On Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks acquired former Vancouver Giants winger Evander Kane from the Edmonton Oilers. Kane, who will turn 34 years old before the start of the season, was acquired using the fourth-round pick Vancouver received in the Vasily Podkolzin trade last year. Ultimately, the Canucks are hoping that Kane can not only bring some goal-scoring to the roster, but make Vancouver a more difficult team to play against.
A day after being acquired, Kane spoke to the media for the first time since joining the Canucks. He fielded questions on many topics, including how excited he was to be returning home. Kane also made sure to thank the Oilers, who ensured he had an opportunity to return to Vancouver next season.
"Yeah, really exciting, said Kane. "First, I'd like to thank Mr. Aquilini, Jim, Patrick and Footer for bringing me in. I think it's a good opportunity for me to play at home in front of my family. Having the Oilers kind of work with me, to go to a place that I wanted to be, and I think that would fit well for my family was nice of them, and just really excited to be a Canuck."
2024-25 was a complicated year one for Kane. He missed the entire regular-season with an injury, and only returned once the playoffs had started. While he has had injury issues in the past, Kane believes he is healthy and is ready to have a big year in 2025-26.
"Obviously, the following year, I was dealing with a lot of different stuff that was difficult, and being able to get my body right, have the surgeries I had, and get back to 100% was a nice kind of reset for me. Obviously, missing the whole year and having to jump into the playoffs is never easy, but, you know, I kind of drew on my experience from the year before playing hurt, thinking about, well, if I feel a lot better on the ice, even though I'm having played, I think I can contribute in a positive way. And, you know, I was happy I was able to do that. And I think, for me, the time off and getting healthy has kind of allowed me to roll the clock back a little bit, in my opinion. And I think hopefully that can translate onto the ice."
Vancouver Canucks Trade For Edmonton Oilers Forward Evander KaneAfter how the 2024-25 regular season went for the Vancouver Canucks, the organization knew they needed to address their offensive woes whether through free agency or trade. Today, they did just that, sending a 2025 fourth-round selection to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Evander Kane. The Oilers will not be retaining any of Kane's $5.125M AAV in salary.
Kane was also asked about the off-ice issues that have emerged throughout his career. Before the question was complete, Kane said, "It's well documented in a way where, there's not all the information, there's some inaccuracies." He was then asked about his growth over the last few years and whether or not he feels like a changed person.
"No, I'm the same guy. I think, you know, if you're not improving in all aspects of your life, you're probably not where you want to be. And I don't think there's anybody in this room that isn't better off, or learned from their mistakes or learned from positive experiences to make them better moving forward. So, for me, I think Edmonton was great. Edmonton brought me into their organization, and like I said earlier, embraced me, and the city fell in love with me, and I kind of fell in love with the city, and we had a lot of success as well. So it was a great experience, and I'm hoping that can continue here in Vancouver, coming back home."
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The topic of leadership also came up as Kane has spent the last 15 seasons in the NHL. He has played in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and could join the 1,000 games club this season. Overall, Kane feels his experience can be of value for younger, as he has been through just about everything during his NHL career.
"Going into year 17, obviously have a ton of experience. And I think my experiences can add a lot of value, because they're not all pretty. And I think when you go through different things, on and off the ice, you can lend those lessons to some of the younger guys and some other guys that are maybe struggling with things. And I think just being mentally tough, especially in a Canadian market, can be important, and it can be difficult when you're not used to it. So I think leadership is something that I've always tried to do and lead by example, especially on the ice, and I think that's going to be important moving forward as well."
Ultimately, there is some risk associated with this trade for the Canucks. Kane carries an AAV of over $5 million next season, and as mentioned, didn't play a single regular-season game in 2024-25 after suffering multiple injuries. In the end, he will be a focal point this year as he returns to Vancouver for the first time since 2009, when he was playing in the WHL.
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