Seravalli: Former Oiler Kane ‘not an easy guy to trade’

“Pretty tidy work and I think what it does is it highlights just how good of a player Evander Kane is,” Seravalli said. “The fact that the Oilers were able to get something in return at all from Vancouver indicates there were other teams that were involved in the mix. And it was obviously a priority for the Oilers to clear out salary cap space — that was their thought process.”

Seravalli hinted that the Oilers might use the newly-found cap space to focus on keeping forward Viktor Arvidsson. The Swedish winger is heading into the final year of the two-year contract that he signed last July, with a $4 million AAV, and is eligible to sign an extension next Tuesday.

It’s no secret that Kane is a polarizing figure. The Vancouver native has proven he can be an important player on the ice, but he’s had his share of problems off the ice, garnering the reputation of being a tough guy to deal with in the locker room. Seravalli admitted moving someone like Kane wasn’t going to be a cake walk.

“When it comes to moving Kane, not an easy guy to trade. He had the [16-team] no-trade list, of course. A guy who has been a mercurial player in terms of locker rooms over the course of his time, whether it’s been any place, any stop he’s been throughout his career. So, with that baggage, people had said a few days ago, ‘Isn’t the Mason Marchment trade to Seattle the framework of it?’ And yes, except it’s Evander Kane.”

Kane now transitions from a team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons, with the 33-year-old being a key player, to a franchise that experienced a tumultuous 2024-25 season. After a player like J.T. Miller was cast away, Kane could fill that hole near the top of the lineup with his innate ability to put the puck in the back of the net.

“The fact he’s trending to being healthy for the first time in a while, Seravalli said. “I think that stands out as important business for the Canucks, and they’re hoping to get a very motivated Evander Kane in a contract year they can plug into their top-six in an effort to find goals which have been very hard to come by in Vancouver.”

Seravalli also believes that moving home, and potentially being a Canuck for a few years, might help lift the stigma that has surrounded Kane for most of his NHL career.

“It’s really hard to say what that dynamic is going to look like, because we still don’t have a clear picture yet of exactly who is going to be in there. … I would imagine Kane would be in his element being in [Vancovuer], and if he makes his home an actual longer term home, I think you’re going to see a player who is going to be on his best behaviour.” In three-plus seasons with the Oilers, Kane scored 62 goals in 155 regular-season appearances, including 42 points in 68 playoff games.