NHL insider reports on huge potential trade

Well, it’s official: the Buffalo Sabres are shopping Evander Kane. After a report from Elliotte Friedman over the weekend that indicated the mercurial winger was on the trading block and receiving interest from teams like the Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks, TSN’s Bob McKenzie confirmed the report saying, “I believe Evander Kane will likely be traded by the Buffalo Sabres.”

The question now for the Sabres isn’t will they trade Kane, but rather who will they trade him to? One team, the Vancouver Canucks, have been linked to Kane going back to his time in Winnipeg. But, McKenzie isn’t so sure that he sees a fit for the 25 year-old former 4th overall pick. 

“That’s a good question,” said McKenzie when asked if the Canucks would would indeed have interest in acquire Kane. “They were before, but then I think somebody put the kibosh on it and I think that was that. I think they were, on a couple of occasions, interested. I’m not sure if there’s still interest at this point. I’m not saying there is, I’m not saying there isn’t – I’m saying I don’t know for an absolute fact.”

McKenzie also went down the road of past exchanges between the teams and addressed why a Kane deal fell apart between the teams last offseason, saying, “… The first time the Canucks went after Evander Kane, I don’t believe the Buffalo Sabres were really that interested in trading him at that time. The second time around I think there was more of a possibility, and I think they went pretty far down that road – if I remember my own reporting of it, I was convinced that there were some legitimate talks going on.  And my understanding of it ending was that was more at the Vancouver side of things than the Buffalo side of things. So I don’t know if whatever the impetus was to end the conversation last time might be the impetus to not get it going this time.”

So, it’s clear the Canucks were once interested in acquiring Kane but then got cold feet for whatever reason and backed out of any potential deal. Might there concerns prevent them from making an offer on Kane the second time around? Using the Bob Father’s own words, “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”