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Evander Kane passed his test with flying colors. In his first game back from injury, Kane led all Buffalo forwards with 22:09 TOI. Kane made himself a focal point from his very first shift of the game. Broken ribs be damned. Kane finished checks and did not shy away from contact.his shot was as strong as usual.
Kane was very noticeable in his return to game action.
Kane and his Sabres lost 2-1 in the shootout to Ottawa.
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Evander Kane will make his return to the Buffalo lineup tonight after an 11 game injury hiatus.
The Buffalo press box is chock full of dignitaries and scouts from multiple NHL teams.
Coincidence?
Trade rumors have surrounded Kane since June when he ran afoul of Buffalo law enforcement. It was Kane's second brush with the law in the 2016 calendar year. On October 31, the judge presiding over Kane's most recent case told the power forward that if he can stay clear of trouble for th enext six months his charges will be dismissed.
Earlier this week, chatter out of the Twin Cities had Kane connected to the Minnesota Wild. Kane has also ben linked to the Vancouver Canucks for the past six months. That trade buzz died down on October 13 (opening night) when Kane wiped out and ate the end boards at full speed.
Trade chatter will begin to percolate now that Kane is back in the Buffalo lineup.
Kane is a player who holds serious trade value around the NHL. He is a rare blend of power, speed, skill and physicality. At 6'3" and 215 lbs., Kane has the ability to drive the puck wide and beat defenders with his blazing speed. He alkso has the fortitude and courage to drop his shoulder, bury his head and slam himself into the dirty areas where the majority of goals are scored in today's NHL. Kane can be potent 5v5 for long streches of time as well as on the power play. He adds immediate value to the Buffalo Sabres now that he is back on the ice. Kane is a threat to score every time he touyches the puck.
Say what you want to about Kane's off ice issues. You would be right to criticize his decision making processes. However, it's his on body of work that makes him a coveted player to the Sabres and other NHL clubs.'
Is Kane going to be playing at 100%? Ceryainly not. I dare say that a Kane at 80% health is better than most forwards in he NHL playing at 100%.
Question is:
Are NHL GMs willing to offer Sabres GM Tim Murray full value in return for a trade of Evander Kane? That remains to be seen.
Murray has been looking for an upgrade to his blue line. The recent MCL injury to top four D Zach Bogosian is a real cause for concern that is testing Buffalo's organizational depth on the back end.
Can Murray get an NHL GM to give him a top four puck mover and a prospect in exchange for Kane and a prospect?
The NHL GM metings will be held in Toronto next week. Typically, U.S. Thanksgiving is the mile marker where NHL GMs and their scouts assess the likes and dislikes of their present roster. Trade proposals generally are exchanged at these meetings and are then cultivated leading uop to the NHl trade deadline. Some trades happen. Some don't happen. One thing is certain: No NHL trades can happen without dialog between GM counterparts.
Here's a list of the teams who will be in attendance in Buffalo tonight presumably to scout Evander Kane:
Columbus Blue Jackets- three reps in the building including Director of Player Personnel and Directror of Hockey Administration.
Anaheim Ducks- Director of Player Development is here for teh second game in a row.
Chicago Blackhawks- Director of Player Personnel and a scout are here.
Winnipeg Jets- Director of Pro Scouting is here.
NY Islanders- Assistant to the GM is also here.
Scouts in attendance: Vancouver, LA, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Calgary, and Las Vegas.
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Furrowed brows are suddenly a thing in Vancouver today.
In a surprising roster move, Canucks GM Jim Benning sent power forward Jake Virtanen to AHL Utica where he will play on Friday and Saturday night.
Benning told media that Virtanen will be recalled to Vancouver after his two game detention session in the home of Utica Club beer.
Virtanen has only played two games in AHL Utica in his professional career.
Virtanen, 20, has been disappointing and has scored just one assist in ten games with the Canucks this season.
I'm not an NHL GM, however, I will go ahead and play one on the internet.
What the Hell is Benning doing flushing only Virtanen?!!
The Canucks are a moribund collection of slumping seniors and yet Benning wants to teach a life lesson to one of the building blocks of the middling organization. Brandon Sutter, Loui Eriksson, and Sven Baertschi have been a massive disappointments with their combined three goals in twelve games this season.
Embarrass Virtanen and allow the choking vets to get away unscathed.
Great message, Benning.
Unbelievable.
Virtanen played in 55 games ( 7G, 6A ) last season and has 10 more games under his belt this season.
What is Virtanen going to learn in 2 games in the AHL that he hasn't learned yet in the NHL?
The AHL demotion is nothing more than Benning slamming a hunk of humble pie down the kid's throat.
If you want to yank the choker chain and teach the kid a real life lesson, send him to the minors for a month or two. Let him play 25 minutes TOI per game in all situations. Let him gain his confidence while he's playing every other shift in all situations, THEN recall him to Couver.
Makes sense, right?
Willie Desjardin refuses to give Virtanen ice time this season. Virtanen recently questioned Desjardins for his decision making process to bury the former Calgary Hitmen star on Vancouver's fourth line.
Virtanen was the sixth overall pick in 2014 and has yet to explode offensively on the scene ala Jack Eichel, Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekblad, Auston Matthews, and Patrik Laine have.
I'm not prepared to proclaim Virtanen a “bust…. I love the kid's size, skill, speed and mean streak. Vancouver management would be wise to negotiate detente between Virtanen and Desjardins. Perhaps Benning is sending the kid to Utica to showcase him for a trade to an Eastern Conference team, as I have been told may be the case. I fully expect a dozen NHL scouts and personnel men to be in Utica to watch Virtanen play.