Sabres forward Evander Kane pled not guilty at his arraignment in Buffalo court today stemming from charges last month, reports Aaron Besecker of the Buffalo News. Kane faces a charge of misdemeanor criminal trespass, non-criminal disorderly conduct, plus four counts of non-criminal harassment. WBEN’s Brian Mazurowski adds that the maximum sentence for Kane would be 90 days but that District Attorney Michael Flaherty noted that first time offenders rarely receive prison sentences.
Other news and notes from around the league:
- Free agent defenseman Matt Bartkowski has received a few offers so far but has yet to land with a new team, writes Jeff Paterson of the Vancouver Province. Bartkowski’s agent, Stephen Reich, suggests that a deal isn’t likely to come until later in the offseason but is optimistic that he will be able to land a one way contract. Bartkowski earned $1.75MM with Vancouver last season and got into 80 games with the Canucks, collecting six goals and 12 assists while averaging 18:37 of ice time per night.
- Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun takes a closer look at Winnipeg’s defense depth and notes that there could be a bit of a logjam, particularly when RFA Jacob Trouba inks his new deal. He speculates that 2013 first round pick Josh Morrissey could be ready for full-time NHL duty but the Jets may deem it would be better for him to play a #1 role in the AHL over a depth role with the big club. Wiebe also suggests that Paul Postma could be a candidate to be dealt between now and the start of next season.