The more time passes, the more it looks like the Edmonton Oilers made out like bandits in last summer’s Evander Kane trade.

There was furious debate when the Oilers opted to dump Kane in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. He was coming off a decent postseason, but it was clear that he was entering the downswing of his career while carrying a hefty $5.125 million cap through this season.

With Oilers GM Stan Bowman coveting cap space, he decided to ship the entirety of Kane’s contract to the Canucks in exchange for a measly fourth-round draft pick. For some, this meant Edmonton was losing a critical element in their game. For others, it represented the team freeing itself from an expensive burden.

Seven months later, and it looks like the Oilers robbed the Canucks blind. Kane has struggled on the West Coast, putting up just nine goals and 24 points through 51 games, and it appears Vancouver is desperately searching for a way to offload him.

CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported on Monday that Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, has been permitted to try to facilitate a trade.

Evander Kane’s agent Dan Milstein has been given permission to help facilitate a trade for his client.#Canucks

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) January 27, 2026

It felt like Kane’s contract would be near untradeable due to the high cap number, as well as his history of injuries and declining play. It felt like a bit of an anchor for Edmonton’s tight cap situation, but they found a way to not only offload the entirety of the deal but also get back an actual asset in return.

The Canucks may have felt like they were adding a top-nine scorer into the lineup, but they’ve quickly realized why Edmonton was so eager to move on from the Vancouver native.

There were reports earlier this season suggesting the Canucks were trying to send Kane back to the Alberta capital, which was denied by the Oilers. This only adds insult to injury for a dead-last Vancouver squad trying to offload as many veteran pieces as possible.

Kane’s time in Edmonton was a memorable one, and plenty of fans will look back fondly on his Oilers tenure. That being said, it was clearly time for the two sides to part ways for the sake of the team’s cap situation.

While Oilers fans may hate the Canucks with a burning passion, they should be thanking GM Patrik Allvin for doing the team such a solid.