NHL Rumors: Winnipeg Jets put Evander Kane on trading block?

Evander Kane is the best forward on the Winnipeg Jets, who haven’t exactly set the league on fire since their franchise moved from Atlanta. Yet somehow the rumors persist that Kane will be the odd man out when the Jets make moves this offseason with the hopes of getting out of the purgatorial funk in which the team has found itself since its inception in the NHL.

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David Staples at the Edmonton Journal writes that the Jets are rumored to want to move a player, any player, even if it means moving the former fourth overall pick. This article came in response to a Bob McKenzie as seen below.

The Jets have plenty of expendable talent throughout their roster so it seems odd that they would stand by while this chatter goes on without emphatically stating, “No! We do not want to trade our best skater! We would never be that silly! We have enough trouble getting top end free agents to so much as visit Winnipeg, thanks!” Instead, silence.

Your guess is as good as any, but if Evander Kane is being wheeled around the trade market, he’d be the top prize. At 22 years old, Kane would attract attention from teams at the top and bottom of the standings alike. You can rebuild around him or you can stick him next to an MVP-caliber center in Anaheim or Pittsburgh or wherever else they need a push to get over the playoff hump.

If there is any validity to these reports, and the Jets really are looking to move the young winger, expect Evander Kane to attract serious attention from at least a dozen teams, if not the rest of the league.