Report: NHL insider predicts offseason trade for Kane

Ah, the Evander Kane saga. Wait… I thought this saga came to an end when the mercurial winger was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Buffalo Sabres? Apparently not. Trade rumors follow this guy around like he’s The Pied Piper.

On Buffalo’s WGR 550 radio station this morning, TSN insider Darren Dreger speculated on the offseason trade market for Kane and speculated whether or not new general manager Jason Botterill would be willing to move the 25 year-old, former 4th overall draft pick.

“Yeah, I would think that would make sense,” said Dreger when asked if he felt the Sabres would move Kane. “We’ve talked about this before. Evander Kane is an interesting individual. Provided he stays focused, he’s a hell of a hockey player. And in that, there’s always going to be trade interest in Evander Kane. It’s what the expected rate of return is.”

So what constitutes an ‘expected rate of return’ in Dreger’s eyes? “It’s going to be a fairly substantial draft pick, I would say, certainly upwards of second round. Maybe there’s a player that has to fit in there as well.” 

The Vancouver Canucks have seemingly been linked to Kane for years now. It’s no secret that the Canucks need some scoring up front and have the blue line assets to acquire the talented Vancouver native, but is general manager Jim Benning willing to pull the trigger on what could be a controversial deal? Or, how about the Los Angeles Kings? The Kings ranked 25th in goals for in NHL last season and new general manager Rob Blake will be looking to address his team’s inability to put the puck in the net as his top priority.