The Edmonton Oilers made their first major move this offseason after losing to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year.
Wednesday, Oilers GM Stan Bowman traded forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2025 4th Round Pick (OTT). The Oilers will not retain any of Kane’s $5.125 million salary, giving them $17,087,500 of cap space per Puck Pedia.
The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the full transaction.
Kane, 33, is headed into his 16th season in the NHL and has one year remaining on a four-year deal. He missed all of the 2024-25 regular season after having surgery last September to repair a sports hernia injury. He then underwent knee surgery in January, further pushing back his recovery timeline. Kane finally returned in the playoffs for the Oilers where he notched 12 points (6g, 6a) in 21 games.
Kane confirmed on X he was moving on, thanking Edmonton for believing in him.
Kane wrote:
As my time with the @EdmontonOilers has now come to a close, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank the entire organization, my teammates, and the incredible community of Edmonton.
To the Oilers Ownership, front office, coaching staff, and trainers—thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of such a respected and passionate franchise. Your support meant everything, and I’ll always be grateful for the chance to compete in the blue and orange.
To my teammates—thank you for the battles, the friendships, and the memories. I’ll always remember the playoff runs, the highs and lows, and the pride of going to war with a special group of guys.
To the fans—thank you for embracing me and showing unwavering support throughout my time in Edmonton. Rogers Place was always electric, and I’m proud to have played in front of such a passionate hockey city. My family and I have built some incredible relationships that will last forever.
With that said, I’m incredibly excited for the next chapter of my career as I join the @Canucks. It’s an honor to become part of an organization and team I grew up watching as a kid. Vancouver is a city that lives and breathes hockey, I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of my hometown as I did many years ago as a Vancouver Giant.
The trade was necessary due to Edmonton’s complex salary cap situation. Leon Draisaitl’s salary is increasing from $8.5M to $14M next season after signing an eight-year contract extension in September that made him the highest paid player in the NHL. Defenseman Evan Bouchard is also a restricted free agent and due a significant raise from his $3.9M cap hit last year.
The Oilers are also interested in improving its forward group and its goaltending, where they alternated between Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard in the Stanley Cup Final.
Vancouver, who missed the playoffs by six points last season, receives a nine-time 20-goal scorer and physical presence in its top six. Though Kane has had injury issues and is nearing the end of his career. His vast off-ice problems makes his acquisition even more of a wildcard.
