Evander Kane

[TheBeard]

It depends on what your goals are. If the goal is to replace him to remain competitive as the team has said repeatedly then it's not going to happen by any one player really. Best you can hope for is that when his open spot is given to another winger and the cascading effect of open spots lower in the lineup is given to someone else that they increase their productivity. Meier returns to 30 goal form. Barabanov plays roughly around a 20 goal level. Labanc and Balcers put in 15-20 goals. Whoever slides into the 3rd line winger roles put up 10-15 goals as well. You're not getting a top line winger between now and the trade deadline in all likelihood.

The front 6 was already thin and losing your best all-around player certainly doesn’t help. I’d love to see some of the unknowns step up but Kane’s benefits far exceed just goals. He made his line mates better. Expecting someone like Barbanov or Balcers to have the same effect is crazy optimistic.

 

[hohosaregood]

I’m no DW apologist, but he did great building this team for our 2016 run. We absolutely were the second best team in the league and if Pitt wasn’t also firing on all cylinders (and younger) we could have had our cup.

Of all years, Kris Letang chose that year to not get injured too.

 

[Hodge]

You said a 20 goal scorer would be a positive over the 18 goals against Kane caused the team. It's implied you were comparing apples to apples one season, otherwise you would have used a smaller goal total to make your point.

20 goals and 45 points is not Kane's value either! Your moving the goal posts to make his impact seem less significant. He is far closer to a 30 goal 55-60 point player. He's eclipsed 45 in every full season in SJ, the last two with significantly less games than 82.

Tatar cannot fill that role, nor could Johansson. Still waiting for other suitable options for such a "replaceable" player

Dude I'm the one who posted multiple times that Kane is a 30 goal 55-60 point player. He also takes a shitload of penalties, more than anyone else in the entire league, bleeding around 6 goals against of value per season just in the time he's been a Shark. That's why I'm saying a 20 goal 45 point guy who DOESN'T take penalties or draws as many penalties as he takes is equivalent in value to a 30 goal 55 point player who's costing you an extra goal against every 10 games just by spending so much time in the box.

You don't even need to sign a free agent to replace Kane. Give Kane's minutes to Meier and I think he would bounce back to his 30-30 form. Then you just need one of Dahlen, Balcers, Leonard, Chekhovich or somebody else to stick in Meier's former role on the second line and score at the 45 point pace Meier was at last season. If those two things happen the team is no worse off than it was last season. If Dahlen or Leonard undershoots and only gives you 35 points in a second line role then you have to find 10 points somewhere else in your lineup...and have $7 million to do it.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

The front 6 was already thin and losing your best all-around player certainly doesn’t help. I’d love to see some of the unknowns step up but Kane’s benefits far exceed just goals. He made his line mates better. Expecting someone like Barbanov or Balcers to have the same effect is crazy optimistic.

It is but they don't exactly have options here.

 

[TheBeard]

Dude I'm the one who posted multiple times that Kane is a 30 goal 55-60 point player. He also takes a shitload of penalties, more than anyone else in the entire league, bleeding around 6 goals against of value per season just in the time he's been a Shark. That's why I'm saying a 20 goal 45 point guy who DOESN'T take penalties or draws as many penalties as he takes is equivalent in value to a 30 goal 55 point player who's costing you an extra goal against every 10 games just by spending so much time in the box.

This is a blind take. You’re not taking so much into account. Like how many minors were offsetting? How many penalties does he draw as well. How many penalties would someone else take in his place? Would anyone else have the same ability to elevate his line mates because if you think Timo can then you’re dreaming. EK is by far our most effective and consistent forward so just hoping and praying a rookie and a guy who’s seemed to have lost his mojo can take up the slack is naive.

 

[TheBeard]

It is but they don't exactly have options here.

I 100% agree, but some seem to think you just throw someone else on the top line and everyone else moves up and all the production suddenly gets replaced.

 

[seroes]

It depends on what your goals are. If the goal is to replace him to remain competitive as the team has said repeatedly then it's not going to happen by any one player really. Best you can hope for is that when his open spot is given to another winger and the cascading effect of open spots lower in the lineup is given to someone else that they increase their productivity. Meier returns to 30 goal form. Barabanov plays roughly around a 20 goal level. Labanc and Balcers put in 15-20 goals. Whoever slides into the 3rd line winger roles put up 10-15 goals as well. You're not getting a top line winger between now and the trade deadline in all likelihood.

Meier's issue has not been playing time. If he was playing well his TOI would never have been reduced in the first place. He has been playing lazy and was no longer bringing any kind of physical edge to his game. Expecting 20 goals from Barabanov, Labanc and Balcers is probably unrealistic at best. Especially when they will have to play against tougher competition with Kane out.

 

[Hodge]

This is a blind take. You’re not taking so much into account. Like how many minors were offsetting? How many penalties does he draw as well. How many penalties would someone else take in his place? Would anyone else have the same ability to elevate his line mates because if you think Timo can then you’re dreaming. EK is by far our most effective and consistent forward so just hoping and praying a rookie and a guy who’s seemed to have lost his mojo can take up the slack is naive.

When he has taken the most minor penalties in the league AND has the worst differential between penalties taken and drawn among all forwards since he joined the Sharks I think it's pretty safe to say literally anybody else would be an improvement in this area. Meier's 5v5 production per 60 minutes has been better than Kane's over the last three years. It's not a stretch at all to think he could match Kane's offense if he was given Kane's role. I'm also far more comfortable betting on a 24 year old Meier to bounce back than a 30 year old Kane to repeat a career year.

People are putting way too much stock into Kane's 2021 season as if it's reflective of his true talent level at any previous point in his career or what we should reasonably expect from him going forward. Getting out of the 4 remaining years of his contract would be an enormous blessing to this franchise on and off the ice.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

I 100% agree, but some seem to think you just throw someone else on the top line and everyone else moves up and all the production suddenly gets replaced.

I only think it's possible because Timo Meier has shown that he can play at that level. Without that, the rest can still happen but it'll only mean so much towards winning hockey. If Meier can play at the 30 goal level he's shown before, I think it's possible for guys like Balcers, Dahlen, Labanc, Barabanov, and whoever else would be filling out the winger side of the lineup to work itself out for what they'd actually need to do on the 2nd and 3rd lines.

But if the team goes through its normal line blender routine when things sputter a bit here and there, it can really screw things up. It requires sticking to a certain setup and having patience to have it work.

 

[seroes]

It is but they don't exactly have options here.

None to be precise. Without Kane our top line won't have any teeth. As much as I love Hertl or Couture, neither of them are a top end 1C who can turn garbage linemates into stars.

 

[Gecklund]

I was mistakenly hard on Kane’s on-ice performance earlier this season but I realized how wrong I was. Anyone thinking it’s that easy to just replace Kane on the ice for the same 7 million is just lying to themselves.

You’re entirely right it won’t be easy but it’s definitely possible if multiple young guys of ours step up. Now whether that happens or not is an entirely different story.

 

[TheBeard]

You’re entirely right it won’t be easy but it’s definitely possible if multiple young guys of ours step up. Now whether that happens or not is an entirely different story.

True. And it’s like many have said it’s not like we’d have a choice. Problem is the team has been hoping for young guys to step up for two years now and it hasn’t really worked out.

 

[TheBeard]

When he has taken the most minor penalties in the league AND has the worst differential between penalties taken and drawn among all forwards since he joined the Sharks I think it's pretty safe to say literally anybody else would be an improvement in this area. Meier's 5v5 production per 60 minutes has been better than Kane's over the last three years. It's not a stretch at all to think he could match Kane's offense if he was given Kane's role. I'm also far more comfortable betting on a 24 year old Meier to bounce back than a 30 year old Kane to repeat a career year.

People are putting way too much stock into Kane's 2021 season as if it's reflective of his true talent level at any previous point in his career or what we should reasonably expect from him going forward. Getting out of the 4 remaining years of his contract would be an enormous blessing to this franchise on and off the ice.

Jesus, you’re acting like Kane has been a 10 goal scorer until this year.

 

[Gecklund]

True. And it’s like many have said it’s not like we’d have a choice. Problem is the team has been hoping for young guys to step up for two years now and it hasn’t really worked out.

Well then you replace Kane with Bedard and Wright.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Meier's issue has not been playing time. If he was playing well his TOI would never have been reduced in the first place. He has been playing lazy and was no longer bringing any kind of physical edge to his game. Expecting 20 goals from Barabanov, Labanc and Balcers is probably unrealistic at best. Especially when they will have to play against tougher competition with Kane out.

I didn't say that Meier's issue was playing time but the reality is that he's the best option to slide into Kane's spot and hope for the best result because he's shown that he can before. If Kane is gone, Meier is the guy you want to put there so that younger or more inexperienced players get more time developing their game against secondary or tertiary competition. We don't really know what we have with Barabanov yet. Labanc has been producing at the 15-20 goal level that I specifically said his entire career. Balcers played what amounts to half a season here and was producing in the 15-20 goal level. I don't think those are probably unrealistic. I'd say for those two specifically that it's plenty realistic if they're put in the best position for them to succeed. I think a Balcers-Couture-Labanc line could produce well enough for a 2nd line. It's how you make a Hertl top line work when you have an unknown in Barabanov and a hole on the left side. I think if Barabanov plays the way he did to close last season, 20 goals is not unrealistic either. I don't think he'll play at the 27 goal per 82 game pace that he did in his stint with the Sharks but if you're going to play him next to Hertl then he better if he wants to stay there. Both of Hertl's wings should be producing 20 goal seasons if you want to compete.

 

[Hodge]

Jesus, you’re acting like Kane has been a 10 goal scorer until this year.

And you're acting like Kane's $7 million cap hit is some amazing bargain in a league where Gabriel Landeskog makes the same amount and Taylor Hall makes less.

 

[Gecklund]

And you're acting like Kane's $7 million cap hit is some amazing bargain in a league where Gabriel Landeskog makes the same amount and Taylor Hall makes less.

I mean I’d rather Kane than either of those guys.

 

[TheBeard]

And you're acting like Kane's $7 million cap hit is some amazing bargain in a league where Gabriel Landeskog makes the same amount and Taylor Hall makes less.

Taylor Hall is a debacle living off the success of one season. I’ll take Kane at 7 ten times out of ten over Hall at 6

 

[Sharksrule04]

And you're acting like Kane's $7 million cap hit is some amazing bargain in a league where Gabriel Landeskog makes the same amount and Taylor Hall makes less.

Hall and Kane are basically the same age but Kane's play (which has been improving) will decline and Hall's play (which has been declining) won't? I'd take Kane over Hall for sure right now if you're going by on ice performance.

Landeskog I would take over Kane though. He's a far better player who signed a great deal.

 

[Hodge]

Taylor Hall is a debacle living off the success of one season. I’ll take Kane at 7 ten times out of ten over Hall at 6

I would rather have none of them and use the cap space to extend Hertl and Ferraro along with having the flexibility to acquire younger talent that might become available.

 

[hohosaregood]

Let's all just remember the legacy of Evander Kane's 2021 dysfunction is William Eklund.

 

[LadyStanley]

is there a way for the Sharks to void his contract at this point?

If he is found guilty of betting on NHL games, yes. League may ban him (and cancel contract). Sharks may be able to terminate contract for breach.

Serious point: all pro sports teams have chemistry issues at times. If it's not what you want it to be, CHANGE it.

Kane has some off the ice issues to put it mildly, but this whole "he's bad in the locker room" thing needs resolving. They're grown ups. It's what a coaching staff is supposed to do!

Not really. Coaching staff is supposed to arrange players for best productivity.

Team chemistry (and keeping the "bad" guys in check) is more of a cultural thing and the captain is kinda in charge of that.
But if Kane is antagonizing EVERYBODY, and no one can control him, he's become a locker room cancer.

 

[DepressedSharksFan]

Let's all just remember the legacy of Evander Kane's 2021 dysfunction is William Eklund.

yeah and he will be traded in a few years for another bust like Erik Karlsson.

 

[Groo]

Well then you replace Kane with Bedard and Wright.

 

[LadyStanley]

To add to my post above, in today's post, Sheng Peng comments that part of the reason for the issues with Kane are reports that he was late for practices and games, but the coaches did nothing and that impacted young players' attitudes. Sheng mentions that Boughner in exit interview wanted to improve accountability.

That is definitely something that can happen.

Late for practice, held out of game. Late for morning skate, team suspension.