If a 24 yr. old winger and former 30-goal scorer becomes available, you get the job done. Especially if you're a team like the Buffalo Sabres who are in a rebuild, devoid of top-line talent and on a pace to challenge the league record for fewest goals in a season.
Last season the Sabres set a modern-era record by scoring 150 goals in an 82 game season, or 1.83 goals/game. That mark bested the 1953-54 Chicago Blackhawks who scored 133 goals in 70 games that season or 1.90 goals/game.
The 2014-15 edition of the Sabres is scoring at a 1.75 g/gm clip and are on pace to score 143 total for an 82 game season, which would put them 10 goals off the 'Hawks record with 12 more games played.
It's an historically low pace although I'm not so sure that they'll actually finish worse than last season even though soon to be unrestricted free agents will be moved at the trade deadline. And there will be movement at the deadline.
Head coach Ted Nolan was unusually frank when answering a question Tuesday about motivating players on a bad team who are about to be moved. “We got some guys who could be very beneficial to some playoff teams. I’m quite sure they’re anxious and think about it on a daily basis. I mentioned to a couple of them, the only way you’ll see that is not hoping, but to make it happen and to play well and maybe someone wants you. If not, make us want you. It’s a catch-22.”
The big name on the Sabres' list of available rental players is forward Chris Stewart. He's followed by forwards Drew Stafford and Torrey Mitchell who will also be available. Of that trio, Stewart's the only one who got the memo and has upped his production as of late.
Taken as a whole, though, those three have combined for 20 goals in 137 games on the season (which includes Stewart's four goals in his last six games,) or .145 g/gm. At that pace the Sabres would need to find three replacement players who could score a combined 13 goals in the final 30 games of the season.
To put it in perspective, Tim Schaller, Phil Varone and Johann Larsson played a combined 25 games for the Sabres this season and scored four goals or .160 g/gm. Shouldn't be all that difficult.
Point being, the Sabres will be losing bottom-six/checking line production at the deadline and they have plenty of players who can fill that role. In fact, many would say that the team has been filled with an overabundance of 3rd and 4th liners for a number of years.
What they could use, and its something most teams could use, is a top-line winger.
Evander Kane is a 24 yr. old power forward with a Jarome Iginla-type of game. He can hit, fight and score. Unfortunately for him he's not as beloved in Winnipeg playing for the Jets as Iginla was in Calgary playing for the Flames.
Perhaps the Jets and their fans didn't take kindly to his money phone, his choice of hair engravings (does anyone know what YMCMB in 'Lil Wayne-speak might stand for?), or (possibly) him, in Kane's own words, as a black man in a mostly white city. Said Kane of the latter, "I think a good portion of (criticism) is because I'm black and I'm not afraid to say that," Kane told The Hockey News for a story on March 4, 2012.
The perception of Kane whether based in reality or derived from gossip and innuendo came to the fore with an incident that happened just over three years ago. "[Kane's] a big-time talent in a small town," wrote Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press on January 22, 2012. "He's is a lightning rod for this sort of thing."
That "sort of thing" was a sign at a Jets game in Ottawa the previous week accusing Kane of walking out on a dinner tab. It read, "Dear Evander, Please stop running out on your bills. Sincerely, Winnipeg Servers and Restaurateurs."
Kane denied the charge, according to Lawless, by posting the picture on his Twitter account with the message that read, "Ha, Ha. What a complete lie this is but I really like the colours on the poster." (Of note, the NHL investigated it and found nothing. The Jets refused to comment on the supposed incident and after making calls to various restaurants, including 529 Wellington, where the incident supposedly happened, Lawless found that Kane was always proper at their establishments.)
But the whole incident exploded on social media. "Some wiseguy hears a rumour and takes a sign to a hockey game slandering Kane," wrote Lawless. "Someone else takes a picture of the sign and puts it on Twitter and whoosh -- the whole thing catches fire. Websites, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts repeated rumour after rumour about Kane on Saturday with no evidence to support the claims. Posts became so inflammatory on the Free Press website Saturday night the comments section was shut down."
Lawless had no reason to defend Kane. In fact he started his article with this disclaimer, "Just to be clear, there's no love lost between Evander Kane and myself. In fact, he's made it very apparent he doesn't have much use for me and my work.
"And while I think he's a helluva hockey player I also think he has a lot of growing up to do. But personal differences aside, what has happened to Kane in the last couple of days is absolutely shameful."
Kane, indeed, is an extremely talented hockey player with maturity issues. Kinda reminds me of the other Kane, Patrick of the Chicago Blackhaws in that respect. Not everyone's a Jonathan Toews, though.
Three years later, the Evander Kane-saga continues and Lawless is back at his computer telling the story of how Kane was scratched from the lineup by head coach Paul Maurice for disciplinary reasons. It was the second time, according to Lawless.
TSN's Bob McKenzie laid out the Kane-Jets drama rather well in an article yesterday. Here's McKenzie's "fact sheet":
--it's a 'bad-fit' scenario that's been festering for years and it is a poorly kept secret Kane is not beloved by some teammates and the feeling is undoubtedly mutual.
--Kane has been playing with and battling through myriad injuries this season
--As Lawless first reported, Kane violated the team's dress code -- wearing a track suit instead of a suit -- when he showed up to a midday team meeting in Vancouver. It is highly unlikely, though, that the dress code violation was actually the primary reason he was a coach's decision/healthy scratch against the Canucks that night.
--Kane was either pranked or tormented (interpretation is wide open) by a teammate or teammates for his track suit attire. That wasn't well received by Kane, who later in the day was not on the team bus to the rink (worth noting, though, players aren't obliged to take the bus).
--It is not entirely clear what happened after that -- who said exactly what; who exactly talked to whom -- but the sense seems to be Kane indicated to the Jets he was injured and would not be available to play that night. If that is indeed the case, one could only imagine the Jets thought Kane was more piqued about the track suit episode than he was injured, although the team has noted he has been playing through injury much of this season.
Last night the Jets put Kane on IR and it would seem as if his days in Winnipeg are over. Time to find a trade partner.
Although Adam Proteau doesn't list the Buffalo Sabres as one of his top-five trade destinations for Kane, there's no reason why they shouldn't be considered to be in the running.
Proteau lists the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins in order as the top five candidates. Some have a very deep prospect pool (Anaheim, Isles, Jackets,) some have won the Cup recently (Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Boston) and some would have an NHL-ready forward to send to Winnipeg to help them on their playoff push (Anaheim, Columbus, Boston.)
As the clear-cut favorite, Anaheim could offer more to both the Jets and Kane than any other team. Plus they could also absorb his $5.25m cap-hit without needing to jettison salary.
The Sabres don't have the sunshine of California, a Stanley Cup, or a big city for Kane to get lost in. But what they do have is an owner who goes after what he wants, a GM who was looking for a player like Kane, the cap-space to absorb his hit over the remaining three years of his contract and the assets to get the job done.
And they can get it done right now, if necessary, even if Kane needs to spend the rest of the season on IR (which is something desirable to Buffalo.)
Make no mistake, trading for Kane would be a big gamble for the Sabres. Here's how McKenzie described what a team is getting, "Kane's critics would say, off the ice, he's petulant, immature and lacks good judgment. His boosters would say he's proud, independent and misunderstood. Both supporters and detractors would agree he has all the physical tools -- dynamic speed, strength, power and skill -- to be an impactful NHL player."
Did I mention that he's young too?
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has his team looking at a playoff spot for the first time since the team moved to Winnipeg in 2011. They're a middle-of-the-road team that's managed to remain in the top wild card spot despite going 0-4-1 in their last five games.
They have a good group on the blueline with a top-four lead by veterans Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom. They're paired with two promising youngins in Jacob Trouba and Zach Bogosian. In goal, he Jets are solid if unspectacular with a tandem of Ondrej Pavelec and rookie Michael Hutchinson.
Where they're really thin is at the forward position, especially with the absence of Kane. Before this whole saga began, Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun wrote on February 2nd, "the Jets are thinner than the paper their lineup is written on up front, in need of offensive help on the third and fourth lines and carrying no depth players."
At the time Wyman strongly believed that Cheveldayoff needed to make things happen. "This team needs a move from the general manager," he wrote. "A trade to let the players know he’s serious about icing the best lineup every night — a move to equalize the depth on the team, subtracting a defenceman and adding a forward who can chip in with a few goals.
"It would not be a terrible idea to move one of the top-six blue-liners for a top-six forward and plug one of the spare parts into the lineup on the back end."
As of right now the Jets won't need to move a d-man if they decide to move Kane, but they will need even more upfront in his absence.
Lord know they won't be getting a top-line, 30-goal scorer in return at the trade deadline, and one would have to believe that any of those five teams mentioned above would have serious reservations about moving a top-six winger for an injured Kane period.
Cheveldayoff could bide his time and wait for the off season to move Kane, and there's a good possibility that he'll do that. But if he wanted to move him now the Sabres could probably offer up something very palatable, although one would have to believe that Murray won't be giving up too much on a gamble with Kane and his known maturity issues.
A package that included immediate forward help like Stewart in the top-six would be a place to start. Young Phil Varone adds two-way depth and production to help Winnipeg's bottom-six or there's Johan Larsson, an edgy, NHL-ready center who can handle a bottom-six role. A player like former first-rounder Mikhail Grigorenko could be slotted in just above the Nic Petan on the prospects depth chart while immediate help down the middle can be found Cody Hodgson despite him having a bad season on a bad team. Last season he had enough skill to score 20 goals while leading the team in scoring.
The Sabres have one of two first-round picks to offer that are not their own and have an additional second-rounder in a 2015 draft that's said to be very deep.
And the Sabres have an owner willing and able to eat a portion of his players' salary to get the job done.
Were Cheveldayoff anxious to move Kane before or at the deadline, the drama surrounding Kane has seriously eroded fair value in return. Buffalo, maybe moreso than any of the five teams Proteau mentioned, is in a position to offer a myriad of options to fill the needs of the Jets both short-term and long-term. And although no single piece will be of Kane's skill-level, Winnipeg's not exactly dealing from a position of strength with a malcontent who will be moved at some point in time.
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