Kane issue probably deserves its own thread now:

 

 

http://www.tsn.ca/more-questions-arise-in-kane-jets-drama-1.200583

 

Much has been said and written about Evander Kane and the Winnipeg Jets. There's bound to be a lot more, too. In fact, here you go:

 

1. Pardon the pun, but some might suggest this is simply the case of a "round Peg, square hole," that this week's issue with Kane is really just the latest in a festering "bad fit" scenario that has been going on for years between Kane and the Jets. It is a poorly kept secret Kane is not beloved by some teammates and the feeling is undoubtedly mutual.

 

2. Kane has been playing with and battling through myriad injuries this season. He came back early from an MCL sprain. He has played with fractured bones in two separate injuries. He also has another season-long injury that quite likely will require off-season surgery, if not sooner.  Kane is currently seeing doctors and getting imaging to determine his playing status and/or course of action.

 

3. As Gary Lawless first reported in the Winnipeg Free Press yesterday, 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.

 

4. The dress code violation, though, did apparently trigger a chain reaction of events/decisions that led to Kane's absence from the lineup.

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).

 

5. 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.

 

Whatever.

 

The end result was, by game time that night, Kane was listed by the Jets as a coach's decision/healthy scratch.

 

Which, of course, blew up into the story that it now is.

 

So where do Kane and the Jets go from here? It would seem to be an untenable situation, especially with the team in the middle of an intense battle to make the playoffs.

 

TSN's Darren Dreger reported earlier today the Jets are "listening hard' to trade offers on Kane. So that's most likely where this is headed.

Still, many questions remain.

 

-- Will he be dealt before the March 2 trade deadline or in the summer?

 

-- Will his injuries, and the specter of possible surgery, have an impact on the ability to trade him, now or later?

 

-- Can the Jets get fair value for Kane amid all the drama of this week?

 

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.

 

NHL teams interested in Kane -- there are many -- are already doing their due diligence, looking into Kane's off-ice personality/character.

Kane is in his sixth NHL season, He's 23 years old. Beyond this season, he has three more years left on his contract that pays him $6 million annually with a cap hit of $5.25 million.

 

-- if Kane is deemed healthy enough to play, do the Jets put him back into the lineup tomorrow night vs. Chicago?

 

-- In spite of what the doctor(s) may say, does Kane feel he's healthy enough to play, and if not, might he opt for season-ending surgery now?

 

So many questions; so many answers still to come.

 

Well then it's the worlds biggest coincidence.

Or maybe he had already been scheduled to see the doctor when the team returned from that trip.

I don't believe that's the case.

This guy has all the talent in the world but has been a pain for years now. Some guys like Kane just don't grow up until it's too late. Look at how Sidney Crosby has handled his career, spotlight & pressure since he came to the NHL compared to Evander. Like night & day.

We all watched Crosby act like a whiny , petulant brat when he didnt get the calls he wanted.

He was never a bad teammate, nor has he ever quit on his team. He's handled media, much more of it that Kane has ever had to deal with, like a pro going back to his mid teens.

Almost every prodigy that's come into the league has been called whiny on the ice. I'm sure McDavid will get that label too. That's not a comparable issue to what Kane is.

No kidding. Anti Crosby stupidity. That guy was always a warrior on the ice and by all accounts a great leader and teammate.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/don-cherry-says-evander-kane-should-be-ashamed-coachs-corner/

 

Fast forward to about 5 minutes in... lulz Cherry is not a fan of Kane

Pretty damning stuff from Cherry & Wheeler. Sad when a 6 year veteran like Kane has to be lectured to like that. Like he's 17. 

John Shannon        ✔ @JSportsnet

Told that damage to Evander Kane's shoulder was more severe than anticipated, but surgery was successful in repairing the torn labrum.

Loved Grapes tearing him apart last night. Love Love Loved it....

Loved Grapes tearing him apart last night. Love Love Loved it....

Grapes is being torn apart today on social media by overly sensitive & politically correct @$$..... who just lie in the weeds waiting for Cherry to say something they don't like. Then the FIRE HIM NOW! chants start up. What was Ron MacLean thinking even bringing up seal burgers to Cherry? Like he doesn't know his partner after all these years & he might say something??

Kane has an opportunity to turn the page and start fresh somewhere else. He could be a force next season. So be it. His time here is over.

It's more than specualtion that he was not taking calls until shortly before the game. He quit on his team. He had surgery now because he could but as his agent admitted it was up to Kane. He knows he's done with the jets so why wait until May to have surgery? He wants to be easy for training camp with his new team and he doesn't give a rats ass about the jets.

The only thing that I know is there's lots of speculation but not much facts here. Only guys who know are kane and the guys in the locker room and they aren't talking

Not really. The media reports cute sources and certain media don't orint stories without multiple sources. Lack of denials too. Plus Kane's agent was all about reading between the lines. I think we don't know the other things thay went down over the season(s) but what happened Tuesday is pretty locked down.

Another great article from Bob ... http://www.tsn.ca/conventional-vs-kane-ventional-wisdom-1.203159

Another great article from Bob ... http://www.tsn.ca/conventional-vs-kane-ventional-wisdom-1.203159

 

LMAO at one of the comments.

 

Kane, Scheifele and Morrissey for Kessel

 

Another great article from Bob ... http://www.tsn.ca/conventional-vs-kane-ventional-wisdom-1.203159

 

LMAO at one of the comments.

 

Kane, Scheifele and Morrissey for Kessel

 

Add our 1st rounder to that and it might get done...

LOL, compared to Kessel in the locker, Kane is Morgan Freeman

LOL, compared to Kessel in the locker, Kane is Morgan Freeman

I don't understand the comparison.

 

LOL, compared to Kessel in the locker, Kane is Morgan Freeman

I don't understand the comparison.

 

Maybe too inside? Freeman is widely considered the most likeable celeb, just wondering how liked he would be if Kessel moved here (NOOOOOO)? IMO between the two, I think Evander would be more liked than Kessel (sad but true) hence the comparison ... 

 

Another great article from Bob ... http://www.tsn.ca/conventional-vs-kane-ventional-wisdom-1.203159

 

LMAO at one of the comments.

 

Kane, Scheifele and Morrissey for Kessel

 

Fun fact about Kessel, his cap hit is 8 million but he's actually being paid 10 million this year. No chance Kessel comes here, not a chance in hell and no way the Jets would want him. Didn't PoMo already have to deal with Kessel once or was Kessel not in T Dot at the same time. Regardless tho, Kessel will never wear a Jets jersey ever.  Leaf Fans and Canadians fans are the best with trade proposals tho, it's painfully obvious they don't pay even a little bit of attention to what the Jets have said they will do and are doing, ie: building through the draft. Jets aren't a cap team and no way would they bring in a player getting paid that much when this off season or next at the latest, they have guys like ladd buff scheif and trouba to sign to new deals. 

TO can keep Kessel, they deserve each other.

It'll be interesting to see what Chevy does before the deadline.

 

Another great article from Bob ... http://www.tsn.ca/conventional-vs-kane-ventional-wisdom-1.203159

 

LMAO at one of the comments.

 

Kane, Scheifele and Morrissey for Kessel

 

To be honest I dont think I'd trade even one of those guys for Kessel, including Morrissey.

I wouldn't trade Galiardi for Kessell.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/why-fiercely-independent-kane-must-change-ways/

 

Elliotte Friedman   February 10, 2015, 9:45 AM

There are a ton of questions about Evander Kane. None of them involve his game.

 

“He can do everything necessary to be a prototypical modern-day power forward,” said an executive from a potential trade partner. “You name it, he can do it.”

“This guy is one hell of a player,” added another.

 

“You watch that kid his first two years in the league, there was nothing about him that said third-line player,” said a third. “How is he in that role at 23, six years into his NHL career?”

 

The answer is complicated. Since Kane’s benching last Tuesday in Vancouver, everyone’s been trying to find out exactly what happened between him, his teammates and the Winnipeg organization. Through dozens of interviews, a complex picture emerges.

 

A note about methodology: There were many people (including his junior coach, Don Hay) who politely refused to talk. No current members of the Jets on- or off-ice were willing to speak. Most who did declined to go on-record, mostly because they work for opposing teams and did not want to risk tampering accusations. Three who did agree to be quoted were John Anderson (who coached his rookie season in Atlanta), Claude Noel (his bench boss in Winnipeg from 2011-14) and Don Waddell, President of Gale Force Sports & Entertainment, which runs the Carolina Hurricanes. Waddell was general manager, and later, president of the Atlanta Thrashers.

In fairness to them, none of the anonymous quotes are theirs.

 

One of the things you learn about Kane? He is fiercely independent. It is a major reason he made it to the NHL. But, like many of us, your best characteristic can also be your worst. One former teammate said, “He refuses to conform, and that’s a problem in a team dynamic.”

 

“He’s got a huge ego, but you know what? You need that to do well,” Anderson said Monday.

“Wayne Gretzky has a huge ego, but you’d never know it. Rick Vaive had one, that 50-goal mentality. But you have to learn to control it, handle it a little bit.”

 

“Evander can be an impact player,” Noel said. “He can help a hockey team. He has to find a middle ground, a way to be part of a group. Maturity is a factor, but not in the way that he is immature. I’m talking about maturity being an understanding of what you can be and how you can get there.”

 

“He has a tremendous will to succeed. He’s driven, but needs to learn how to focus that correctly. His will to win is sincere. Some things need to change, but Evander can

be an elite player in the end. He has to want to invest to get there.”

 

Kane was drafted fourth overall in 2009, and immediately made the Thrashers. He rose to the challenge, with 14 goals, 26 points and 62 penalty minutes in 66 games. Plus/minus is a flawed stat, but he was a positive player on a team with lots of minuses. He lived for about a month with Colby Armstrong, then moved into his own apartment, although his parents spent considerable time there. (Armstrong, who now works at Sportsnet, didn’t want to contribute, saying, “It’s almost piling-on now.”)

 

“Anytime you bring young players to your team, you have to assess what their makeup is,” Waddell says now. “Evander Kane, as an 18-year-old, was ready to play in the NHL.”

 

He was young, with money, in a city where a hockey player can be anonymous. Before he played even one regular-season game, the team set up a meeting between Kane and the man he was named after, former World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield. It was all over local television in an effort to sell tickets — a big ask for a young player.

 

It was a hard season with a fractured group. Ilya Kovalchuk and Kari Lehtonen were traded. Slava Kozlov publicly complained about ice-time. They were 12th in goals for, 24th in goals against. Anderson was fired as they missed the playoffs by five points.

 

Even off the record, several sources agreed with Waddell. Kane was not the problem. There was, however, one moment that, with the events of the past week, really stands out. He wore a track suit to a practice in Toronto.

 

His teammates cut them into short shorts. Kane had to wear them on the team bus back to the hotel. But this did not escalate into any kind of confrontation.

 

“At our year-end meeting, I told him I thought he had a very good year,” Anderson said. “He said he didn’t think I played him enough, that he could have been better with more ice-time. I told him that if I played him more, he might not have developed as well as he did.”

 

Was that a terse exchange? “No, it was very respectful,” the coach replied.

 

But one then-Thrasher admits that team could teach bad habits: “It wasn’t the best environment for him to learn. He could certainly get the impression bad behaviour would be tolerated.”

 

Waddell bristles at that, but admits Scott Mellanby’s retirement two years before Kane’s arrival changed things — and not for the better.

 

“Did we have a strong locker room?” he asks rhetorically. “When Mellanby retired… you can’t make up for what he brought.”

 

Following Kane’s rookie season, Atlanta made three major trades to improve the team and culture. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2010, the Chicago Blackhawks faced a massive salary cap crunch. GM Stan Bowman made two separate deals with the Thrashers, sending Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd and Brent Sopel southeast. Seven months later, the Boston Bruins dealt Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler to Georgia.

 

They became the dominant personalities. Some think it was for the better, others say it created different issues. Whatever the case, Kane and the newcomers mixed like gunpowder and liquid nitrogen. In retrospect, it’s amazing it took this long to boil over.

 

When the franchise moved to Winnipeg, the new organization was told there were fissures. Noel wouldn’t discuss that, but did say the relationship “needs to work both ways.”

 

“Evander needs to do his part and his teammates need to do theirs. In Winnipeg, both have tried that,” he said.

 

Obviously, it didn’t work.

 

This won’t be the first time Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff holds serious talks about trading Evander Kane. Other teams believe Winnipeg’s come close at least twice, although good luck trying to get Cheveldayoff to confirm that. What it means is due diligence has been done before.

 

Despite that, information will be updated.

 

“It’s not in the Jets’ best interests to tell you everything, because they want to trade him,” one rival exec says. “You can’t leave any stone unturned.”

 

“You’re going to have to trust your network, really dig to see what you can find,” said another. “Because they are going to ask for a lot.”

 

None of the opposing executives voiced any concern about Kane’s bold social-media moments. The famous Floyd Mayweather money-phone picture? It was almost like, “Who cares?”

 

Here’s what they will investigate:

 

THE INJURY

 

By far, the biggest criticism of Kane is he had the shoulder surgery after being punished, sure making it look like he pulled the chute in a huff — not because he needed to.

 

“It stinks,” said one of the executives quoted above. “Even if not on-purpose, good luck trying to convince anybody.”

But, one former NHLer (who now works for a team) reached out unsolicited to defend Kane. This retiree had the same injury.

 

“First of all, if you haven’t had that injury, it is painful,” he said. “And the surgery was even more painful. For me, it’s commendable that he tried to play. I understand there is more to the story, a buildup between him and the team, but it’s ridiculous to hear people jumping on his character when the tried to play through that.”

 

“I was playing at 50 per cent, maybe,” he continued. “I couldn’t handle the puck. There are two ways to look at it. You can see someone who is young, selfish, and immature who overreacted, but empathize with how it feels to play with that injury on a daily basis. You’re expected to score, be a shooter and be physical. You expect yourself to perform and produce. When you don’t because you’re hurt, you’re thinking, ‘I’m useless.’”

“Tough thing to accept.”

 

There is no doubt these feelings played into Kane’s anger. He definitely feels his efforts were unappreciated, especially as the Jets battled an injury plague.

 

HIS LATENESS

Full confession: Not long after joining Hockey Night In Canada, Harry Neale nicknamed me “five-to-seven,” because I’m five to seven minutes late for everything. During my time at The FAN radio in Toronto (1994-97), I was suspended one week for being 15 minutes late for an on-air shift.

 

And, at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Kelly Hrudey blasted me in front of about 15 co-workers for continually being late. He apologized for it later, but I told him he had nothing to apologize for. He wasn’t wrong. So, I am uniquely qualified to comment.

 

Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that, in Vancouver, Kane answered his phone shortly before game time and told the Jets he wouldn’t play. That’s the same story I heard, but others have denied that, saying he was on the way to the game when Cheveldayoff told him not to bother.

 

Whatever the case, Kane wasn’t there when he should have been for a game the team desperately needed. There is a long list of stories like this, of being late or cutting it way too close. My co-workers don’t accept it from me, and his shouldn’t accept it from him.

 

No defence for this, and he’s going to have to explain how he’ll change. (It’s not easy.)

 

IF MY PLAYERS MAKE THE EFFORT, WILL HE?

 

There are a few teams who indicated they are not in the least bit concerned about this.

 

“From the previous research I’ve done,” one GM said, “I’d trade for him, no problem.”

 

Another said his biggest issue might be the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Under the current CBA, players are entitled to their own road hotel room once they sign their second contract.

 

“Can I force him to room with someone?” he asked. “If he’s not rooming together, not socializing together with my strongest players, can we do it?”

 

Apparently, Kane doesn’t go out for dinner with his teammates too often. Considering what we know now about their relationship, that’s not a shock. But, there have been complaints that friends meet him on road trips too often.

 

“He may not be an easy guy to like, but that doesn’t stop him from being a good player,” another exec added. “Chris Pronger could be miserable, but he was a good player.”

 

It’s an interesting comparison because Pronger grew into someone dedicated to his craft. He worked hard and studied harder. What’s losing traction is the idea Kane’s still young and will do that, too. Next year will be his seventh season. Some players do change. But, every GM will tell you they’ve been burned by a guy who didn’t. And, in a suddenly tight cap world, every mistake leaves a deeper scar.

 

“You’re going to ask yourself a tough question,” one exec said. “What if this is who he is?”

 

IS THIS JUST ABOUT WINNIPEG?

 

It’s no secret Kane feels he’s trapped in a fishbowl. Rumours are magnified in such a small, hockey-mad market. He will definitely tell interested teams a change of scenery equals a changed man.

 

That’s why teams will be interested. If true, you’re the proud owner of an effective, powerful forward.

 

“Jeff Carter is a talented guy who needed direction, to be shown the way,” one scout said. “Now he’s a different player on and off the ice, a real leader on that team. You wouldn’t have said that previously. I see real similarities between those guys.”

 

Can Evander Kane convince teams he can do it, too?