Trade grades: Canucks bail out division rival in Evander Kane trade

Vancouver Trade Grade: C

This acquisition isn't all doom and gloom. Kane did score 12 points in 21 playoff games after returning to action having not played hockey competitively in nearly a calendar year. There's a reasonable chance that Kane is closer to the player who routinely paces in the 25 to 30 goal range now that he's healthy and rested. Kane also adds bite and net-front presence into a top nine forward group that had been in short supply of it following the trade of J.T. Miller. 

It's only a single year commitment, the Canucks gave up very little value and the risk is essentially mitigated. If Vancouver struggles next season, there's a world where Kane is a trade chip that could net it more than it gave up to get him. 

The downside is Kane will turn 34 before the season begins, has a ton of NHL miles on his body and plays a hard, physical game that can wear a player down quickly on the back nine of their career. PuckPedia reports Vancouver sits at $7.031 million in cap space. While much of their roster is locked up, it's not a ton of flexibility if the goal is to make any big needle-moving improvements. It also likely spells the end of a long relationship with fan-favorite winger Brock Boeser.

Kane also comes with a long, well-documented history of, at times, being a tough guy to work with. This was a locker room that dealt with a similarly well-documented work issue between two star players — J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Ultimately, Vancouver traded Miller to the New York Rangers when president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford admitted the situation couldn't be fixed. That's a lot of baggage for a Vancouver team that is basically doing Edmonton a favor.

Edmonton Trade Grade: A-

Most of what lowers Edmonton's grade here is essentially out of its control. The Oilers always knew a cap crunch was coming in the summer of 2025 with contract extensions for Leon Draisaitl, defenseman Evan Bouchard and the looming extension negotiations with world's best player, Connor McDavid. 

Trading Kane after he missed an entire year with an injury and after the last sight of him was taking multiple penalties in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals meant that whatever real value the Oilers could have potentially recouped basically evaporated. The other part of this is trading Kane to a division rival could come back to bite them, especially if Kane is healthy and motivated.

Otherwise, this was a necessary bit of business to keep the stars that make up the core together. The Oilers returned net positive value on an expensive, distressed asset.