Kane not worth the pain

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/02/2015 (3869 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

So, after all the dancing and feigning the truth finally came out on Friday evening and what many suspected was confirmed: Evander Kane has long wanted out of Winnipeg.

And he’ll get his wish. If you own a No. 9 jersey it may be time to switch out the namebar as Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will now have to trade his talented but troublesome left-winger. There is no turning back.

Life after Evander began on Friday night with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Regrets for the rest of the Jets? Too early to tell. Regardless, it’s time to move on. For Kane and the Jets.

This match was never made in heaven and now all concerned parties find themselves in a living in hell.

Kane is injured, both physically and mentally. The Jets are short a key player and now losers of six straight. And finally, Cheveldayoff is going to be forced to arrange a swap for Kane under less than ideal circumstances.

For sale: One left-winger with a bad shoulder and a bad attitude. Line forms to the left.

What do you mean you want to exchange pesos for dollars? And no, we don’t take rubles.

Kane’s agent Craig Oster let the first bit of air out of the tire Friday evening, admitting there had been talks about potential trades over the past few seasons. Other sources later confirmed the information.

While the news Kane had asked to be moved was no shocker, the timing of this leak piles on to a soap opera that opened this week with the player playing 20 minutes in Calgary and ended Friday with Kane electing to have shoulder surgery.

In between, Kane broke the team dress code at a meeting in Vancouver and then had his clothes thrown into a tub of water by veteran teammate Dustin Byfuglien. A healthy scratch and three days of screaming headlines and Kane had enough.

When, according to his agent, surgery was again offered as a solution to a previous shoulder injury, Kane said yes and ended his season.

Kane, according to his agent, had been offered surgery prior to the season. The fact he only opted to go forward with the operation after Tuesday’s doings is impossible to ignore.

Kane was raring to go on Tuesday morning and told the media as much. Now he’s having surgery.

Draw whatever conclusion you want. It doesn’t matter anymore. Not to the Jets and their fans. Kane clearly has to go.

Whether one agrees with their methods or not, the Jets dressing room has spoken.

They have extinguished Kane’s torch. He must leave the island.

Where Kane ends up, what comes back in return and when the deal can be made is where this story goes next.

The epitaph on Kane’s time in Winnipeg will be one of unfulfilled promise. In 361 games with the Jets/Thrashers organization Kane scored 109 goals and 222 points. Solid numbers, but not the superstar totals both his talent and his talk promised.

Can he find success somewhere else? Again, it doesn’t matter to the Jets or their fans.

Cheveldayoff’s hand has now been forced and he’ll try to get as much in return for Kane as he can.

There are lessons for both Kane and his soon to be former Jets teammates.

Kane clearly must find a way to get along in an NHL dressing room. A player needs to make himself part of a team to have success in the NHL. Kane’s ending in Winnipeg can only be termed a failure. Chased out of the room by his teammates.

For the Jets’ leaders, the lack of Kane’s development as a teammate and their ultimate failure in getting him to buy in to their program has to be considered and evaluated. Pushing young talent out the door isn’t a formula for success.

Cheveldayoff is now left to pick up the pieces. To try and patch holes in his roster and help his team get to the post-season.

What unfolded this week ended the Evander Kane era. Whether post-Kane results in a playoff berth this season will be how the Jets are judged.

Except Kane. For better or worse, he’s been excused.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless