Seravalli: The latest on the Evander Kane situation

Seravalli: “I don’t think there’s any doubt that this is getting closer to Evander Kane making a decision. Kevin Weekes reported this morning that it’s down to two teams and could be finalized as soon as today.

It’s certainly a matter of when and not if, but when I think about the two teams involved, I think it’s pretty clear that the Edmonton Oilers are one of them and I think a lot of people believe that Evander Kane is going there.

I believe Connor McDavid has been a part of the process and has reached out to Evander Kane directly to engage in conversation about trying to have him join the Edmonton Oilers.

We’re a little less certain as to who the mystery team is. I have a hunch that it’s the Florida Panthers, not confirmed. I think the Tampa Bay Lightning have been there, I think the St. Louis Blues have had some conversation. I think the total was 16 teams who had engaged in some kind of conversation or information-gathering process with Evander Kane. That would leave exactly half the league saying ‘you know what, we’re going to sit this one out.’

Certainly an interesting scenario, but what strikes me as the difference between the Oilers and the other teams who are potentially in the mix, such as Florida, Tampa, St. Louis, is that Evander Kane is a luxury for those teams who are on more solid ground in the standings. For the Oilers, it feels more like a sense of desperation, trying to find a player that won’t cost a lot that you won’t have to give up assets for to try to get this team out of the rut they’ve been in.”