Recapping free agency so far

Edmonton Oilers re-sign 30 year old Evander Kane to a four year, $20.5 million deal ($5.13 million per)

Now we’re getting somewhere. The Oilers pulled a rabbit out of their hat by bringing back Kane, who was rumoured to be testing the market to bring in as much money as possible to solve his financial woes.

However, Kane tested the market and found it wanting, and rumour had it that the suitors who liked him enough to give him both term and cash were a little scared away by how he had performed after signing big money contracts in Buffalo and Winnipeg. The amount of teams with cap space holes due to the flat cap after hurting for revenues at the peak of the pandemic likely played a part as well.

Since every team was going to pay him about the same, why not re-sign with the Edmonton Oilers, a team he had a lot of success with and knows he has chemistry with? Kane had a phenomenal half season (give or take) with the Oilers last season, scoring 22-17-39 in 43 regular season games with a whopping +25 and 60 PIMs in the regular season, while adding 13-4-17 in 15 playoff games – a career high for him – while tacking on another 37 PIMs in the playoffs.

People are talking about him cracking the 40 goal mark next year for the first time in his career, and why not if he can get 22 in just over half a season? There are exciting possibilities for how Kane will perform in his time going forward as an Oiler, especially early on in the contract.

Risk factor – some

There is a little bit of risk attached to this contract as Kane is 30 right now, and will be 34 by the time the contract finishes. For a finesse player, this wouldn’t be much of a factor, but folks who play a power forward, physical, pestilence type of game like Kane does (the modern day version of Esa Tikannen) tend to start seeing a dip in performance as their bodies begin to wear down at age 32.

Only time will tell if this happens in Kane’s case. The good news is Kane is widely acknowledged as the best power forward in the game, so if he does start to break down before the contract is up at least he’s got further to fall than any other power forward. Great signing of a player who we all thought wasn’t going to be back.

My overall take – I approve.  The price is right, and although the term is a bit much at least they didn’t sign him for the maximum of eight years. You have to expect some risk in free agency as in good faith negotiations the team will never get everything it wants, you have to give as well as take in these things. Overall a good contract for free agency.