The Winnipeg Jets finally did the inevitable on Wednesday morning, in what was becoming an absolutely insufferable saga. After trade rumors that spanned across multiple years, they finally moved Evander Kane, sending him to the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster deal that was highlighted by a return of Drew Stafford and Tyler Myers, with Zach Bogosian also headed to Buffalo, among others.
The move comes in the wake of a scandal (using the term extremely loosely) that involved Kane wearing a sweatsuit to the arena, facing disagreements with teammates, and whatever else could have possibly been thrown in. We’ll likely hear about plenty more in the coming days from Winnipeg reporters, as is customary when a particularly unpopular player finds his way out of town.
Such was the case with Tyler Seguin, as will be the case with Evander Kane. The Jets made it clear that they wanted no part of him in the organization anymore, going back to the last couple of years. Held under a microscope, seemingly everything he did was thrown completely out of proportion. Many have played the race card, and that point has become much more difficult to argue with how nonsensical some of the hoopla surrounding Kane has actually been. That is not the purpose of what we’re discussing here, however, although it does deserve a discussion.
The bottom line is that Kane will be better off in the long-term. Yes, he’s done some foolish things in the past. The money picture back during the 2012-13 lockout was ill-advised, as was his picture with a New York cop staging an arrest. He’s had a couple of run-ins with multiple coaches. But he hasn’t really done anything so egregious that should earn him the type of negative attention that he’s received in Winnipeg. With him now clear of that constant criticism, he has the opportunity to thrive in the future with a Buffalo team that is building for it.
This isn’t completely unlike the Tyler Seguin situation with the Boston Bruins. While he may not have the upside that Seguin has, Kane was in a similar situation to that of the current Dallas Stars superstar. With constant media scrutiny in Boston, Seguin had a couple of different “issues” during his time with the Bruins. Most of it was related to partying and multiple Twitter incidents, but nothing that quite earned him the type of hassle that he received from the mainstream media. He ended up moved to Dallas and has since transformed himself into one of the game’s biggest offensive weapons.
The Jets clearly had no interest in helping to mitigate some of Kane’s off-ice woes. Otherwise, they may have modeled the Chicago Blackhawks and their handling of Patrick Kane, who had a couple of incidents of his own (public intoxication, the Buffalo cab thing, etc.). Rather than utilize the media in helping to drive their star out of town, the Hawks used a support system within the organization to get him on the right track. Not only has his game improved, but he’s become a much more mature person off the ice as well. Of course, it’s important to note that some of that does come with age too.
That was never going to be the case with Evander Kane in Winnipeg. Some young players with large personalities simply can’t find their footing with an organization, despite immense upside. They have to find their way out of town in order to do so. Such was the case with Evander Kane. He wasn’t the first high upside youngster to be moved before reaching his potential, and he certainly won’t be the last. Heck, Nail Yakupov has shown signs of heading down a similar path.
What we have on our hands is likely going to be a cautionary tale for teams dealing with young talent moving forward. Teams that can’t handle their young, immature players end up looking extremely foolish in the long-term, for a variety of reasons. Yet, a team like the Blackhawks, who have the right leadership in place (both on the ice and behind the bench) had the ability to get a player like Patrick Kane on track. When a player is that talented, you hate to cut him loose at any point. The Bruins regret it. The Jets likely will too. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to life in Buffalo, but he could be the latest young potential star to blossom in a new setting, leaving his old team with seller’s remorse.
