There’s finally some light to shed on why Evander Kane missed Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks.
According to Winnipeg Free Press sports columnist Gary Lawless the Winnipeg Jets forward violated the team’s dress code by showing up for Tuesday’s contest in a track suit.
This is the latest misstep for the 23-year-old who’s seemingly been in and out of the doghouse ever since the franchise moved to Winnipeg. Despite continually logging among the most minutes of any forward on the team, Kane has been a healthy scratch twice now in the past calendar year under head coach Paul Maurice.
In Lawless’ story, he says there’s another layer to this episode: Kane’s been playing injured. Lawless writes the next few days will be telling how deep the rift is between player and team.
How Kane takes this treatment will be the subtext of the next chapter. If he accepts he made a mistake and is willing to move forward, we’ll see him back in the lineup as early as Friday night. If he’s miffed, and decides he’d like to swat back at the organization, Kane does have a card to play. He can elect to shut it down and have surgery on an undisclosed injury.
Kane has been playing with this injury for much of this season and could the force the decision to have it repaired.
If Kane or the Jets announce in the coming days he’s going under the knife, it will be evident the player and team are at odds. Surgery has been an option Kane has elected to forego to this point. He’s played with pain and been effective. Up until now, the expectation was he would conclude the season and have this ailment taken care of in the off-season.
The latest chapter will once again lead to trade speculation. It will be interesting to see if Kane is meant for life in Winnipeg with his $6 million contract, or if this marriage just isn’t meant to be.
Kane has 10 goals and 22 points in 37 games so far with the Jets.
