The NHL’s Wild Wild Western Conference wild card race

San Jose Sharks: Evander Kane

The Sharks made a big splash at the deadline, getting the most sought-after forward on the market.

There is no denying Evander Kane’s talent. He’s had 20-plus goals in the last two seasons. He had 20 goals before the trade deadline for Buffalo. He’s scored 30 goals in his career. For all his flaws, the man knows how to score goals.

There’s only one time in his career when Kane has failed to deliver goals for his club: in the playoffs. Because Evander Kane has never played a playoff game.

He’s been on some bad teams. The Sabres have not been competitive since the glory days of Ryan Miller. The Jets have made the playoffs once since moving back to Winnipeg. Kane was part of that team, sort of. He busted his shoulder after 37 games and was then traded to Buffalo at the deadline. Ironic how the Jets best season prior to this year came when Kane was injured and then traded.

Bad teams are bad because their best players fail to elevate those around them. Kane has always failed to elevate his team to even a remotely competitive level.

Now, the Sharks already have a winning culture with veterans to keep Kane in line. That’s the positive coming out of San Jose. The negative is that Kane is still Kane. The man has more off-ice incidents than playoff appearances.

And if he prevents Brent Burns from showing off his epic playoff beard, San Jose should riot.