The Edmonton Oilers have finalized a trade that shakes up the NHL, sending winger Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks. This strategic move aims to free up crucial salary cap space ahead of the league’s upcoming free agency. Kane, 33, has one year remaining on his four-year contract, with a cap hit of $5.125 million. The Canucks will assume his entire salary. In return, the Oilers received Ottawa’s fourth-round pick in 2025, which was originally sent to Vancouver by Edmonton last summer in a trade for forward Vasily Podkolzin. Kane, a Vancouver native, had a list of 16 teams to which he could not be traded. His return to the city where he grew up playing ice hockey represents a new chapter in his career. The player missed the entire 2024-25 season due to multiple surgeries, but returned for the playoffs, where he scored 6 goals and 6 assists in 21 games.
In a message on X, Kane thanked the players, staff, and management of the Oilers “for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be part of such a respected and passionate franchise.” He also thanked the Oilers fans for “embracing me and showing unwavering support during my time in Edmonton.”It’s an honor to join an organization and a team that I watched grow up as a child. Vancouver is a city that lives and breathes hockey, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of my hometown, as I did many years ago as a Vancouver Giant.
Evander Kane
