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Evander Kane

Buffalo Willing To Retain Salary In Evander Kane Trade

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On the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, the panel—Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie—discuss several interesting rumors around the league including Evander Kane. LeBrun reports that the Buffalo Sabres have started telling teams that they would be willing to retain part of Kane’s $5.25MM cap hit in a potential trade, though the insider is quick to point out that any deal is still likely six or seven weeks away if it even happens at all.

Kane is a pending unrestricted free agent, and despite his strong play the Sabres find themselves near the bottom of the standings once again. While there has been rumblings that perhaps the team would consider a long-term extension, if the player isn’t willing to sign it before the trade deadline there probably has to be a trade of some sort. Kane does not have any trade protection on his current deal—which pays him $6MM this year in actual salary—and could be used as one of the very best chips at the deadline.

The 26-year old already has 12 goals and 23 points on the season, a 75-point pace that would easily eclipse his career high to this point. He’s found a nice chemistry with Jack Eichel, but may be more interested in what he can get on the open market as one of the very best free agents available next summer. If he does make it all the way there without incident, he would presumably—despite what Dreger has heard to this point—command a seven-year deal at an impressive salary. 30-goal players in the prime of their careers don’t hit the open market very often.

Islanders Notes: Tavares, Ekman-Larsson, Eberle

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Despite the success of the New York Islanders since head coach Doug Weight took over in the middle of the season last year, not to mention the team’s success lately as the team has found itself in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 14-7-2 record. However, don’t expect any hasty decisions by star forward John Tavares, according to Elliotte Friedman, via Sportsnet.

Tavares, who will be an unrestricted free agent next season, is having another big season for the Islanders, but due to questions regarding where the Islanders will play in the future as well as other issues as well, Tavares has chosen not to agree to an extension and prefers to wait before making any final decisions. It looks like this one may wait until the offseason as the Islanders are not expected to trade their star forward and are expected to gamble on being able to retain Tavares.

“Obviously, this is John Tavares’s decision, but I think the Islanders are very content to let this play out,” Elliotte Friedman said on Saturday’s Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “I don’t necessarily think the trade deadline is a deadline for the Islanders here. If they have to keep going past it, I think they’re perfectly prepared to do it.”

As the team is faring well and they have quite a few young and improving players such as Mathew Barzal and Joshua Ho-Sang, many feel the Islanders are going to instead make a concerted effort at a playoff run to show Tavares what potential the franchise has in order to convince him to re-sign.

  • The New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that the team does need to make a big trade to show Tavares they are all in. However, he points out that trading for Buffalo Sabres’ Evander Kane to be that great linemate Tavares has never had doesn’t make any sense. Tavares’ line along with Anders Lee and Josh Bailey are already one of the top lines in the league and even the Jordan Eberle, Barzal pairing is paying dividends as well. What the team needs, according to Brooks, is a top-flight defenseman such as Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He suggests the team put a package together of Ho-Sang or Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Nelson, defenseman Ryan Pulock or Scott Mayfield and one of their 2018 first-round picks (they have two) to pick up the top-flight defenseman, who isn’t likely to re-sign with Arizona in two years.
  • Sportsnet’s Tim Panaccio writes that New York Islanders head coach Doug Weight feels that the trade to acquire Eberle has been a big success as the forward has really started to pick up his game recently. He has eight goals over the past 12 games and Weight noted that confidence was the key reason why he was struggling with the Edmonton Oilers. While the initial intention was to acquire Eberle to be a key linemate to Tavares, it didn’t take Weight long to see a better connection between Eberle and Barzal and to utilize them together on a solid second line. That has allowed the Islanders to become the third-best goal scoring team in the league, averaging 3.61 goals per game.

Sabres Notes: Botterill, Kane, Reinhart, Bogosian

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Although the Sabres are once again hovering around the basement of the Eastern Conference, GM Jason Botterill told MSG in a pregame interview on Friday (Twitter link) that he is pleased with some aspects of the season, particularly how things have gone development-wise with AHL Rochester as well as from an accountability standpoint.  However, given their struggles in stringing victories together, some have wondered if Buffalo will be looking to make some changes.  Botterill noted that given the parity around the league, the trade market has largely stalled which may make shaking things up more of a challenge:

“We’re always having dialogue, whether it’s my assistant general managers or with Phil [Housley, head coach] about what does the team need. I think you look around the league with the parity, there’s not a lot of trades just yet. Teams don’t know ’Are we going to be sellers or buyers?’ They don’t know that situation yet.”

Here is a look at some of the recent roster speculation surrounding the Sabres:

  • Any trade musings have to involve pending UFA winger Evander Kane. He’s off to a hot start which should help his value although, given his past, there is still some skepticism around the league.  In an appearance on Sportsnet 960 (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Kings had interest in him dating back to the summer.  He also suggested that Columbus could have some interest even though Kane isn’t a center while also tossing out the Lightning as a team that might view Kane as the piece that puts them over the top for a Stanley Cup run.
  • TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported on TSN 1260 (audio link) that Buffalo is receiving trade interest in forward Sam Reinhart. The second-overall selection in 2014 hasn’t gotten off to a particularly strong start this year with ten points (5-5-10) through 23 games which has him on pace for the lowest point total of his young career.  Botterill may soon have to make a decision on whether or not Reinhart is part of the long-term plan for the Sabres or if he is expendable in the somewhat near future.
  • Zach Bogosian’s tenure with Buffalo since coming over in the Kane trade with Winnipeg hasn’t gone well so far. In fact, he hasn’t even played yet this season.  Matt Larkin of The Hockey News pegs him as a buyout candidate this summer, arguing that even at half of his cap hit (which would be $2.57MM) there may not be much interest around the league.  A Bogosian buyout next June would have the Sabres carrying a cap hit of $1.143MM for 2018-19 and 2019-20 plus a $2MM charge for the following two seasons.

Morning Notes: McDonagh, Ekman-Larsson, Kane

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The New York Rangers haven’t encountered this type of season often before, if ever. The team seems to be a bubble team with no true chance of making a deep playoff run or even winning a Stanley Cup. Yet, the team also finds itself with a handful of expiring contracts who could be utilized as key trade chips to refuel their retooling process.

New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes the Rangers need to think about dealing players like Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Nick Holden and get what they can for them. The scribe believes that general manager Jeff Gorton will have one of the biggest challenges in front of him in a long time as he will have to make a decision on which direction the team should go. Could Nash bring back a first-rounder in next year’s draft and if they can, would it be worth his value anyway? What can they get for Grabner? Should the team go full in and start shopping captain Ryan McDonagh now?

The latter claim, Brooks writes, might make the most sense. The Rangers should be able to bring in a huge haul for McDonagh, who is still in his prime, is locked up until 2019 and is one of the top defensemen in the league. As there are quite a few playoff teams in need of defense, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers could truly change the way the franchise is heading at the trade deadline.

New York wouldn’t be better off without McDonagh, but with long-term deals already having been handed out to Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Brendan Smith and the young talent the team has on defense in Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo, the team should be able to survive without him if they can get a talented scorer in his place.

  • Hidden among yesterday’s stories was TSN’s Bob McKenzie refuting rumors that the Arizona Coyotes are thinking about dealing defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Toronto Maple Leafs for William Nylander. McKenzie writes that as of Sunday, there had not been one conversation between the two teams about Ekman-Larsson. He also points out that since most teams do not view Nylander as a center, he wouldn’t bring enough of a return for Ekman-Larsson as just a sniper. However, from what McKenzie can see, the Coyotes are not willing to discuss moving Ekman-Larsson as of now. The Atheltic’s Sean Tierney tweeted today that with general manager John Chayka in charge, it’s hard to see the team trading Ekman-Larsson at all.
  • John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that frustration is hitting in Buffalo as the 5-12-1 Sabres continue to struggle, yet one player is thriving in Evander Kane. Dating back to last year, the 26-year-old wing has scored 40 goals in his last 79 games. He also has 11 points in the last 11 games. Kane added his 12th goal of the season Monday in the team’s 3-2 loss to Columbus. The secret to his success? Shooting the puck. He leads the team with 96 shots on goal this year.

Snapshots: Price, Girard, Kane, Devils

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Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has been out with a “minor” lower-body injury since Montreal’s Nov. 2 game against the Minnesota Wild. Two weeks later, Price hasn’t returned to the lineup. Last Tuesday, it was announced that he would sit out two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) as his injury wasn’t healing as suspected. Then he proceeded to sit out of practice Thursday, Friday and Saturday and the team didn’t practice Sunday. That led Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan to suggest that things don’t seem to be adding up in Montreal.

The scribe writes that this no longer seems like a “minor” injury at all and questions whether it ever was. When Cowan asked Canadiens’ coach Claude Julien about whether there was an update on Price’s condition, his response was, “No.”

No one has said what the specific injury is that Price has sustained and the goalie insists that it has nothing to do with the right knee injury in November two years ago that was also held secret for a large chunk of the season. Cowan suggests the lack of information the team has given out can only lead to speculation, suggesting that maybe the team might be looking to trade Price before his eight year, $84MM extension kicks in next year.

  • Mike Chambers of the Denver Post tweets that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard is in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings, meaning that he officially has entered into Year 1 of his entry-level deal. He played five games for the Nashville Predators, and after being dealt to Colorado in the Matt Duchene trade, has played five games for the Avalanche. He would have had to be returned to his junior team before he played in his 10th game had the team wanted to avoid burning the first year of his entry-level deal.
  • The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) did a Q&A on Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane and the forward was quick to say that he is well aware of the trade speculation that surrounds him and rather than block it out, he just chooses to focus on his on-ice play. “It’s not going to do you any good or help your case or your team. For me, I just embrace it. I enjoy it. It’s something that you have to be aware of,” Kane said.
  • Andrew Gross of The Record writes that the New Jersey Devils have shaken up their lines in practice today, which are expected to go into effect in their game Monday against Minnesota Wild. There will be several changes, but Pavel Zacha, who was a healthy scratch for four of the last five games, is expected to move into the top six, while Adam Henrique is expected to move down to the fourth line.

 

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Buffalo Sabres

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for this year. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. 

What are the Buffalo Sabres most thankful for? 

The chance at another high draft pick.

They’re the worst team in the Eastern Conference and many aren’t sure they’ve hit bottom yet. They finally notched a win after an 0-4-1 start, and had a nice 3-2 stretch before going 2-7, with another loss coming at the hands of the Red Wings on Friday. Sabres fans are hunkering down for another long season of losses, but if the younger players grow it at least helps stomach the losing a bit. But to what is one of the most loyal and hardcore fanbases in hockey, the Sabres seem stuck in a perpetual rebuild while the Maple Leafs, who went the same route, are enjoying far more success.

The right numerical combination in April could net the Sabres the first or second overall pick but as the Avalanche learned last Spring, nothing is guaranteed. If anything, it would at least cushion what is looking like another brutal season.

Who are the Sabres most thankful for? 

Evander Kane’s stock continues to rise.

It’s no secret that the phone has been ringing in Buffalo with trade offers for the winger. Kane has been strong this season, being a point-per-game player. The better Kane plays–the more value he has as the trade deadline nears. Teams will be hunting for a goal scorer that could tip the scales in their favor, and Kane, being added to a team with playoff talent, would fit that need perfectly. While he is a UFA at the end of the 2017-18 season, his scoring knack would be too much to pass on for a team desperate for scoring. Should the Sabres continue to struggle, Kane could net valuable picks, top prospect or maybe both.

What would the Sabres be more thankful for? 

Goalscoring. And lots more of it.

The slumping Sabres have been hurt by their players not putting the puck in the back of the net. Kyle Okposo was brought into score goals and he only has two (though he did rebound from a scary medical incident last season). Sam Reinhart hasn’t scored as expected.   And that brings us to Jack Eichel.

Eichel is second on the team with points (5-11-16) but he is not finding the net, either. Worse, not one defenseman this season has scored a goal, through 19 games (through Friday). Jack Eichel

What should be on the Sabres’ Holiday Wish List? 

If the season truly is doomed, fetching draft picks and prospects for impact players seems to be at the top of the list. New general manager Jason Botterill has hands full trying to navigate out of some bad contracts and a lack of depth that has handcuffed the Sabres chances of rebuilding successfully. At 5-10-4, hope of anything besides a last place finish seems far-fetched. Jason Pominville (6-7-13) has been a bright spot and could yield a higher pick, as well as cap relief, should his play continue to be strong. Like Kane, put in the right spot with a team seeking a long playoff run, he could be great depth scoring. At this point, anything on the wish list has an eye on the future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evander Kane & Unrestricted Free Agency

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Darren Dreger took to the airwaves for WGR 550 in Buffalo for his weekly appearance, and the conversation inevitably turned to Evander Kane. With the trade of Matt Duchene, Kane has jumped to the top of the rumor mill all over again. Dreger reports that last he checked there hasn’t been work on a contract extension between Kane and the Sabres, but that he wouldn’t rule out one being completed before he becomes a free agent this summer. Still, in a frank account of where his market would land should he get to unrestricted free agency, Dreger puts a cap on how long Kane would be signed for.

I’m not saying that there isn’t going to be another team that is going to give Evander Kane seven years. But if there is, I haven’t come across that team yet. I haven’t come across it.

Evander KaneDreger immediately goes on to admit how well Kane has played this year and that if that play continues all year the skepticism from around the league will disappear.

Heading into the winter months, Kane looks like a lock to be one of the most sought-after free agents in the summer of 2018, despite whatever off-ice baggage he’s had in the past. The simple fact of being a 26-year old free agent is a huge positive for his case, not to mention his 30-goal ability. Kane had 28 last season in just 70 games, and he’s currently on a 49-goal pace for this season. While that’s likely not what he’ll end up with, it’s clear that he’s one of the most dynamic goal scoring wingers in the league.

With all respect given to Dreger, without a major injury or another off-ice incident it seems impossible that Kane wouldn’t be able to secure a seven-year deal. He’d be just 33 when the contract expired, and there are always teams after goal-scoring up front. While seven years is not even necessarily what Kane is looking for, he’ll be one of the most interesting players to watch come July 1.

Because of that interest, the idea of a trade is going to linger. If Buffalo doesn’t turn things around from their early season struggles—and with the current state of their defense it will be difficult—the Sabres will likely be sellers again at this year’s deadline. With their superstar center locked up long-term for huge dollars, the team has to continue to collect young players to surround him. Eichel will jump to $10MM per season next year, and with big contracts already given out to Ryan O’Reilly and Kyle Okposo there may not even be room to re-sign Kane, let alone interest from both sides. As every team is learning, you must find success while at least some key players are still on their entry-level contracts in the salary-capped NHL, not after they all hit unrestricted free agency.

Just like interest on the open market, Kane would bring in a solid return if the Sabres were to shop him. While he’s obviously not quite Duchene, if the Sabres were to net even just one blue-chip defense prospect (as opposed to three prospects and three picks) it would be hard to turn down. Again, that’s predicated on the idea that Buffalo doesn’t turn it around and Kane looks like he’s going to re-sign for a reasonable amount, but both things are starting to fade further into the distance as the season progresses.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Poll: Who Will Be The Next Big Trade Target?

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In the immediate fallout from the Matt Duchene–Kyle Turris trade, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious candidate for the head of the rumor mill. Duchene and Turris had each taken their turn there over the last few months, and with the Vadim Shipachyov saga about to end there is little left in terms of trade talk.

Still, Frank Seravalli of TSN has updated his “Trade Bait” board which looks at who he believes is most likely to be moved before the deadline. Duchene had been atop the list, meaning Evander Kane of the Buffalo Sabres now leads the group with James Neal of the Vegas Golden Knights just behind him. Both scoring wingers are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and could be huge additions to new teams.

In the most recent Insider Trading on TSN, Darren Dreger even went as far as saying people all around the league “believe [Kane] will be traded.” Dreger points out that there is still a chance for an extension in Buffalo.

Who do you think will be moved next from the list? Is there another big name you expect to be pulling on a new sweater in the near future? Leave your vote and explain where you believe he’ll end up down below.

NHL Notes: Didomenico, Okposo, Neal

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While Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been working the trade lines hard in order to acquire a scoring forward, but the team may have found that forward in their own ranks in Chris Didomenico, writes Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Of course, the scribe writes that its too early to tell whether he would make for a good permanent fill-in with the Senators, but the journeyman showed the team something in Friday night’s shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils.

The 28-year-old forward had a goal and an assist in the loss, but Didomenico came close to changing that outcome. His goal in the final minute of regulation tied the game, helping the Senators get a point in the standings. He was even given the chance to take the first shot in the shootout Friday, although he was stopped by New Jersey’s Keith Kinkaid.

Brennan writes that once Didomenico was a highly-touted prospect whose size and injury history forced him to play overseas for much of his career, but he is playing for a chance to earn a permanent spot in the team’s rotation. He has played with Mike Hoffman on several occasions in his career and has been teamed with him once again. He had three goals and two assists in four games with the Belleville Senators in the AHL before being called up and now has a goal and two assists in four games with Ottawa.

  • Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News writes that the team could find itself in hot water if Kyle Okposo doesn’t start showing up. The scribe writes that if Okposo isn’t affected by any lingering concussion affects or having any medication reactions like he did last year, then he needs to take his game up a notch. The 28-year-old signed a seven-year, $42MM contract a year ago and has just two assists in 10 games. If he doesn’t find his offense soon, the team will be stuck with a middling forward, who the team gave the highest-ever free agent contract to and they will be stuck with him for another five years. Toss in the fact that he is untradeable, while Evander Kane is likely to be traded and the situation for the team looks even worse.
  • Vegas Golden Knights winger James Neal lost some teeth during the team’s 7-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Friday, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. While there is no word on how many teeth the team’s top scorer lost when he took a high-stick from Colorado’s Patrik Nemeth in the first period, it didn’t stop the 30-year-old. He came back to score his seventh goal of the season in the second period and still dove to block a shot in the third period to help preserve the shutout. Neal is not expected to miss any time with the injury.

East Notes: Kane, Sateri, Flyers, O’Gara

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Despite a very strong start to the season, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggested during an interview with WGR 550 in Buffalo (audio link) that the Sabres are unlikely to re-sign pending UFA winger Evander Kane.  However, it doesn’t appear that GM Jason Botterill is actively shopping him either at this time.  Kane has ten points through eight games and keeping up anywhere near close to that pace should set him up well to hit the open market.  That said, Dreger noted that even though the 26-year-old could on pace for a career season, he still could be in tough to land a long-term contract given some of the concerns surrounding him that have come up over the years.

Elsewhere around the East:

  • The Panthers have recalled goaltender Harri Sateri from Springfield of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions page. He will serve as insurance for Roberto Luongo, who left Friday’s game against the Penguins with a hand injury and is questionable for tonight versus Washington.  The 27-year-old is off to a rough start this season with a 4.51 GAA and a .859 SV% in a pair of games in the AHL; it’s his first season back in North America since 2013-14 when he was with the Sharks organization.
  • Flyers forward Jordan Weal missed his second straight game today due to an upper-body injury. GM Ron Hextall told reporters, including Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) that he is listed as day-to-day.  Weal is off to a strong start in his first full NHL season with a goal and three assists through six games.  Also listed as day-to-day is winger Taylor Leier who is dealing with an upper-body issue of his own.
  • The Bruins announced that they have recalled defenseman Rob O’Gara from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. He will play tonight if blueliner Kevan Miller, who left practice early yesterday after taking a puck off his knee and is listed as a game-time decision, can’t go.  O’Gara has played in three games at the minor league level this season, picking up an assist and also got into three contests with Boston last year.

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