Buffalo Sabres Three Stars Week Of February 19: Three Shades Of Kane

The Buffalo Sabres are getting unprecedented scoring from No. 9, who continues to be . . . the centerpiece of trade rumors?  We provide the yin to the trade talk yang.

Buffalo Sabres fans, you worry me.

Your team has put together a winning record in 2017, thanks in large part to a red-hot power play, outstanding goaltending, and a left winger who is scoring at a rate that has him in some special company, according to John Vogel over at The Buffalo News . . .

"Kane’s run of 21 goals in the last 36 games is astounding. It works out to an average of .58 goals per game.Since the Sabres were founded in 1970, the only players to top that for a full season were Alexander Mogilny, Pat LaFontaine, Richard Martin and Danny Gare. They are all in the team’s Hall of Fame, and three have their numbers retired."

. . . yet some of you STILL only mention Evander Kane’s name if you are discussing trade possibilities.

Now, I will give Brayton Wilson over at WGR 550 credit: at least he dreams big and would only use Kane to go after Hampus Lindholm, who many people believe will become an elite blueliner.   But you have to wonder why so many Sabres fans are willing to ship their leading goal-scorer out of town, when they have been clamoring about the Sabres making the playoffs the last few seasons.

Does this happen in other cities?  Are Boston Bruins fans discussing a Brad Marchand trade?   Do St. Louis fans only see trade value when they look at Vladimir Tarasenko’s 28 goals scored this season?  Is Vincent Trochek on his way out of Florida now that the red-hot Panthers have climbed into third place in the Atlantic Division?

Obviously, the answer to those questions are, in no particular order, “No,” “Hell no,” and “Are you ******* kidding me?  NO!”  It’s kind of ridiculous to continually bring up the idea of trading your team’s leading goal scorer when your team has clawed its way to within four points of a playoff spot . . . yet here we are, still listening to Buffalo Sabres fans toss Kane’s name around in the sake of securing a top-4 defenseman, all the while ignoring the fact that the Sabres are just two season removed from having Tyler Ennis lead the team with a whopping 20 goals scored in 2014-15.

The Sabres have not had a 30-goal scorer wear their sweater since Jason Pominville hit 30 goals back in 2011-12.  Suddenly, though, many fans seem to think that goal-scoring is over-rated; how else can you explain the willingness to dangle a player on pace to score 33 goals this season?   It’s mind-boggling, and has prompted me to highlight how ridiculous such trade talk is by awarding Evander Kane with all three of our Player of the Week spots for the week ending February 19.

Let’s take a look at what Kane accomplished last week.

Sunday, February 19: Kane scores the only goal in Buffalo’s 5-1 ass-kicking that came courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.   The goal came at an opportune time, as it tied the game 1-all in the dying seconds of the first period.  It should have provided a nice boost for the Sabres as they headed to the first intermission; instead, they turned in another forgettable second period en route to a big loss.  Still, you have to give Kane credit for giving the Sabres a spark – and yes, Jack Eichel set him up with the beautiful feed.  But Kane did the one thing that many other Sabres players have failed to do the past few seasons: he finished, giving him three goals in three straight games.

Saturday, February 18: In Buffalo’s biggest game of the season, Kane scores one goal and adds another assist to help the Sabres top the St. Louis Blues, 3-2.  The win gives Buffalo a three-game winning streak at just the right time, and propels the team to within two points of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.   Naturally, the fact that the Sabres are within striking distance of the playoffs immediately causes many fans to begin discussing the possibility of improving their team . . . by trading their only 20-goal scorer.

Thursday, February 16: In desperate need of a winning streak in the month of February, the Buffalo Sabres defeat Colorado 2-0, with Kane scoring the deal-breaker 15:46 into the third period.   That goal gives Kane 19 on the season, making him the Sabres’ leading goal-scorer for 2016-17, despite the fact that he didn’t score his first goal until the Sabres’ 24th game of the season.

You would think Buffalo Sabres fans who were hoping to see the team fight for a playoff spot this season would be happy with Evander Kane’s effort and see value in a potential 30 goal scorer, and granted, many fans do.  Still, it’s puzzling to still hear fans clamor for a trade involving Kane; it’s almost like Sabres fans don’t know how to be happy with what they have any more.  Sure, we all want to see another top-4 defenseman in the 716, but that is the sort of thing that GM Tim Murray will need to address in the offseason.   With Kane playing out-of-his mind hockey right now – 15 points in his last 14 games, and 21 goals in his last 36 games – mentioning him as trade bait is absolutely insane.  Put the trade talk on the back burner and enjoy watching your team win games this season, Sabres fans – you’ve earned it!