Evander Kane - How good do you expect him to be?

[X. Benedict]

I'm not confused at all, it's just an opinion just like the above quote is yours. My preconceived opinion was from his time in Winnipeg. The "Vanity" in his instagram photos only fed into that opinion. Like I said I hope that I am wrong.

 

From all accounts, once Kane gets on the ice he is all business. He came from a family of boxers. 

We'll have a season to see what we see from him. But he's a guy on the ice that nobody is in a hurry to well......dance with. 

 

[nfreeman]

I'm not confused at all, it's just an opinion just like the above quote is yours. My preconceived opinion was from his time in Winnipeg. The "Vanity" in his instagram photos only fed into that opinion. Like I said I hope that I am wrong.

Well that could be but Zack doesn't have to describe his devotions. Big difference. I hope I am wrong

 

Fair enough, and "confuse" was probably the wrong word -- I didn't mean to imply that you were confused.  "Combine" or "conflate" would've been better.

 

Having said that -- could you describe the events in Winnipeg that give you the concerns about self-before-team? 

[spndnchz]

If I were him, or, rather, if I were in his exact position at that time in my life with the way society is and the tech available, uhm, I would be just like him.  Sorry, but, I would have been proud, vain, and egotistical with my bad-ass self achieving that kind of status. 

 

Back in the day, I knew people in "my line of work" (at the time, shall we say) who were just as proud, vain, and egotistical as Kane comes off now, who could and would be a team player when it was "team time".  He wouldn't be where he's at without being able to juggle the two, it's that simple.

 

I've seen your My Space page bro. It ain't pretty.

[dudacek]

From all accounts, once Kane gets on the ice he is all business. He came from a family of boxers. 

We'll have a season to see what we see from him. But he's a guy on the ice that nobody is in a hurry to well......dance with. 

 

 

 

I wonder if Brad Marchand has seen this.

[...]

I've seen your My Space page bro. It ain't pretty.

 

 

You got something against mullets?

[Doohickie]

I can't understand the self-before-team criticism when, and especially dealing with injury, he's one of the very few Sabres we see hanging around the organization when there isn't a game or anything terribly specific going on.

 

I thought he was just in Buffalo to be examined by team doctors to assess his progress after surgery.

[Brawndo]

Dan Marr Director of Central Scouting for the NHL was on GR yesterday and mentioned he was responsible for drafting Kane and Bogosian went he was with Atlanta. They asked him about Kane's Off Ice Issues and he mentioned he is an ultra competive player and he was never fined or suspended by the Jets.

 

I had a chance to talk to him today and I mentioned I enjoyed his interview yesterday. He proceeded to tell me he could not mention this on the radio, but Andrew Ladd acted foolishly in his handling of the locker room situation last season. He could not believe that he allowed Buff to control the locker room as much as he did. And he reiterated Kane was not the cause of the problem.

 

Another cool story was that he was the trainer for the Leafs prior to becoming a scout and when Bowman was named GM of the Sabres he hired Marr to be the trainer for the Sabres. Unfortunately there was a snafu with NYS labor laws that prevented him from taking the job.

[inkman]

Thanks BRAWNDO. I have felt from day one that Kane was not a problem child, so I'm happy to get affirmation. He's going to blossom in the B-lo.

[dudacek]

Dan Marr Director of Central Scouting for the NHL was on GR yesterday and mentioned he was responsible for drafting Kane and Bogosian went he was with Atlanta. They asked him about Kane's Off Ice Issues and he mentioned he is an ultra competive player and he was never fined or suspended by the Jets.

 

I had a chance to talk to him today and I mentioned I enjoyed his interview yesterday. He proceeded to tell me he could not mention this on the radio, but Andrew Ladd acted foolishly in his handling of the locker room situation last season. He could not believe that he allowed Buff to control the locker room as much as he did. And he reiterated Kane was not the cause of the problem.

 

Another cool story was that he was the trainer for the Leafs prior to becoming a scout and when Bowman was named GM of the Sabres he hired Marr to be the trainer for the Sabres. Unfortunately there was a snafu with NYS labor laws that prevented him from taking the job.

 

Good stuff.

I was wondering if there was going to be any more chance encounter info like this floating around with all the hockey people in town.

[Brawndo]

Good stuff.

I was wondering if there was going to be any more chance encounter info like this floating around with all the hockey people in town.

I have met some really interesting people this week, including the Director of the NHL Draft Floor. He is a huge Isles Fan and mentioned he gets a lot of airtime as he stands behind the GMs as they are making their picks.

[threadbare]

 

 

I also shudder to think what a 24-year old Jim Kelly (just for instance) would have done with Instagram while king of the USFL or when he first got to Buffalo.

this is the best argument for me, why i will totally ignore anything i see from him on social media. based on my own personal experiences of jim kelly from the early 90's and more than one very negative experience from some of my female friends from that time, i have no doubt that if JK had the access to the social media of today people would have crucified him before he ever touched a football in orchard park.... ergo, i will withhold judgement on Evander until i see him play for the blue and gold.... as a wise man once said, "evander kane will be fine"

[French Collection]

Kane was playing through some pain before that bullsh..... caused him to shut it down. Looks like he was putting the team first until Byflugien turned some people against him. I don't know how many games were played with the shoulder issues, but it was awhile.

[musichunch]

this is the best argument for me, why i will totally ignore anything i see from him on social media. based on my own personal experiences of jim kelly from the early 90's and more than one very negative experience from some of my female friends from that time, i have no doubt that if JK had the access to the social media of today people would have crucified him before he ever touched a football in orchard park.... ergo, i will withhold judgement on Evander until i see him play for the blue and gold.... as a wise man once said, "evander kane will be fine"

 

This will be an unusual first post, but what did Jim Kelly do that was so bad back in the early 90's? I've heard many many people mention the "bad things" they did but nobody seems to actually tell the stories. So what happened? Was it just coke and strippers?

[darksabre]

There's probably a reason Chicago didn't want to keep Byfuglien around, ya know? 

 

Kane is gonna be a monster. He's the swagger this team desperately needs. 

[qwksndmonster]

Scary good.

[musichunch]

To add my opinion on Kane, I am more concerned with the locker room chemistry than anything off the ice.

 

I agree 100% about the vanity, which is what it is. We call it being a douchebag where I'm from. Where it goes too far is when it starts to bother the teammates and alpha dog veterans on the team. I believe that's what happened in Winnipeg. 

 

To give you a "slice of life" example, watch this video http://video.jets.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=640662

 

Kane's vanity is in full effect with the "I'll be the interviewer" today act. But that's whatever. Where it gets interesting is around the 0:50 mark when Byfuglien walks in. It's all smiles at first but if you look closely Kane grabs him by the jersey and brings him in and then talks over him. Look at Dustin's face to see what he thinks about that. No NHL veteran likes to be dominated by a young douchenozzle 5 years younger than him. What makes it worse is that Kane is a legit tough guy who's proven himself as a fighter. You can't just beat him up. Dustin then gives the interview like he's depressed.

 

At 1:25 Blake Wheeler walks up and there's a different vibe. He's not as affected by Kane and Byfuglien looks almost relieved he's there. It's interesting to note that in the sweatpants incident Byfuglien and Wheeler were the two guys to speak out to the media against Kane and Byfuglien's the guy who threw the sweatpants (passive aggressively some may argue) into the shower.

 

Kane's going to be on a younger team where there won't be as many veterans. Will Gionta and Gorges keep him in his place? How will the younger guys handle Kane as the locker room alpha dog? Will Kane walk all over his future linemates like Girgensons and Eichel? Will they stand up to him? Will it be a disaster where Kane becomes the star and holds everyone else back? We shall wait and see.

 

Just my crazy thoughts.

[That Aud Smell]

This is officially my favorite thread.

 

And, BRAWNDO. Backstory on your connections?

[nfreeman]

Dan Marr Director of Central Scouting for the NHL was on GR yesterday and mentioned he was responsible for drafting Kane and Bogosian went he was with Atlanta. They asked him about Kane's Off Ice Issues and he mentioned he is an ultra competive player and he was never fined or suspended by the Jets.

 

I had a chance to talk to him today and I mentioned I enjoyed his interview yesterday. He proceeded to tell me he could not mention this on the radio, but Andrew Ladd acted foolishly in his handling of the locker room situation last season. He could not believe that he allowed Buff to control the locker room as much as he did. And he reiterated Kane was not the cause of the problem.

 

Another cool story was that he was the trainer for the Leafs prior to becoming a scout and when Bowman was named GM of the Sabres he hired Marr to be the trainer for the Sabres. Unfortunately there was a snafu with NYS labor laws that prevented him from taking the job.

 

Now that is some high-quality intel.  Thanks.

 

One question:  how does Marr know what is going on in the Winnipeg locker room?  Not doubting your info, just curious.

[threadbare]

This will be an unusual first post, but what did Jim Kelly do that was so bad back in the early 90's? I've heard many many people mention the "bad things" they did but nobody seems to actually tell the stories. So what happened? Was it just coke and strippers?

from the few interactions i had, he came across as the most self-absorbed DB i had ever met. as for the experiences of my female friends they bordered on inappropriate at the least...however, this is neither here nor there, this thread is all about Evander Kane...

Edited June 5, 2015 by threadbare

[Brawndo]

Now that is some high-quality intel. Thanks.

 

One question: how does Marr know what is going on in the Winnipeg locker room? Not doubting your info, just curious.

Pure speculation on my part but he mentioned was with Atlanta for eleven years, he probably has contacts still with the team.

 

Aud, I did some work with the combine over the first couple of days

[bunomatic]

Kane seems as hyped to be in Buffalo as I am that he's on the team. Once this guy and Eichel and Sam and a few of the others bond they'll be brothers in arms. It'll be these guys against the world. I can't wait to see the havoc they will wreck.

Edited June 5, 2015 by bunomatic

[dudacek]

Kid comes into the room with some swagger and rubs the vets the wrong way with his attitude.

He takes his shots, perseveres, learns from the situation and eventually proves that he is a helluva asset to the organization, even if a few vets may still give him less rope than he earned.

I guess I'm saying people grow up and learn when they get the opportunity, even if when they do there is every chance that their peers might not recognize it.

I don't see Hoss as a negative influence on young SabreSpacers; on the contrary, he is a leader.

I think Kane in Buffalo will be the same way. Murray and Bylsma will make sure of it

[Weave]

This will be an unusual first post, but what did Jim Kelly do that was so bad back in the early 90's? I've heard many many people mention the "bad things" they did but nobody seems to actually tell the stories. So what happened? Was it just coke and strippers?

 

I recall Kelly some trouble at parties shortly after he arrived in Buffalo.  The one incident that I specifically recall was when he had words with a female at an outdoor party of some sort and threw a drink in her face, glass and all.  She pressed charges.  It was all over the Buffalo News at the time.  There were lots of other unsubstantiated rumors as well.  I have no doubt Kelly was a jackass as a younger man.

[Rasmus_]

Starting with something reachable right away in the 20 goal, top 6 forward.  He could easily find 30 goals if he meshes with Eichel, Girgensons, or Reinhart. 

[Peanit]

Fair enough, and "confuse" was probably the wrong word -- I didn't mean to imply that you were confused.  "Combine" or "conflate" would've been better.

 

Having said that -- could you describe the events in Winnipeg that give you the concerns about self-before-team? 

I know you are trying to bait me and that's ok. It's the whole deal with Dustin Byfuglien and a number of healthy scratches. I am not 100% given up on Kane, but like I said before I had this preconceived notion about him and the social media fed into it. Reading some of these other comments has given me hope about that guy and I'll forget all if he turns out to be the player everyone says he is. I read yesterday a story about Jack Eichel telling TM "I'm the best player in the draft". I thought that's the kind of guy I want on my team. I guess I am being a little bit of a hypocrite in my view of each player.