Evander Kane Joins Hometown Team

Evander Kane is making a move back to his roots. The Vancouver native was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday morning, a deal he shared on social media.

In his post, Kane expressed gratitude as he closed this chapter with the Oilers: “As my time with @edmontonoilers is coming to an end, I’d like to take a moment to truly thank the whole organization, my teammates, and the incredible community of Edmonton.” He then added, “That being said, when I join @Canucks, I’m extremely excited about the next chapter in my career. It’s an honor to be part of the organization and team I’ve seen as a child.”

According to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun, the Oilers will receive a fourth-round pick in 2025 as part of the trade, which carries a $51.25 million cap hit.

Kane made significant contributions during his time with Edmonton, netting six goals in this postseason and helping the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup final. Known for both his goal-scoring ability and physical play, Kane, who stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 218 pounds, has built a reputation on the ice.

LeBrun noted that three teams were interested in acquiring Kane, but he favored returning to the Canucks, his hometown team. This marks Kane’s 16th season in the NHL, and Vancouver will be the sixth team he plays for.

The Canucks, who missed the playoffs this past season, are hoping Kane can bolster their offense. However, he’ll need to improve on minimizing penalty minutes—a persistent issue throughout his career. Notably, he led the NHL in penalties during both the 2018-19 (153 minutes) and 2019-20 (122 minutes) seasons, accumulating a staggering 30 penalty minutes in the most recent Stanley Cup final.

In the recent regular season with Edmonton, Kane tallied 24 goals and 20 assists, but also racked up 85 penalty minutes.