When Evander Kane walked out of the Buffalo Sabres locker room last February, he knew it was going to be for the last time.
Months later on locker clean out day, an angry Phil Housley and an incensed Jason Botterill promises big changes to the roster and to the culture in the Sabres room moving forward.
Kane didn’t figure in the long term plans set forth by Housley and Botterill. He was traded for three valuable building blocks for their future success.
On February 26, Kane was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a conditional 2019 first-round draft pick, a 2019 conditional fourth-round pick and prospect forward Danny O’Regan.
In three seasons with the Sabres, Kane scored 68 goals and 50 assists in 196 games. Kane collected 400 hits, 130 PIMs and 100 takeaways while with the Sabres.
In July, Kane signed a seven year, $49 million contract to remain in Northern California.
On a rainy Monday afternoon, Kane made his long awaited return to Buffalo when he and his Sharks practices in Buffalo.
The Sabres have been the hottest team in the NHL this season and are in second place in the Eastern Conference. That’s a far cry from the 31st place finish to the 2017-18 season.
#Sabres enter #SJSharks game on their first nine-game winning streak since winning the first 10 games of the 2006-07 season.
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 26, 2018
A win over #SJSharks will match the franchise record, set in January 1984 and tied during that October 2006 stretch#WorstToFirst
The Sabres are riding a nine game winning streak and are ready for a battle with Kane and the Sharks. In October, the Sharks spanked the Sabres 5-1 at The Shark Tank.
The Sabres’ record fell to 3-4 after the loss to Kane and the Sharks. Since that loss on October 18, the Sabres have gone 13-2-2 in their last 17 games.
On October 20, Housley created the Skinner-Eichel-Pominville trio and the rest is history.
On October in Tinseltown, Housley premiered the Skinner-Eichel-Pominville trio #Sabres
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 26, 2018
This is the 41st game all-time between Buffalo and San Jose. The Sabres own a 24-10-6 series record over the Sharks.
#Sabres are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Sharks; 7-2-1 at home
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 26, 2018
This is the 41st game all-time between #Sabres #SJSharks#Sabres own 24-10-6 series record#Sabres are 17-2-1 at home against #SJSharks all-time.
Kane spoke with Buffalo media after practice on Monday.
Kane admitted that he’d much rather have played for a winning Sabres team rather than the cellar dweller versions he played for.
"I wish during my time here it would have been the way it is now, obviously. Nobody wants to lose consistently and have the building half-empty."
The Sharks enter Tuesday’s time with the Sabres with a 12-8-4 record. The Sharks are 4-5-1 on the road and 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.
Kane knows that Jack Eichel & Company will be fired up and focused on Tuesday night. Kane stands in the way of the Sabres achieving 10 wins in a row for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Kane said playing in front of a half full barn was a challenge.
He better wear ear plugs Tuesday night because the crowd noise is consistently at 120 dB.
Times definitely have changed, Evander.
Evander Kane was asked about his time with the #Sabres and what he thinks about the success his former team is currently having @WKBW pic.twitter.com/Q5rPYRCGok
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) November 26, 2018
Thanks @Matt_Bove
Kane recalls his Sabres losing one goal games. Poor goaltending, bad penalty Killing and poor even strength play undermined team success in one goal games when Kane was a Sabre.
Again, times have changed.
The Killers: #Sabres are 24-for-26 (92.3%) on the penalty kill in their last 11 games
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 26, 2018
Buffalo’s goalie tandem of Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark is in the top echelon of the NHL today.
@CarterHutton is 4-2-1 in his career against #SJSharks with .945 SV% and a 1.71 GAA.
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) November 26, 2018
The Sabres own a top six penalty killing unit.
Unlike the Kane days, the Skinner-Dahlin-Sheary-Hutton vintage of Sabres is winning the close games.
The Sabres are 9-0-2 in one-goal games so far this season. Buffalo last won more than half of its one-goal games in a season in 2011-12 (21-9-11). The team’s current .800 winning percentage in one-goal games would top the franchise record of .714 (10-4-0) set in the 1977-78 season.
At the time of the trade, Kane had scored 20 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with the Sabres. Kane went on to score 9 goals and 5 assists for the Sharks. Kane, 26, had never skated in a Stanley Cup Playoff game until April 2018. Kane scored 4 goals and 1 assist in 9 playoff games for the Sharks.
Kane scored an NHL career-high 30 goals with the Winnipeg Jets in 2011-12.
In 557 games for the Sabres, Jets and Atlanta Thrashers, Kane has 340 points (177 goals, 163 assists).
Kane about his time with the #Sabres: The comradery was pretty good, I think in terms of the on-ice culture/display/play that we had was inconsistent @WKBW pic.twitter.com/j3qSQwWU45
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) November 26, 2018