Beloved former Vancouver Canucks captain and president Trevor Linden didn't exactly sound receptive to the acquisition of Evander Kane from the Oilers this week.
The tenure of Evander Kane with the Edmonton Oilers has come to a close, as he was traded to the divisional foe Vancouver Canucks for a 4th round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
Kane joins a Canucks team who missed the playoffs only one year after winning the Pacific Division title and advancing to Game 7 of the WCSF, where they lost to the Oilers.
One notable figure who didn't exactly sound like the biggest fan of the trade is Trevor Linden, the beloved former captain of the Canucks who later served as their team president.
He's a guy that can bring a certain type of hockey to that locker room. I'm sure Edmonton wanted to move salary out. Edmonton was able to take salary on, and it made sense. Obviously, for Edmonton to trade him to a divisional rival is interesting.
Linden then said that if goaltender Thatcher Demko and forward Elias Pettersson can rebound, the addition of Kane could turn out well for Vancouver in the end.
I think they are in a win-now type of mode. I don't think they were too far off. You look at where they were last year and the year before, it seems like it is a big difference. But at the same time, you get Demko having a good season, and Pettersson back on his game, and their defense is in order right now. So adding a player like this, maybe that puts them in a position to compete for the Pacific Division again, which is very possible.
Kane didn't play during the regular season after a series of surgeries, but had 12 points (6G, 6A) in 21 postseason games as the Oilers once again advanced to the SCF, only to lose to the Florida Panthers.