Evander Kane is going home to play for the Vancouver Canucks after a trade from the Edmonton Oilers that helps the two-time defending Western Conference champions free up some much-needed salary cap space.
Vancouver acquired Kane on Wednesday for the 117th pick in the upcoming NHL draft, taking on his entire 4 million salary. Edmonton clears 5.125 million off the cap, with Leon Draisaitl's new contract taking effect and Evan Bouchard set for a raise of his own.
"Evander is a physical power forward who will add some much-needed size and toughness to our group," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. "We like the way he wins puck battles along the boards and handles himself in the dirty areas in front of the net. Evander moves well around the ice and has proven to be a productive goal scorer in the National Hockey League. We are excited to bring him back home to Vancouver and our staff looks forward to working with him this coming season."
The soon-to-be 34-year-old winger broke the news on social media that he had been traded, his agent soon confirmed it and the teams announced it not long after. He posted a lengthy message thanking the Oilers and saying he was looking forward to the next chapter of his career in his hometown in British Columbia.
Kane returned early in the playoffs after missing the entire regular season following multiple surgeries to repair a series of injuries and had six goals and six assists on Edmonton's second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup Final. He took six minor penalties and led all players with 32 penalty minutes in the series loss to Florida .