War and Peace part 2
so here are a list of my concerns with Kane.
#1 Durability due to playing style. This past season Kane had 3 or 4 crash's that can end a season and we were fortunate he got up from. My hopes are that he learns to modify his style to be on the edge but not over and too the point of danger. In fairness he didn't seem to have as many of these holacious crashes (end boards or net) after coming back from his concussion.
#2 As to Holden's excellent comments and despite what I said about Messier having similar issues at the same age there is no Guarantee the rest of Kane's game will come along and he might top out at a 35-25 guy. Nothing wrong with that and I do expect more but that might be as good as it gets especially if any injuries happen that impact his speed.
#3 Maturity: Evander is an arrogant kid and that is something that is tough to grow out of. His off ice issues really don't matter too much to me anymore and most of them can be handled by him laying low (in public and on social media) and for the most part I don't think these things will matter too much to the public if he plays well. However a concern I do have is in the locker room. I am not going to flame this one too much but getting along with his teammates has been an issue since he was 15 (probably before that) until present. I am not sure this will ever change and nor do I know if it is important for your elite goal scorer to be liked? would it be nice if he had chemistry.....for sure.....does it actually matter though....I have no idea?
edit: thanks Hank you probably answered my question
#4 Cultural fit with TNSE and Winnipeg: This is no knock on Kane I am just calling it like I see it but to me EK is suited to a big US city like Atlanta where he I not in the spotlight or under the microscope. I imagine it would be more fun for him to go out and not be recognized. Also Culturally TNSE and EK go together like Ice Cream and Onions
. Kingbogo you are right here though lots can change in this area and we can all hope that Evander matures and this fit improves at least to the point that he can stomach it for the season. However and this is important and applies to Kane and any of the other boys if they have communicated to their agent that they don’t want to be hear 1 second after they become a UFA we need to know that and maximize our asset
closing thoughts: I would love to see us get Kane tied up into a 2 year deal this summer. It would allow us to kick the can up the road to see if Evander's game and personality mature. in the summer of 2014 he will have 2 years left as an RFA and we can either package him up for a deal to maximize his value or If Kane grows and matures and can see himself here long term we can get him tied up to a 5 year deal for big cash. Kane is not the only kid with a big head that's played in the NHL and I am sure many of them have been part of a championship run so I am all for letting this thing play out for a few years..........what's the rush and we need his goal scoring.
