First, to get this elephant in the room out of the way, Evander Kane. The former first round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers has 30-goal potential, something he accomplished in the Thrashers' first year as the now Winnipeg Jets. However, injuries, inconsistency, and problems in the locker room and off-the ice led to the Jets sending him off to Buffalo in 2015. While he managed 20 goals last season, he again missed time to injuries and attitude problems, and to top it off, he was investigated by the Erie County Police Department for alleged sexual assault, charges that were ultimately never filed. That's before his most recent run-in with the law and an incident in a Buffalo nightclub last month. Granted, much of his run-ins with the law have happened SINCE leaving Winnipeg, but let's look at why he was shipped out of Winnipeg in the first place. Problems with getting along with the people of Winnipeg, plus his disrespect for coaches and players in the Jets locker room, which was capped off by the tracksuit incident. Yes, these are reasons to say no to Kane, no matter the cost, but there's other reasons to say no, as in that 30-goal a season potential? To put it with reality, he only had one 30-goal season, which was the 2011-12 season, and just cracked the 20-goal barrier last season with Buffalo. There's also the relability factor, as he has never played more than 74 games in a given NHL season, which surprise, was also the only time he scored 30 goals in a season AND played over 70 games in a season. As a Canucks fan, this should tell you all you need to know about what problems lie ahead if Kane does indeed come back to Vancouver, as was born and raised there and played for the Giants of the WHL prior to being drafted. They don't need Mark Messier 2.0 all over again.
The other player being considered? Gabriel Landeskog. He's been rumored to be on the move for a few months now, and given the Avs' desire to try and become better at possessing the puck, it is possible that he would come at a hefty price. The second overall pick in 2011, he has produced 20-goal seasons in all but the 2012-13 season, a season shortened by both a lockout and Landeskog's own injuries. The fact that he was named captain in just his second year indicates that he may very well be worth looking into, particularly with the Swedish factor coming into play with both Sedins and the newly acquired Loui Eriksson. If you're looking for warts in the trade, consider that Landeskog was prone to taking penalties at the wrong times in the last two seasons, with some of the blame going towards the lack of overall snarl on the Avs' front lines, as only Cody McLeod has any, and he's nothing more than a fourth line player. There's no rap sheet on Landeskog to speak of, and for the Canucks to get him, a three-team deal may have to be worked out. There is potential there, but seemingly not enough prospects or NHL-ready players for the Avs to think about sending him the Canucks' way.
Those are the two options that are being floated around concerning the Canucks. On one hand, you have a severely high-risk, possibly high-reward player in Kane. On the other, you have a safer option in Landeskog. I don't pretend to know what will be the move Canucks' management will make, but if I were there, I'd drop the Kane idea immediately and go straight towards Landeskog. After all, it will still be a long season, but do they really need an additional headache off the ice?
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