Washington Capitals Allegedly Had (And Likely Still Have) Interest In Evander Kane

Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals are clearly looking for a top six forward. In that search for that elusive top six forward (that might actually be Andre Burakovsky, but that’s another story for another post), the Washington Capitals allegedly showed interest in troubled Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane. This report came from Bob McKenzie, and I would believe him if he reported his own death. Here’s what he said about the Washington Capitals and Kane:

"But where it really gets interesting is there are three current playoff teams – Vancouver, Calgary and to a far lesser extent Washington — who have legitimate, if varying, levels of interest in Kane as a pre-deadline acquisition. Yes, it’s counter intuitive. A playoff bound team potentially giving up player or players off its roster now for a player who can’t play until the fall. But the Canucks, Flames and Capitals have thought about it or would at least like to explore that possibility; Kane intrigues them that much.Even before last week’s Kane-apalooza, the Capitals had made more than one pitch to trade for Kane. There has reportedly been dialogue between Washington and Winnipeg since last week’s blow-up but now that Kane is gone for the year, it would be difficult for the Caps to swing a deal with the Jets and still do what Washington wants to do in the next three weeks: get better for the playoffs."

I’m willing to bet those last five words are a huge reason why a trade hasn’t been made yet. The fact that the Washington Capitals are showing interest is encouraging for one primary reason: The Washington Capitals are clearly targeting the right kind of player.

Why An Evander Kane Trade Might Not Be Insane For The Washington Capitals

Kane’s value is pretty darn low right now.

It’s hard to imagine that Evander Kane’s value is going to get lower than it currently is. The Jets want him out. Of course, Kane is claiming that he wants to

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stay a Jet. He’s not an idiot. However, off the record, I’m sure he would love to be traded. I think that a package of Madison Bowey and a second or first rounder might be enough to get him at this point. The Washington Capitals are smart to be interested in Kane. If you look up “buy low” in the dictionary, Kane’s picture is probably right next to it. Top six wings are rarely cheap. This is an exception.

Kane has the potential to be a lot better.

Evander Kane has a ton of potential. Why else would playoff teams be interested in him despite the fact that he is currently on the IR and is out of the rest of the season? Kane has had a very rough season, but let’s take a look at his career:

Source: OwnThePuck

Basically, Kane’s at least a second line caliber wing. His career has shown that. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Considering his most common line mates since 2012 include Olli Jokinen and Mark Scheifele, I can’t really fault Kane too much for any struggles that he has had. Kane’s struggles this year can be attributed to being a third line wing for some odd reason. That has obviously affected who he plays with. Hard to play well with those guys. I’d be more than happy to put him with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom or Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson and see what happens. Considering he’s done well with fairly inferior talent, I’ll happily take that risk. At worst, he’s one heck of a checking line wing. 

The fact that the Washington Capitals have repeatedly shown interest in Kane suggests that the Caps are serious about wanting him. Another thing to consider: considering Kane’s off the ice issues (which actually might not really exist, but bear with me), the Washington Capitals clearly feel very confident about their leadership group being able to handle a potential bad apple. Is Kane a bad apple? Who knows. We’ll probably never know exactly what went on in the Jets locker room. If he is a bad apple though, the fact that the Washington Capitals are still interested in him tells me that they have a ton of faith in guys like Ovechkin, Backstrom, Brooks Laich, and Brooks Orpik. It shows faith in their entire locker room. That’s good enough for me. They know the locker room and all its intricacies, I don’t.

One thing to consider regarding Kane: if the Caps traded for him now, cap space would be irrelevant for this season since they could put him on the LTIR. Then again, the Caps would likely have to make this season’s team worse in order to get Kane. Is that a risk worth taking? I can see both sides of that argument.

Even if the Washington Capitals interest in Kane bears nothing, their interest in him says a lot. And all of it is very encouraging.

I asked this question before. Allow me to ask it again: Should the Washington Capitals trade for Evander Kane? Let me know in the comments!