Why Are Evander Kane Trade Rumors Suddenly Popping Up?

Over the past 24 hours, several reports and articles from trusted insiders (and some not-so-trusted media outlets) have suggested that the Edmonton Oilers could actually trade Evander Kane. We covered a bit of the narrative in an article yesterday about how the change of his no-move clause might affect the Oilers’ deadline plans, but trade talk has suddenly picked up. Why?

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We wrote in the post yesterday:

“According to Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts column, the door opens for a theoretical Kane trade with the expiration of his full no-move clause. At the very least, some careful maneuvering will have to be done by the Oilers, who are having conversations with Kane about his health and return timeline.”

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes, “Part of the fanbase sees Kane as a distraction, who would best be traded, largely for his off-ice actions, some real, some imagined and some political.”

Why a Trade Seems like a Long Shot

Having said that, the idea that another team would trade for Evander Kane feels like a stretch. He hasn’t played all season after having two surgeries and sitting on long-term injured reserve. He just started skating again, and, well, it’s Evander Kane.

As effective as Kane can be when he’s healthy, he’s not the kind of player every team wants to take on. He’s opinionated, and he’s got an iffy history and a controversial past. Even if the changing of his no-move to a modified no-trade gave the Oilers a window to make a deal and clear out $5.125 million in cap space, another team would want to take him on.

Not to mention, the Oilers would need to be comfortable moving on. For all anyone knows, the team is elated at the idea of getting him back and has no plans to trade him.

Why Would a Team Trade for Kane?

If a team were up for a trade and the Oilers were looking to shed his cap space to do something, there are reasons a team might look at this.

First, Kane has one more season on his contract which means he could produce next season. As clubs try to get to the cap floor or contenders take advantage of a higher salary cap, his $5.125 million isn’t an albatross if he can come back and score 20-25 goals.

Second, if a team feels like the Oilers are prepared to sweeten a trade by attaching draft picks or prospects to the deal, there’s a way for a club to profit from a trade, just by agreeing to take on money. In the past, the Oilers have moved players like Jesse Puljujarvi and his $3 million cap hit without retention. Teams do these kinds of deals if they believe there is a player there or there is something in it for them.

Final Thoughts on an Evander Kane Trade

The idea that the Oilers will trade Evander Kane isn’t likely. His contract and injury history, along with some control on his side to manage where he goes, makes this idea challenging.

This is one of those situations where just because it becomes technically possible doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.

As for where Kane stands on a return to the Oilers’ lineup, CEO Jeff Jackson said in a recent interview with Daren Millard and John Shannon of The 100% Hockey Podcast:

“So I think that probably we’re still in the same time frame where we’re looking at, you know, you could probably end up coming back to play sometime in the playoffs. But you never know with players. Some guys like him, Evander’s a very athletic person. So, you know, it may be quicker than that. So, but we’re just taking it week-by-week. And he’s in his injury rehab protocol and following it as closely as he can. And, you know, hopefully we’ll get him back here at some point.”

(h/t to David Staples Edmonton Journal for the transcript)

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