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Evander Kane Wants “Big Bucks” In Talks with Oilers, Team May Move On

Reports are that Evander Kane is asking for “big bucks” in his negotiations with the Edmonton Oilers and they may move on.

Don’t expect the Edmonton Oilers to wait around for the Evander Kane grievance to figure itself out or for GM Ken Holland to be passive once free agency starts because Kane is their priority for the top six. According to TSN’s Tom Gazzola, Kane is asking for “big bucks” in his negotiations with the Oilers, both in the annual average salary and term. So much so, that it appears the Oilers may pivot and approach July 13th as though Kane is a player that works if he works and doesn’t if he doesn’t.

Gazzola and Dustin Nielson got to talking about Kane’s situation on Saturday’s Oil Stream show and Gazzola said that he heard at the draft that initial negotiations have not gone well between the Oilers and Kane. Specifically, he’s asking for huge money and term and that even if the Oilers remain interested, Kane is asking for more money than the Oilers are prepared to pay.

Coming off a 22-goal season in 43 games and another 13 goals in 15 playoff games, Kane is banking on the fact that his short stint in Edmonton will get a team to fork over big money, overlook his past history with the San Jose Sharks — and frankly every other team for which he’s played in the NHL — and allow him to cash in on the production he posted beside Connor McDavid. Kane is open to returning, but Gazzola says with each passing day, it looks more and more like Kane is moving on.

Related: Oilers’ Duncan Keith Set to Retire After Lengthy NHL Career

Neilson asked if there was a risk that Holland might miss out on free agents while waiting for the Kane situation in San Jose to clear itself up and Gazzola said no. He added, that even if the Oilers save $6 or $7 million of the now $20 million they have to spend in free agency, Kane is reportedly asking for more than that per season.

Evander Kane Ken Holland Oilers
Evander Kane Ken Holland Oilers

If Kane wants $7.5 million or more, the Oilers likely aren’t in the running. They have other needs and there is talk that other players are interested in doing what Kane did and coming over to the Oilers to make the most of playing with two of the top centers in the NHL. Claude Giroux’s name has been linked to Edmonton and it’s unlikely the Oilers could land both players. In fact, if Kane wants $8 million and the Giroux wants half of that, the Oilers might lean towards Giroux, despite how great a fit Kane was last season.

Will Anyone Sign Kane For That?

What will be intriguing to see is what the market is for Kane. If he waits for his grievance case to be resolved and teams sign available free agents, there will be a limited number of organizations that can afford Kane’s ask. This of course, excludes teams that have no desire to go near the player based on his NHL history.

Could this be a situation where Kane prices himself out of the market? If so, could he be looking at having to sign another short-term “show me” deal with a team again in the hopes that he can hit a home run in next summer’s free agency market?

Next: Maple Leafs Will Make One Final Push to Sign Jack Campbell

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