Evander Kane and his San Jose Sharks teammates spent St. Patrick's Day in his hometown of Vancouver. Kane was held off the score sheet despite his eight shots on goal, which was a massive moral victory for the injury-riddled Canucks. On Friday night in Calgary, Kane erupted for four goals on Flames goalie Mike Smith.
After skating 23:08 TOI in his team's 5-3 victory, Kane sat down with CBC's Scott Oake for a one-on-one session on the popular "After Hours"segment.
Oake peppered Kane with question after question ranging from who is his boyhood idol was to the prospect of someday playing for his hometown Canucks to achieving his ultimate career goals of playing in his first career NHL Stanley Cup playoff games and competing for a Stanley Cup championship with his new, close-knit Sharks team. Oake could not resist slipping in an Evander Kane "money phone" reference.
"I definitely think I have my best years of hockey ahead of me", Kane said. "I've really enjoyed my time so far in San Jose. It's been great getting to get to know the guys so far. It's obviously a place where players want to play and I've really learned that pretty quick".
In the interview, we are reminded of how much a fan of the Canucks Kane was as a kid growing up in Vancouver. Kane told a story about the time he participated in the 2002 Canucks skills competition. Kane was a big Marcus Naslund fan growing up. Kane copped a lot of Naslund's fancy hand-eye skills and incorporated them into his personal game while playing for the North Shore Winter Club.
The Sharks are a sizzling 7-2 in the nine games since Kane joined the Sharks on February 26 after being traded from the Buffalo Sabres for prospect forward Danny O'Regan, a conditional second round and a conditional fourth round draft choice.
If Kane decides to sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Sharks this July, Buffalo will receive San Jose's first round draft choice in 2019. Naturally, Sabres Nation is hoping and praying for Kane to fall in love with the Bay Area and sign a long-term contract to stay in San Jose.
Kane has scored 5 goals and 5 assists -- all at even strength-- in his first nine games for the Sharks. Why would he want to go anywhere else at this point in his NHL career?
In 70 games played this season, Kane 25 goals and 25 assists. Kane scored 20G, 20A in 61 games with the Sabres. He will easily surpass his career high point total of 57 points that he established when he scored 30 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in 2011-12.
When July 1 rolls around, Kane will be the beneficiary of a lucrative long term contract extension in the 7 year, $42 million neighborhood.
Will Kane's hometown Canucks come calling on July 1?
They most certainly will.
Canucks GM Jim Benning has been scouting Kane for the past year and a half. The Canucks resisted the temptation to trade for Kane at the February 26 NHL trade deadline opting instead to wait until Kane hits the open market on July. Benning could have traded away assets to Buffalo in exchange for Kane to guarantee delivery of the sniping 30-goal scorer but instead opted to wait for unrestricted free agency. Canucks fans surely are hoping that Kane and the Sharks get punted from the playoff in the first round so that Kane may become available as a UFA on July 1. You have to think that the deeper the Sharks go in the playoffs this spring, the longer Kane will want to stay and play for the Sharks.
The Canucks are in in the midst of full tank mode in full effect and are in the process of formulating their succession plan for when the Sedin twins depart later this summer. The Canucks will be selecting be represented at the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery and will be selecting a premium player with their lottery pick in June. Will it be Swedish defenseman phenom Rasmus Dahlin? You never know. One thing that is certain is that the Canucks will be needing a veteran winger to play with young star forwards Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat. The Canucks also boast of a bevy of top organizational prospects in Elias Pettersson, Olli Juolevi, Thatcher Demko, Kole Lind, Adam Gaudette, and Jonah Gadjovich.
Just press play and enjoy Kane's trip down Vancouver Canucks memory lane.
***
On Sunday, I told you to keep an eye on the University of Minnesota men's hockey team for a potential head coaching change.
The Golden Gophers failed to earn berth in the 2018 NCAA Men's Hockey tournament and it may end up costing Gophers head coach Don Lucia his job. There had been murmurs in the NCAA hockey community in recent weeks regarding Lucia's future at Minnesota.
On Tuesday afternoon, Lucia confirmed the rumors by stepping down as the head coach of the University of Minnesota mens hockey team.
Don Lucia, who led the #Gophers to back-to-back national championships and is the program's all-time wins leader, has stepped down as head coach after 19 years at Minnesota.
Lucia: I wanted to have success at Minnesota without sacrificing integrity. Our players all graduate and have represented themselves to the high standards of Gopher Hockey on and off the ice. It has been a tremendous honor & privilege to be the head hockey coach at the UMN.
Lucia on critics: You have to put the blinders on and believe what you're doing. I always tried to do it the right way. Winning is important but going to class is important. Getting good grades and graduating. Our players deserve a lot of credit for how they conduct themselves.
The university is in the process of searching for the successor to Lucia. The list of candidates is long.
Many notable candidates to replace Lucia at Minnesota. Mike Guentzel, current assistant coach and father of Jake. Tom Ward, Sabres assistant coach? Mike Ramsey, former Sabres player and coach?
Scott Sandelin, Minnesota Duluth head coach, and, Bob Motzko, St. Cloud State head coach, are also in the running to replace Lucia.
Buffalo Sabres fans are now clamoring to know if Lucia's departure from the Golden Gophers hockey program will be the catalyst for change that will activate the end of days for Sabres prospect Casey Mittelstadt at the University of Minnesota.
In other words, will Mittelstadt want to turn pro or stay and play in college for three more seasons?
Mittelstadt was the 8th overall pick of the Sabres at the 2017 NHL Draft.
Mittelstadt will have many options to consider now that his freshman season is in the books at Minnesota. He can opt to sign an amateur tryout contract with the Sabres AHL affiliate in Rochester. He can also sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres. If and when Mittelstadt signs with the Sabres or Amerks, he will null and void the final three seasons of NCAA hockey eligibility.
Imagine a fully stacked Rochester Amerks roster with a young rock star like Casey Mittestadt playing in the AHL playoffs. Can you say Calder Cup championship?
Is there an appetite for Sabres GM Jason Botterill to bring Mittelstadt to Buffalo to sign his NHL entry level contract now that his freshman season is over? Is Botterill interested in burning a year of Mittelstadt's ELC to play 10 games with the Sabres and then join the Amerks for their playoff run?
Botterill's campaign platform was and still is to restore the winning culture inside the Rochester Amerks organization. In the '90s, Botterill played for the Amerks. He has seen the best of times. He inherited an Amerks squad that has fallen on hard times in recent years due to poor management by his predecessor Tim Murray. Botterill is a huge believer is creating a mentoring, nurturing environment in the AHL where his prospects can grow their respective individual skills while playing meaningful games against older professional players. Botterill is engaged in the process of emulating the Wilkes Barre Scranton Penguins development model inside Sabreland. What better way to restore the loving feeling inside the organization than to win a Calder Cup?
Why not load up on assets and take an upper deck cut at the home run fence in center field?
Mittelstadt is Buffalo's top prospect. Based on his freshman season at Minnesota and his MVP performances at the IIHF World Juniors tourney in Buffalo earlier this year, Mittelstadt is widely regarded as the best hockey prospect in North America today. Vancouver Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson is the second best prospect at this time.
If I were Jason Botterill, I would be doing everything in my power to get Mittestadt signed to an ATO with the Amerks, or, his ELC with the Sabres.
It's time to throw a bone to Sabres fans and reward them for their loyalty and unwavering support during the past five seasons of futility. Mittelstadt is the ray of sunshine that will create Vitamin "W" (inning) in Buffalo.
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