The Edmonton Oilers are trading forward Evander Kane to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2025 4th round draft pick the clubs announced.
Kane took to social media to thank fans and the organization for his years in Edmonton, and express his excitement regarding joining his hometown team.
“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,” Kane wrote on Twitter. “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. With appreciation, Evander Kane.”
The 33 year old appeared in 21 postseason contests for Edmonton in 2024-25, scoring 6 goals and adding another 6 assists. This came after Kane missed the entirety of the regular season as he recovered from abdominal and knee surgeries.
In his last full NHL campaign, Kane posted 44 points (24G, 20A) across 77 regular season contests in 2023-24. While the 6’2″ 218lbs winger added some grit to the Oilers lineup, he ultimately became a cap casualty for a team that’s finished as runner up in the pursuit of the Stanley Cup the last two seasons.
With no salary being retained in the deal, Vancouver will absorb all of Kane”s $5.13M cap hit, and free up much needed space for an Edmonton squad that needs to ink restricted free agent Evan Bouchard to a new deal this summer. All in all, the Oilers will have roughly $17M in cap space to round out their roster this offseason, with Corey Perry, Connor Brown, Trent Frederic, Jeff Skinner, John Klingberg, and Kasperia Kapanen set to become free agents on July 1st.
It’s unclear how many of those players Edmonton intends to retain, as outside of Perry, most had uneven stints in the blue and orange this year. Another name who could be on the move is forward Viktor Arvidsson and his $4M cap hit. If Edmonton is able to clear out another $4M in cap space, that would give the team flexibility in their pursuit of another impact player this summer. Possibly even a goaltender to help shore up their back end.
For Kane, it’s a return to his roots. The former first round draft pick was born in Vancouver, and spent 3 seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants between 2006-2009 before Atlanta selected him 4th overall. The Canucks will be Kane’s 6th NHL franchise, having already suited up for the Thrashers, Jets, Sabres, Sharks, and Oilers previously.
Kane is entering the final season of a 4 year, $20.5M contract, and is set to become a UFA next summer.
Photo: Fanny Schertzer. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.