HOLD ON: KANE may be one of the smartest without the puck--BUT ONLY in terms of offensive chances to pounce back on attack --ie. HE WOULD NOT KNOW A BACK-CHECK IN HIS CAREER SO FAR,and if he can't win the puck from you with his quick stick as you carry it through on your own attack,he will QUIT trying to get it back and just watch the play waiting for others on his team to get him the puck again...ie. WITHOUT THE PUCK DEFENSIVELY,HE IS A ZERO,A BIG RISK LIABILITY IN THAT ASPECT (but NHL teams have put up with ONE-WAY scoring talents before
because goal scorers sell tickets)--don't let KANE's +48 in the regular season fool you
--he got away with poor back-checking and leaving men uncovered in order to cheat
and leave his zone for the stretch pass early because London mostly played weaker teams and spent the bulk of the game in the attack zone anyway--but when tougher better teams challenged them and the zone dominations were more equal or tilted to the other side,if it were not for the heroics of goalie Mason,the oppnents in such games would have made London pay more for sloppy defense ---thus Kane's shortcomings (certailnly one of London's worst players DEFENSIVELY) got hidden or covered up for because: i) it was not exposed as much as it otherwise would have been if zone domination were more equal on the season,ii) Mason saved the day more often than not,iii) Kane scored plenty enough even strength to pad his +/- to the plus side.....WHEN the whole shebang was exposed in the Playoff series vs. Plymouth---when Kane's offense was stopped--the truth was shown and his -4 for the 5 game series was perhaps a better indcator of what is in store at the NHL level vs. better pro competition--HE won't get away with poor defense as a pro without his =/- reflecting it negatively also...