For Evander Kane, the 2024-25 season might be one he’d not mind forgetting about. Despite the Edmonton Oilers reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in a row, the 33-year-old winger didn’t have a stellar campaign. Instead, a plethora of injuries and surgeries kept him off the ice in the regular season, and the playoffs were marred with controversies for Kane. However, thankfully, his family might have managed to save the day.

“Evander Kane becoming a liability in this Cup,” Sportsnet’s Mark Spector fumed on social media over how the Oilers’ star kept giving away penalties in the Finals series. With such sentiments around Kane’s play, it wasn’t too surprising when, following Edmonton’s second straight loss to the Panthers in the ultimate hockey series, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. But the man himself claims that it was instead his kids who prompted him to broaden his horizons beyond the Oilers Nation.

In an X post by Sportsnet from June 26, noted how the trade to the Canucks could be Evander Kane’s chance of shutting down his haters. “One of the great things about pro sports is that every athlete, given their chance, has the opportunity to outperform criticism and perceived flaws. Evander Kane has a shot to change the narrative with the Canucks,” the post reads, while accompanying article link helps to provide an insight how the former Edmonton star can use the opportunity to focus on other things and re-connect with his family and fans.

“You know, anybody who has kids understands that they automatically jump up to be the No. 1 priority in your life…And, you know, for me, that was no different. I have four of them. They’re all very young, and they’re all very excited to cheer dad on,” Kane was quoted as saying in the Sportsnet article from Thursday. Along with that, he also mentioned how coming to Vancouver is going to be a special journey, especially with him being a native of the Canadian city.

Recalling how he grew up watching the Canucks players all his life, Kane said, “The fan base here is fantastic. They’re passionate, they love their hockey… I know what hockey means in this city, and I know what the Canucks mean to the people here. So I’m really privileged and honored to be part of that.” He would know. After all, this wouldn’t be the first time that he would be playing for a Vancouver franchise.

Before beginning his NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers, Kane played three seasons with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL and even went on to win the Memorial Cup in 2007. Needless to say, the homegrown talent already has some fans in British Columbia. But a lot has changed his his last stint as a pro hockey player for a Vancouver team and now. Since 2009, playing for five different NHL teams, Kane has amassed 617 points (326 goals, 291 assists) in 930 regular-season games.

“It’s really exciting, I think it’s a good opportunity for me to play at home in front of my family,” said Kane about how eager he is to see the next phase of his career panning out. However, his excitement might be shared by the Oilers as well. Trading Kane, the Edmonton team now has $18 million cap space, which they can utilize to bring in new talent and bolster their blue line or even sharpen up the attacking line. But is it only the prospect of having surplus money that would make the Oilers fans hide a breath of relief seeing Evander leave?

Evander Kane: The architect of his own downfall?

Missing out on the regular season, it was understandable that Kane wanted to make up for the lost time in the postseason. However, that enthusiasm almost always resulted in a setback for the Oilers. In the Finals series alone, Kane’s relentless misconduct became a major talking point among the Edmonton fans. However, despite all the heat, Kane claimed, after a heated Game 3, which saw the Panthers posting a massive 6-1 victory at the Amerant Bank Arena, that the Miami team was being unnecessarily favored by the officials.

But that didn’t manage to get the Oilers nation rallying behind the claim. Instead, it was Evander himself who kept drawing the fans’ ire. In Game 6, Kane was once again assessed with a 10-minute misconduct late into the third period. However, after retreating to the locker room, the winger didn’t emerge again, even to shake hands with Matthew Tkachuk & Co., which for many was a blatant disregard for the sportsman’s spirit.

But coming back to his hometown, do you suspect Kane would be able to find it in him to make a change to his way of handling things on the ice? Or do you think his past infractions will continue to haunt his future as well? Tell us your thoughts on the Canucks’ upcoming collaboration with Evander Kane in a comment!