Following a handful of seasons with the rival Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks acquired forward Evander Kane last offseason, hoping that he would not only be able to help them enjoy more consistent offense, but also help bring them back toward the postseason.
Unfortunately, neither scenario worked out. Kane only registered 31 points with the Canucks, while the club suffered through a miserable campaign that saw them finish dead last in the Western Conference.
Kane remains unsigned, as last season was the final year of his contract with a salary cap hit of just under $6 million. And according to a recent report, Kane may have to consider other options aside from the NHL if he wants to continue his professional career.
Former Vancouver Canucks Forward Evander Kane Linked To KHL Club
With Kane still without a contract and his NHL options becoming increasingly limited, a move to the KHL could be next for the veteran forward. Russian outlet Sport-Express recently reported that he may continue his professional career overseas.
The outlet reported that Ak Bars Kazan is considering targeting him:
“Ak Bars is considering signing forward Evander Kane , Mikhail Zislis reported.
As the journalist noted, the Kazan club is carefully studying the candidacy of the 35-year-old Canadian forward, who is an unrestricted free agent.
Last season, the hockey player played for Vancouver and recorded 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) with a minus-20 rating in 71 regular season NHL games. He earned $5.125 million per year under his previous contract.”
The Canucks Were Hoping For Better Results With Kane In Their Lineup
Kane, who had helped the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, was brought to his hometown club with the expectation of bringing veteran leadership and timely scoring.
“I think every team is looking to be harder to play against and for us, with the group we have here, when a player like this comes available to the cost, we felt we have a chance to upgrade our top-nine, mid-six, and become a harder team to play against,” now-former Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said shortly after acquiring Kane last summer. “Obviously, Evander, the way his contract was structured, he had a preferred 15 teams to go to, and Vancouver was his preferred destination.”
“It definitely means something for us here to have a player that is on a one-year deal get a chance to come home and, after two back-to-back years in the Stanley Cup Finals, with experience playing with [Leon] Draisaitl and [Connor] McDavid and a good team in Edmonton,” Allvin said. “It means a lot to have an excited player coming here to Vancouver and provide the spark and juice we need here.”
However, Kane only managed 31 points with the Canucks in what would be his only season with the club, while they suffered through a miserable campaign.
Not only are the Canucks not retaining Kane, but they also fired head coach Adam Foote along with Allvin; they replaced Foote with former Canucks forward Manny Malhotra, while also hiring former forward Ryan Johnson as GM.
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