Kane does indeed have the surgeon’s touch

Out four to six months after Saturday's shoulder surgery

By: Ed Tait Posted: 8:05 PM CST Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015

Evander Kane may be squarely on the trade block and if Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is taking calls/texts/emails from even half his rivals rumoured to be interested in the winger, his cellphone is likely buzzing to life every 30 seconds or so.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2015 (3931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

But first things first to any NHL club still interested in the 23-year-old former 30-goal scorer: Kane underwent surgery on his left shoulder Saturday and is expected to be out for four to six months.

In last Monday’s 5-2 loss in Calgary — many believe Kane’s last game as a Jet — he played 20 minutes and 53 seconds, more than any other Jets forward. But his agent Craig Oster indicated Friday Kane had his shoulder pop out a couple of times in a recent loss to Philadelphia and, after playing through the pain for most of the season, opted to have surgery after meeting with the Jets medical staff Thursday.

Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press
Evander Kane — Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press Evander Kane

SLUMP BUSTED: Mark Scheifele scored the Jets’ only goal in Friday’s loss to Chicago, ending a 10-game goalless drought. Twice this week during practice, first on Thursday and again Saturday, Scheifele stayed on the ice for at least 30 minutes after the workout with a bucket of pucks.

“It’s just simple things like working on quick shots, on tight turns… the little things just to sharpen up my game,” he said. “When you feel like you’re a little weak in certain areas you want to sharpen it up a little bit. I always feel good when I put in extra work like that.”

Interestingly, for all the goalposts and bad luck Scheifele has had around the net this season, his goal Friday came on a bit of a fluke play when a Mathieu Perreault pass deflected off the referee to him in front of Corey Crawford.

“That’s hockey, isn’t it? You get good bounces, you get bad bounces,” said Scheifele. “It’s all about the way you don’t get too high or too low. If you’re struggling you just work hard and if you’re doing well you still work hard.”

The goal was Scheifele’s eighth of the season. And he said Saturday — with a straight face — the recent slump had not been weighing on him.

“I try not to think about points and goals,” he said. “I try to think about what I can do to help the team win. That’s the main focus: Getting a win every single night and if it means blocking two shots or taking two hits or making two hits, that’s what’s on our mind, not goals or assists.”

OUCH: Mark Stuart finished Friday’s game with two blocks, adding to his team-leading total of 94. One of them was particularly ugly, however, when the veteran blue-liner took a shot right off his face.

“It just got me right in the teeth. I got lucky,” said Stuart Saturday. “I must have had my mouth open or something. It didn’t get my lips, just solid on the teeth. It’s good.”

QUOTABLE: Perreault had dumped his beard by practice Saturday. Asked how much lighter he was he said: “Five pounds. You see me? I was flying out there.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait