The ongoing round of Vancouver Canucks rumors had turned towards Evander Kane. The expectation is that the Canucks will be active at the NHL trade deadline, following the conclusion of the Olympics.
Following the roster unfreeze next Monday, the belief is that a flurry of activity will hit the NHL. Thus far, there hasn’t been an overwhelming amount of chatter surrounding Vancouver. But the talk has honed in on Kane and the teams looking to land the veteran forward.
According to Rick Dhaliwal, the latest Canucks rumors posit that Kane has drawn the interest of the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. The revelation is hardly Earth-shattering, but surprising that more teams aren’t “poking around” Kane.
Kane makes sense for both the Avalanche and Lightning. The two contenders could use more offensive punch while throwing in some much-needed sandpaper.
The Lightning could have a tough road out of the Eastern Conference bracket. A trip to the Stanley Cup Final would likely run through Carolina.
As for the Avalanche, the Death Valley Central Division would lead Colorado through one of Minnesota or Dallas. That’s why adding some extra pop would be high on their radar.
At this time, there’s no indication that a trade could be imminent. However, Canucks rumors should pick up as the trade deadline draws closer.
Canucks Rumors Suggest Vancouver Will Need to Retain
One crucial point that Dhaliwal made was the Canucks’ need to retain salary on Kane. That’s a situation that should pick up steam, particularly if the Avalanche are the intended target. While Colorado doesn’t have a significant cap crunch yet, adding Kane would create one.
As such, the bulk of Canucks rumors involving Kane will entail salary retention. Vancouver could pull it off as Kane is in the final year of his current deal. His $5.125 cap hit is down to about $2 million at this point in the season. With a 50% retention, it would come down to about $1 million.
That’s doable for the Avalanche, who currently have just under $2 million in available cap space.
Trade with Lightning Might Be Money-in, Money-Out
As for the Lightning, Canucks rumors haven’t suggested salary retention. The ongoing narrative surrounding the Lightning has been money-in, money-out moves. In that situation, Tampa Bay may ask Vancouver to take back a contract to make the math work.
Under such a situation, the Lightning may have to throw in a sweetener to compel the Canucks to take a contract back. The Bolts could throw in an extra draft pick just to get the deal over the line.
It will be interesting to see if the Bolts pivot to another, more affordable option. Unless the asking price for Kane is overwhelming, this Canucks rumor may have some legs to it. The Canucks could land something like a second-round pick just for the service of taking back a contract.
However, the Bolts don’t have an abundance of assets. The club owns its second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. So, that might be the initial price tag for Kane at this year’s trade deadline.
Canucks Rumors: Kane Trade Down to 2 Contenders