Five months ago, I shared with you the story of how Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning's burning desire to add a fiercely competitive scoring forward to his lineup.
It went something like this.
Armed with a ferocious appetitie for a trophy buck and the requisite amount of salary cap space to acquire a premiere scoring winger, Benning ventured into the unrestricted free agency market. Benning tried noby and aggressively to buy the solution that he so desperately sought to fix his team's leadership and scoring problems. In the end, Benning failed to convince scoring star Steven Stamkos to Vancouver. Stamkos avoided the UFA market by re-signing an eight year, $68 million contract extension to remain in Tampa. Benning was beaten to the punch by Buffalo GM Tim Murray who acquired power winger Kyle Okposo. Benning made attempts and swung and missed out on signing UFA power forwards David Backes, Troy Brouwer, and Andrew Ladd. Backes signed a long term contract with Boston, Brouwer ended up signing with Calgary, and Ladd with the NY Islanders.
Benning also doubled down on an attempt to sign Vancouver native and then UFA Milan Lucic.
In the end, Lucic follwed the money train to Connor McDavidville. Lucic signed a whopping seven year, $42 million king's ransom to serve and protect McDavid.
When the music stopped in the UFA Tilt-A-Whirl came to an abrupt halt, Benning and the Canucks were left feeling queasy and empty inside.
Benning's desire to add a power winger did not end there. His appetite to add another physically dominating scoring forward to his top six forward group led Benning to the trade route.
“If I had a crystal ball, I would say we’d try to add a winger who had some grit and size to him, who can score…, Benning said in July.
At the time, I reported the I had heard through the summer time grape vine that Benning had reached out to Buffalo's Tim Murray about the prospects of acquiring Evander Kane.
Perhaps the trade discussions cooled off after Kane landed in legal problems. It makes sense. How could Benning, or any NHL GM, have traded for a player knowing full well that Kane mayhave been in serious trouble back east? It would not have been prudent to do so. It took three months for the due process of law to play itself out. The investigation into Kane has concluded and all criminal charges will be dismissed in April 2017 pending model behavior by Kane.
On October 31 when Kane was told by a Buffalo City Court judge that his case would be dismissed if he was able to stay out of legal trouble for six months.
Kane became an atttractive trade asset all the more last week when he returned prematurely to the Buffalo lineup after missing a month of the season with cracked ribs. Kane suffered teh injury after he and Montreal D Alexei Emelin collided during a puck race sending Kane flying headlong and out of control into the end wall. The injury occurred on oppening night on October 13. Within three weeks, Kane was back on the ice and skating. Last Wednesday, he made his return to the lineup in a loss to Ottawa. Kane played three gameslast week and took five minor penalties.
I've noticed that the Canucks have been scouting the Sabres in recent weeks.
It makes sense for the Canucks to want to trade for Kane right now. The Canucke are 6-9-1 and in 11th place in the Western Conference standings. The Canucks are 1-6-1 in their past eight games and are the owners of a minus 15 goal differential. Willie Desjardins cannot buy goals right now. After 16 games, the Cancuks have scored just 32 goals. Only Buffalo (29) and Colorado (27) have scored fewer goals this season.
Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Bo Horvat have scored 5 goals apiece. Brandin Sutter has scored, 4 goals. Loui Eriksson, the $36 million man has been dispapointing. He has scored just 2 goals in 16 games.
Benning's team is a collection of aging vets and skilled prospects with promise.
They lack a killer instinct. They also play a very passive, soft and congenial style. In a word, the Canucks are too "nice". They are a very easy team to play against. Adding a physical force like Evander Kane will add two things: scorimg and swagger. Call Kane what you will. You will never, ever call him passive. No opponent would ever say that Kane is a swell guy who is easy to play against. Kane would drag his teammates into the battle. When Kane is on the ice, backing away from a scrum is not an option.
On Tuesday night, TSN's Bob McKenzie was a guset on TSN 1050 and spoke about a Kane to Canucks opportunity.
"If the #Sabres decide they want to move Evander Kane, their number one and primary target is to try and bolster their own blueline".
On October 12, when Jack Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain, I implored Tim Murray to get on the phone and call Anaheim GM Bob Murray. My reasoning at the time was that there was no predicting whether or not the injuries to Bogosian and Kulikov would have been chronic in nature. I'm not Nostradamus, nor do I play him on the internet. My concern at that time was Buffalo's paper thin depth in organizationbal depth on their blue line. Trading for a puck moving D in October would have give the Sabres a reliable puck distributir that could deliver the puck to the forwards whiel making contributions on the power play.
Had Tim Murray listended to me, he would have Cam Fowler right now manning his PP and eating 25 minutes a game alondside Rasmus Ristolaine on Buffalo's top D pair. Two weeks into the season when his team was struggling, Bob Murray let it be known that Fowler would not be traded. At lkeast not in October. Too little too late.
The Sabres are a hurting defensive unit right now.
Zach Bogosian is out for weeks with a knee injury, Dmitry Kulikov has sat out the past three games due to injury and did not make the trip to St. Louis. Dan Bylsma's D corps is top heavy with Rasmus Ristolainne, Josh Gorges and Jake McCabe pulling the wagon. Cody Franson, Casey Nelson and Justin Falk are having a tough time defending in their own zone. The Buffalo D corps has yet to score a goal for their team in 16 games played this season.
Since mid-July, I've been selling an Evander Kane plus a prospect trade to Vancouver in exchange for left defenseman Ben Hutton and winger Jake Virtanen.
My thought process at that time was that I was certain that Buffalo would be signing Harvard hot shot UFA Jimmy Vesey when he became an unrestricted free agent on August 15. Which line would Kane have played LW on had Tim Murray signed Vesey? The Sabres all but promised Vesey a top six LW job as part of their deal to sign him. Matt Moulson, Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Gorgensons and Tyler Ennis all play left wing for the Sabres. Signing Vesey would have rendered Kane obsolte in Buffalo, legal problems notwithstanding.
No Vesey for Buffalo. No trade of Kane to Vancouver due to the legal kerfuffle.
In July, Canucks President Trevor Linden said that his goal was to restore his Canucks to the upper echelon of NHL hockey clubs. His team has beem floundered since losing the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins in 2011.
Linden and his Benning are were serious about rebuilding their team on the fly this summer. However, they couldn't convince A-List UFAs to accept their oney.
I always reflect back to this revealing radio interview that Linden conducted in July. Linden supported Benning's desire to add more scoring pop to the Canucks roster.
Though he didn't mention Evander Kane by name, it sounds to my ear like Linden has a high regard for Kane.
Listen to Linden tell it in his own words.
Thanks, TSN 1040
Linden's words are very poignant.
At the time, Linden could not say whether the Canucks were pursuing Evander Kane because he was under contract to Buffalo.
Th four counts of non-criminal harassment stemming from an altercation that occurred at a Buffalo nightclub on June 24 will be dismissed in April if Kane can keep himself out of trouble.
As a former NHL player, Linden knows that players can lose their way when they leave the structure of the team once the season has ended.
“I think with any situation, they’re all unique to themselves,… Linden said.
Unique indeed.
“Ultimately we’d prefer not to have that situation arise, certainly with our own players,… Linden said.
“It’s a big world out there. Obviously, the challenges are significant for young guys who make a lot of money and get themselves into spots that they make mistakes.…
Evander Kane trade rumors continue to percolate until he is traded from Buffalo.
The Canucks would be wise to acquire the Vancouver, B.C. native.
The owners of the Canucks are also said to be fans of Evander Kane.
Benning is said to be a Kane supporter as well. Is Linden a Kane supporter? Linden may be willing to look past Kane's off ice shenanigans if it means that the young power forward can help him to restore his Canucks club to it's past playoff glory. Kane's family still calls Vancouver home. Maybe what Evander needs now more than anything in his life is to be surrounded at all times by his parents and siblings to help him curb his off ice enthusiasm.
Let's assume that Tim Murray and the Sabres decide to trade Kane to Vancouver. At what price?
Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma have an urgency to still add a top four defenseman/QB.
Ben Hutton is the type of player that Murray and Dan Bylsma covet. He's big (6'2… and 190 lbs.), fast, strong, skates well, is a one man break out, and moves the puck with relative ease. Hutton scored a goal and added 24 helpers in his rookie NHL season. He can run a power play. The former University of Maine standout controls the puck in all three zones and is a responsible defender. Tim Murray has been looking for the defender to play alongside his number one D Rasmus Ristolainen. Tim Murray might be telling Benning: if you want my 20-30 goal forward, I want your top four D.
Did you know that Hutton and Ristolainen are represented by the same agent?
Murray would also need a winger in return if he were to trade Kane to Vancouver.
Jake Virtanen is a Tim Murray style of player with his size (6'1… and 210 lbs.), strength, snarl, skating, and skill. Virtanen wasn't guaranteed a top nine roster spot in Vancouver this season. He was just recalled from a two game tutorial session in AHL Utica. Virtanen will not be in the lineup against the NY Rangers. Why send the kid down only to recall him and park him in the press box? Canucks head coach Wilie Desjardins obviously has an issue with Virtanen's overall game. On Tuesday, Desjardins would not commit to when he would play Virtanen in the Canucks lineup. It sounds like me that the head coach and his power forward prospect do not see eye to eye onmany things. Virtanen, 20, is not an AHL player. The Canucks opted to keep him over Jared McCann whom they traded to the Florida Panthers.
In 55 games last season, Virtanen scored 7 goals and added 6 assists. Virtanen was the 6th overall pick at the 2014 NHL Draft. Virtanen had 45 PIMs in his rookie NHL season.
Perhaps a change of scenery is in order for Kane? Virtanen?
NHL GMs met in Toornto on Tuesday. Tim Murray and Jim Benning seemingly had face time to delve deeper into Evander Kane trade talks in between discussions concerning Rule 48 enforcemet and Las Vegas expansion draft rules,