On the Vancouver Canucks …
Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province: He has off-ice issues, but the timing for the Canucks to land a second-line left-winger in Evander Kane may not be better.
Kane has a August 1st court date set as he faces four counts of non-criminal harassment, one disorderly conduct and a trespassing misdemeanour.
The Vancouver native is once again on the trade block.
Given the right team and mentoring environment, he might be worth the risk.
The Canucks will need to decide if they want to take a run at Kane and hope he can change. He has two years left on his deal with a $5.2 million cap hit, $6 million in salary.
The Canucks have about $3.4 million in cap space and there are cheaper, safer free agents.
If the Sabres are not able to sign Jimmy Vesey, they may want a winger in return for Kane and could ask for Sven Baertschi or prospect Jake Virtanen in a package. The Sabres could also use a defenseman and might be interested in Luca Sbisa. Sbisa is owed $3.6 million in each of the next two seasons.
On the Edmonton Oilers …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot doesn’t think they are far off from returning to the playoffs – maybe one more piece is needed.
“I don’t think we’re that far off from making the playoffs, to be honest with you. I think one more piece and we’ve got all the talent up front we’ve always had and added more talent via free agency and the draft. When you shore up the back end, which is what Peter’s trying to do, as long as I do my part, I think we could definitely battle for a playoff spot this year and next year and go from there.”
On the top remaining free agents …
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: Looking at the top remaining NHL unrestricted free agents.
- Kris Russell – 29 year old defenseman
2. Jiri Hudler – 32 year old right winger/centerman
3. Brandon Pirri – 25 year old center
4. Radim Vrbata – 35 year old right winger
5. James Wisniewski – 32 year old defenseman
6. Sam Gagner – 26 year old center
7. Dennis Seidenberg – 34 year old defenseman
8. Matt Cullen – 39 year old center
9. Kyle Quincey – 30 year old defenseman
10. Jhonas Enroth – 28 year old goaltender * Reportedly close to signing with the Maple Leafs
