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NHL trade rumours: Canucks ‘tried to peddle’ Evander Kane back to Oilers, but ‘that ship has sailed’
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
By Zach Laing
Jan 9, 2026, 14:00 EST
Evander Kane back to the Edmonton Oilers?
That’s what the Vancouver Canucks tried to make happen, only for the Oilers to shoot any suggestion dead in the water.
The report came from Donnie and Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal, who reported the news on Friday on Sportsnet 650’s Halford and Brough in the Morning. Here’s what Dhaliwal had to say:
(Trading Kane) could be tough. One team told me “have fun moving him.” You got the contract, you got the (that) production isn’t great, you got the age, injuries, he didn’t play in the regular season last year. He’s got trade protection.A couple of people told me the Canucks tried to peddle him back to Edmonton. I haven’t confirmed that… Why wouldn’t you if you’re desperate?… My Edmonton source told me that ship has sailed for the Oilers. I have no issue with the Canucks calling Edmonton and saying “you want to take him back?” They’re trying to unload the guy. I’m not saying a Kane trade won’t happen, but it might be a whole lot tougher than people realize.
Kane, 34, spent three and a half seasons with the Oilers between January 2022 and this past season, appearing in 161 regular-season games, scoring 62 goals and 111 points. He appeared in four playoff runs for the team, scoring 26 goals and 42 points in 68 games, though half his goals and 40 percent of those points came in his first playoffs, scoring 13 goals and 17 points in 15 games in 2021-22.
He missed the entire 2024-25 regular season due to abdominal and knee injuries, and scored six goals and 12 points in 21 games during last spring’s run to the Stanley Cup Final where he was largely a disappointment. He struggled against the Florida Panthers, scoring just one goal in six games, while taking 32 penalty minutes that included six minor penalties for stick infractions, and two game misconducts.
There were rumours ahead of last year’s trade deadline that the Oilers looked to move Kane, and those resurfaced shortly after the playoffs ended. Insider Frank Seravalli speculated if Kane had “worn out his welcome” in Edmonton. Just days later, the Oilers traded Kane and his full $5.125-million cap hit to the Canucks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2025, which the team used to draft winger David Lewandowski.
Kane has appeared in 42 games for the Canucks this season averaging just over 17 minutes per game in a top-six role, scoring six goals and 20 points, a noticable dip in production from where he was the last number of seasons. He’s also been less physical this year than during his time in Edmonton, as his regular season hits per game has dipped from a 3.16 average with the Oilers, to 1.74 with the Canucks.
It doesn’t come as a shock that the Oilers, according to Dhaliwal, feel that the ship has sailed for Kane’s time in Edmonton. While Kane’s play has clearly fallen off, Edmonton realisticly couldn’t afford to bring him back, as they are looking to clear out salary, hence the rumours swirling around the Oilers looking to move Andrew Mangiapane.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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