After 16 NHL seasons, it appears that rugged forward Evander Kane may have played his last game in North America. The unrestricted free agent hasn’t received many bites around the NHL this offseason. However, a contending team in Russia does have interest in the 35-year-old.Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL is considering signing Kane, according to Sport Express, a Russian publication. The club made it to the KHL Finals last season.
Kane actually has tried his hand in Russia before, playing 12 games with Dinamo Minsk in the 2012-13 season during the NHL lockout, but he just couldn’t adjust to the wider ice surface, which makes sense with the north-south, hard-hitting game that he plays. He was actually the first Canadian NHLer to sign in the KHL.
Kane posted 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 71 games for the Vancouver Canucks this past season, after missing the entire 2024-25 campaign with the Edmonton Oilers due to injury before returning in the playoffs. Back in 2021-22, he led the Stanley Cup Playoffs in goals scored, with 13 in 15 games.
For his career, in 1,001 games in the NHL, Kane has 339 goals and 648 points along with 2,324 hits, including a career-high 250 in 2023-24.
We’ll see if he takes the bait and gives Russia a try again if no NHL teams come calling in time for training camp next month.