Is Evander Kane an option for the Rangers?

My, how times have changed.  In the good (bad) old days, whenever a high profile player became available the New York Rangers were always at the top of the list of teams in contention.   With the Evander Kane saga close to resolution, what’s interesting is how the Rangers have not been mentioned by anyone as a team that could make a run at the controversial forward.

They’ve done it before.  Sean Avery was vilified in Los Angeles and revitalized his career (for a while) in New York. Ryan Malone had a brief, unsuccessful stint on Broadway after a DUI and drug possession conviction.  Jarret Stoll lasted 29 games as a Ranger after he was convicted of cocaine possession and was signed by New York.  Considering their stance with Tony DeAngelo, that philosophy has changed.

The litany of issues that have faced Kane in his 12 year NHL careers is well known.  He’s been accused of spousal abuse, betting on hockey games he competed in, filed for bankruptcy and violated the NHL COVID protocols. He’s been suspended, fined, investigated and now released by the San Jose Sharks.  With the backing of the NHLPA, he is suing the Sharks,  but no matter what, he is an unrestricted free agent, available to any team that wants him.

His agent has said that he is looking to revive his career with a contender and is willing to sign a one-year deal for the rest of this season.  Sounds kind of perfect for the Rangers.

By the time you read this, he may be already signed by an NHL team, more enamored of his skill set and price tag than  the risk that he will poison their locker room.   And that’s the surprise, that the Rangers are apparently not even kicking the tires.

Should they?

The risk of inserting such a controversial player into a locker room full of youngsters barely out of their teens is probably not worth considering.  Despite a sizeable experienced leadership group, including Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Reaves and Artemi Panarin it’s probably not enough.

Kane’s supporters will say that he was at his best playing for the Sharks when their senior leaders included Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns.  It wasn’t until Pavelski and Thornton were gone that Kane reverted to his bad habits.

The undeniable fact about Kane is that he is a talented hockey player with size who can score, two attributes the Rangers sorely need. At age 30, he is already an eight-time 20 goal scorer and he had 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games last season.  In his first two full seasons in San Jose he totaled 153 and 122 PIM, leading the NHL both years.

His detractors will say that he has padded his numbers playing for bad teams and he disappears in the playoffs. Indeed, he has been on a playoff team just twice in his career and in 29 games he has six goals and 13 points, not awful, but not outstanding and well below his career scoring averages.

Perhaps the biggest reason the Ranger should be showing some interest is where he could end up.  The rumors have been hot and heavy and many contenders see him as a cheap import who could pay off in a playoff run and the postseason.  A worst case scenario is, if any of the rumors are true, he ends up with an Eastern Conference team like the Bruins, Lightning or Hurricanes.  The hottest rumor has him headed to Edmonton and that would suit the Rangers just fine.

No matter what, the refreshing fact is that Chris Drury appears to be holding the line and is not tempted by a player who could be more trouble than he is worth.  It would be a roll of the dice and considering the team’s success, he may be better off looking for reinforcements elsewhere.  Not only that, but Kane is a left winger, a position where the Rangers are flush.  Still, he can be had for a reasonable price and the Rangers have the cap space (this season).

Of course, Drury might have just asked two of his veterans for their opinions of Kane.   Jacob Trouba was his teammate in Winnipeg when Dustin Byfuglien reportedly threw Kane’s track suit into the shower when he violated the team dress code.  Shortly after that incident, Kane was placed on Injured Reserve and was then traded to Buffalo.

Barclay Goodrow was his teammate in San Jose when Kane was suspended three games for abusing officials.  If Drury was doing his due diligence, checking with his veterans would have been a solid move, but we’ll never know if he did and how they might have responded.

There is no doubt that Chris Drury is looking to improve this team.  What’s positive is that he is not looking for a quick fix that could backfire.