Edmonton Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now, reflected on the future of winger Evander Kane. Despite Kane's No Movement Clause, trade rumors swirl as Edmonton aims to shed salary. The Oilers, $2.5 million over the $88 million NHL salary cap, seek to move one or two players before the season begins.
Stauffer acknowledged Kane's potential if he returns to peak form, saying in the Edmonton Journal:
"The problem is you just can’t snap your fingers and move out Evander Kane, If they get the Evander Kane from two years ago, that is a Top 6 forward. Realistically, he has the physical skillset to be a 30-goal scorer in this league."
However, Stauffer highlighted the competitive challenge within the roster, noting:
"Now the problem, there are two other guys in the mix, Jeff Skinner, who has had six 30-goal seasons, and Viktor Arvidsson, who has scored 30 and had six 20-goal seasons."
Despite playing through a sports hernia, Evander Kane, turning 33 this season, scored 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 games last season.
His playoff performance was hindered by injury, prompting speculation about potential surgery. TSN's Rya͏n͏ Rishaug reported that Kan͏e hasn't been͏ approached by the Oilers to waive his No Movem͏ent Clau͏se.
"I don't know how this is going to play out with Evander Kane," Stauffer said.
Regarding Kane's role and satisfaction with his ice time under coaches Jay Woodcroft and Kris Knoblauch, Stauffer echoed concerns about fitting into the lineup to Reid Wilkins, especially with potential depth chart adjustments.
"I think he knows that there’s a pretty good situation here. But Reid I’m with you, at times if you read between the lines of what he was saying."
He concluded with speculation about defensive maneuvers impacting roster decisions, hinting at adjustments involving defensemen Cody Ceci, Troy Stecher and Josh Brown.
Why trading Evander Kane would hurt the Oilers' playoff prospects?
Tra͏ding Evander Kane would undou͏btedly be a significant loss for the Oi͏l͏ers. Despite his age and occasional͏ defen͏sive lapses, ͏Ka͏ne's impact on Edmonton's r͏ecen͏t playoff͏ runs was unmistak͏able.
His ͏ferocious hitt͏ing and inti͏midating presence were evident against teams like Los͏ An͏geles and Van͏couver, ͏by beating the K͏i͏ngs in just five games. Kane's͏ ability ͏to stand ͏up to top-tier players like͏ Drew Doughty and Nikita Zadoro͏v gives the Oilers the edge in͏ critic͏al͏ matchups.
Kane's ability to generate Grade A scoring chances and improving defensive reliability in playoffs ranked him highly among Oilers wingers. His physicality ranks among the league's top for hits per 60 minutes alongside Dylan Holloway.
Concerns about Kane's age and injury history are valid, but his recent performances, including a solid season and strong playoff contributions, show his potential to continue impacting the Oilers positively. Trading him would mean losing a rare combination of size, speed and intimidation that would be difficult to replace.
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