Detroit Red Wings Scout Scheduled To See Evander Kane Play Today

The Detroit Red Wings are among a handful of NHL teams scouting Evander Kane as he makes his season debut with the San Jose Barracuda.

Local sources confirmed that Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars are on the press box list. Red Wings scout Kyle MacKinnon was on the list of NHL bird dogs taking in the game.

Evander Kane takes the ice for warmups ahead of his first AHL game. #SJSharks #SJBarracuda pic.twitter.com/nrUnZkUBIa

— Michael Gutnick (@michaelgutnick) December 11, 2021

The Sharks are exploding trade options for Evander Kane. He was suspended 21 games by the NHL for presenting a fake vaccination card. He’s in the AHL to get his game back in shape. Kane’s off-ice behavior was the subject of multiple media reports in the offseason. As a result, some of Kane’s Sharks’ teammates didn’t want him back on the team.

Sharks Will Eat Salary

Kane hasn’t played this season. The Sharks, according to reports, are willing to retain some of Evander Kane’s $7 million-per-season salary cap hit to make the deal easier to accomplish.

Teams looking at acquiring Kane must weigh his value as a power forward against his potential to create off-ice headlines. His behavior has irritated team officials dating to his time with Winnipeg and Buffalo .

On the ice, Kane has averaged 26 goals and roughly 100 penalty minutes per season over the last six seasons.

Detroit Hockey Now has not confirmed that the Red Wings have interest in Kane. However, they do have a need for some players with size and belligerence. They were manhandled by the physical Nashville Predators earlier this week at Little Caesars Arena. Givani Smith is the only punishing forward the Red Wings have and he has not scored much.