Insider says Oilers will address Kane �wearing' on the locker room
Reports have surfaced this year that Evander Kane may be causing a rift in the locker room, and today NHL insider Frank Seravalli confirmed just that.
In a recent interview with OilersNation Everyday, Seravalli said that Kane's �act is wearing thin' within the dressing room and went on to say this was predictable given his rocky history. He continued to say the relationship between Kane and the Oilers has likely soured, and they may address this by moving him off the roster as soon as this summer.
His act is wearing thin. It's a tale as old as time. He starts off really well in any new place that he goes to, and it's like a coach - the clock begins to tick. At some point, the Oilers will probably have to address it before his contract is up. It may or may not be as soon as this summer, but he wears out his welcome.
With reports piling up now that Kane may be causing some friction in the locker room, as well as his declining level of play, a move may end up being the best course of action for the Oilers. Earlier this year, Rob Brown on the Got Yer Back Podcast reported that Kane and Draisaitl were getting in arguments, and last week the two were spotted in a heated argument on the bench. There's also been reports throughout the season that Kane has been struggling to deal with the lack of ice time and offensive opportunities in the bottom six.
Kane's also been reported to be dealing with a few nagging injuries that have undoubtedly affected his play. Right now though, the lack of on-ice contributions, the scratch against Ottawa, and the mounting reports of off-ice friction isn't building a good case for Kane. Perhaps it's just noise, but the amount of reports now is starting to lend serious credibility to there being problems.
Kane's been struggling mightily lately in a 16 game goal drought. On the season he's still on pace for a productive year with 21 goals and 39 points in 68 games. He's signed for two more seasons after this one at a value of $5.25M with a 16 team no-trade clause in his final year.
For now, Kane and the Oilers need to shut this out as just noise and focus only on their game heading into the playoffs. The team as a whole and especially Coach Knoblauch should be trying to find ways to get Kane going to find his game again now. When he's at his best, his power forward style can be an X-Factor in the playoffs.
| POLL | ||
Will the Oilers trade Evander Kane this offseason? | ||
| Yes, he will agree to a fresh start | 338 | 56.2 % |
| No, he's valuable to the team | 193 | 32.1 % |
| See Results | 70 | 11.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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