Evander Kane opts for shoulder surgery, will miss 4-6 weeks

By Vinnie Criscenzo | Feb 6, 2015

Jan 5, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Winnipeg Jets left wing Evander Kane (9) skates on the ice prior to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane will miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery.

It seems that Evander Kane may be done for the season.

The Winnipeg Jets forward has been dealing with an injury all season, but has been playing through it. On Tuesday, he was made a healthy scratch for disciplinary reasons by head coach Paul Maurice for a dress code violation. After the game, Maurice said that Kane had two options. Either take the punishment like a man and move on and keep playing, or he can opt for shoulder surgery and shut it down for the season.

It seems like Kane opted for the latter.

Kane missed Jets practice on Thursday because he was meeting with team doctors, the team reported. After meeting with the doctors, the Jets made the decision to place Kane on injured reserve, obviously with the intent of Kane undergoing surgery.

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There has been several different stories circulating about exactly what happened with Kane being a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. It was first reported that Kane, a Vancouver native, was late for a team bus and that is why he was made a healthy scratch. Then, reports came out that it was because Kane wore a track suit to a team pre-game meeting at the arena instead of a formal suit, which violates team dress code.

Then, the story seemed to escalate. Reports later came out that Kane was not only late to the team bus, but that he didn’t show up entirely and went completely MIA. The Jets organization apparently tried to reach out to him, but they received no response from Kane until shortly before the game in Vancouver, saying that he would not be playing.

It was reported that Kane had a run-in with teammates that morning about his dress code. Kane wore a track suit to a team meeting and some of his teammates didn’t appreciate it. Reports say that Dustin Byugflien and other teammates threw Kane’s track suit in the shower to teach him a lesson, and that was the last they saw of Kane until they heard from him later in the day informing the team he would not be playing in the game.

It’s hard to say for sure whether these events had anything to do with Kane opting for shoulder surgery, but it seems more than likely that it is the case.

The Jets have been trying to trade Evander for awhile now, but it seems those trade talks will have to be put on hold for the time being while he undergoes surgery. His trade value will drastically decrease right now, so it appears the Jets will need to hold onto him until the offseason.

It may have even been a team decision for Kane to undergo surgery. If the stunts that Kane pulled are true, I can’t imagine him suiting up for the Jets anytime soon anyway. Completely failing to show up for a game would most likely get him suspended from the team for quite some time, so this may be the Jets telling Kane that you’re done for the season, so you might as well get your surgery.

The Jets will certainly miss Kane on the ice, as he is probably the most skilled player on the team and one of the team’s best point producers. However, they won’t miss the off-ice drama that Kane brings to the team.

H/T to CBC Sports and SportsNet for the information.

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