Kane relishes opportunity to play for hometown Canucks after trade from Oilers

By Canadian Press on June 26, 2025.

VANCOUVER — Evander Kane is relishing the opportunity to join his hometown team, one he feels isn’t “too far off” from being competitive and wants to win now.

The Vancouver Canucks acquired the bruising 33-year-old winger from the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday in exchange for a fourth-round pick (117th overall) in this week’s NHL Draft.

Kane, from Vancouver, has one year left on the four-year, US$20.5-million deal he signed with Edmonton as a free agent in January 2022.

The six-foot-two, 218-pound forward did not play a single regular-season game in the 2024-25 campaign as he recovered from surgeries to repair both abductors, two hernias, two abdominal tears and a knee injury.

However, he returned for Game 2 of the first round, contributing six goals six assists in 21 games during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup final.

Kane said the Oilers’ seven-game battle in the second round against Vancouver in 2023-24 showed the Canucks’ desire to win, and how close they are to doing so.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.

The Canadian Press