Winnipeg Jets Roster Analysis: Where does Evander Kane score from?
While Ondrej Pavelec is making all the news about possibly heading to the KHL next season, which by the way does nothing to hurt his marketability, the other pending restricted free agent who is foremost on Jets fans’ minds is Evander Kane.
We have already discussed the approximate value of contracts that both Kane and Pavelec will demand this summer, but let’s take a closer look at Kane’s game as a whole.
Last season, fans everywhere in town would dismiss Kane’s goal-scoring ability by saying he was too one-dimensional; that he could only score goals. Well, first off, scoring goals is a talent that few have, so if Kane is going to have one talent, it is beneficial for the Jets to have that be goal scoring rather than hitting or blocking shots.
Another common complaint of Jets fans was that Kane’s moves with the puck quickly became predictable. They lamented that he would seemingly only go down the left wing and either continue to skate wide or use the same toe-drag move on the defenseman.
While there is truth to the fact that Kane is limited in his offensive moves, frankly, he still scored—a lot. Never mind the fact that Kane’s linemates this season were not exactly Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (his linemates at the World Championships in the spring).
After hearing the above complaints, we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at exactly where and how Evander Kane scored his 30 goals this season.
Before examining each goal, here is a list of the games that Kane scored, how many shots he had in that specific game and how many minutes he played in that specific contest.
Listing of Evander Kane’s Goals in 2011-12
| Jets Games | G | A | P | PPG | S | TOI |
| Apr 3 ’12 WPG @ FLA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 17:56 |
| Mar 26 ’12 OTT @ WPG | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 20:29 |
| Mar 14 ’12 DAL @ WPG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16:28 |
| Mar 9 ’12 WPG @ CGY | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 22:07 |
| Mar 1 ’12 FLA @ WPG* | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 15:49 |
| Feb 23 ’12 TBL @ WPG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 18:20 |
| Feb 21 ’12 PHI @ WPG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 19:33 |
| Feb 19 ’12 COL @ WPG | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15:31 |
| Feb 16 ’12 WPG @ MIN | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21:24 |
| Feb 9 ’12 WPG @ WSH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20:22 |
| Dec 29 ’11 LAK @ WPG* | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17:57 |
| Dec 27 ’11 WPG @ COL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 16:38 |
| Dec 9 ’11 CAR @ WPG | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 18:28 |
| Dec 3 ’11 NJD @ WPG | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 17:58 |
| Nov 29 ’11 OTT @ WPG | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 17:59 |
| Nov 26 ’11 WPG @ BOS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 17:11 |
| Nov 25 ’11 WPG @ CAR | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 16:53 |
| Nov 17 ’11 WSH @ WPG* | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 19:44 |
| Nov 14 ’11 TBL @ WPG | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12:35 |
| Nov 3 ’11 WPG @ NYI* | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 16:55 |
| Oct 31 ’11 WPG @ FLA | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 19:40 |
| Oct 27 ’11 WPG @ PHI | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10:50 |
| Oct 22 ’11 CAR @ WPG | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10:31 |
We know that Kane popped 30 goals last season at the age of 20 and that he scored more goals than any other Jet player in 2011-12. Impressive? I think so.
Consider the fact that Kane finished 25th in the NHL in goals last season and was the youngest goal-scorer ranked in the top 30.
We know the British Columbia native can score, so let’s now examine how he scores his goals.
How Evander Kane Scored in 2011-12
| Location | Type of shot | Type of play | |
| Apr 3 ’12 WPG @ FLA | Top of crease (left) | One-time wrist shot | 2-on-1 |
| Mar 26 ’12 OTT @ WPG | Top of crease (middle) | Off body in front | Scrum |
| Mar 14 ’12 DAL @ WPG | Left hash marks | One time wrist shot | Rebound |
| Mar 9 ’12 WPG @ CGY | Top of crease (right) | One-time wrist shot | Scrum |
| Mar 1 ’12 FLA @ WPG* | Goal 1: Low middle slot Goal 2: Low middle slot |
Goal 1: Wrist shot Goal 2: Forehand to backhand deke |
Goal 1: Partial breakaway Goal 2: Partial breakaway |
| Feb 23 ’12 TBL @ WPG | Ringette line (right side) | Wrist shot | Walking off right half-boards on power play |
| Feb 21 ’12 PHI @ WPG | Just above ringette line (right side) | Wrist shot | Walking off right half-boards on power play |
| Feb 19 ’12 COL @ WPG | Top of left circle | Backhand | Curling off defenseman in slot |
| Feb 16 ’12 WPG @ MIN | Goal 1: Top right of crease Goal 2: Bottom of left circle |
Goal 1: One-time wrist shot Goal 2: Wrist shot over sprawling netminder |
Goal 1: Cross-crease pass Goal 2: Race for puck—beat netminder |
| Feb 9 ’12 WPG @ WSH | Low middle slot | Wrist shot | Rebound |
| Dec 29 ’11 LAK @ WPG* | Top left of crease | Wrist shot | Scrum |
| Dec 27 ’11 WPG @ COL | Goal 1: Just over left face-off dot Goal 2: Top right of crease |
Goal 1: Wrist shot Goal 2: One-time wrist shot |
Goal 1: 2-on-1Goal 2: Cross-crease pass |
| Dec 9 ’11 CAR @ WPG | Along boards at top of left circle | Wrist shot | Putting puck on net |
| Dec 3 ’11 NJD @ WPG | Goal 1: Top right of crease Goal 2: Neutral zone |
Goal 1: Tip-in Goal 2: Wrist shot |
Goal 1: Tip-in off point shot Goal 2: Empty net |
| Nov 29 ’11 OTT @ WPG | Goal 1: Left side of crease Goal 2: Right side of crease |
Goal 1: Wrist show Goal 2: Wrist shot |
Goal 1: Picked up puck from behind net off odd bounce Goal 2: Rebound |
| Nov 26 ’11 WPG @ BOS | Right side of low slot | Forehand to backhand deke | 2-on-1 |
| Nov 25 ’11 WPG @ CAR | Just over left hash marks | Wrist shot | 2-on-1 |
| Nov 17 ’11 WSH @ WPG* | Goal 1: Bottom of right hand circle Goal 2: Just below right face-off dot |
Goal 1: Wrist shot Goal 2: Wrist shot |
Goal 1: Scrum Goal 2: Coming off boards |
| Nov 14 ’11 TBL @ WPG | Ringette line at top of left circle | Wrist shot | Cross-ice pass, walk in and shoot |
| Nov 3 ’11 WPG @ NYI* | Top right of crease | Backhand | Came in on 1 -on-3 |
| Oct 31 ’11 WPG @ FLA | Goal 1: Just above left face-off dot Goal 2: Just below the hash marks in middle slot |
Goal 1: Wrist shot Goal 2: Batted out of air |
Goal 1: Puck popped over to him on PP Goal 2: Rebound |
| Oct 27 ’11 WPG @ PHI | Top left of crease | Wrist shot | Cross-crease pass |
| Oct 22 ’11 CAR @ WPG | Just below right circle | Wrist shot | Pass from behind the net |
Goal Location
Some NHL players are hesitant to go to the net. They prefer to hang around the periphery and avoid the physical pounding that one will face when hanging right around the top of the opposing netminder’s crease. Evander Kane, on the other hand, seems to thrive on taking such a beating and eliciting such attention. He consistently uses his big body to crash the net and demonstrated a willingness to incur the physical attention of the other team’s big, strong and mean defensemen.
Just where were Kane’s goals scored from last season (not counting his empty net goal from the neutral zone):
While Kane is a left winger, he does not score all of his goals from that side of the ice. Kane often moves to his off-wing in the offensive zone, especially around the net, where he ably one-timed shots into the back of the opposing team’s net.
The above data indicates a couple things. Kane is certainly not shy about going to the dirty areas. He scored many goals from just above the crease/bottom of the circles.
It also indicates that he has a terrific shot. Kane scored nine goals from above the hash marks. A player like Kyle Wellwood is not going to snipe a ton of goals from above the hash marks, but Kane’s shot gives him the ability to beat net minders from afar.
Type of Shot
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Evander Kane has a terrific wrist shot. It is not only a lethal, powerful shot, but also his release is so quick and he has the ability few players have to shoot while skating full speed. Kane probably has a top-five NHL wrist shot and it is no surprise that 23 of his 30 goals in 2011-12 were scored, in some form, utilizing that very shot.
As you can tell below, Kane is not apt to score with slap shots—and if you watched the Jets play, you know he hardly attempted a slap shot all season long. That is not necessarily a bad thing; some players are just like that.
Type of Play
The type of plays that Evander Kane scored on this past season contained a variety of different methods. Many of them were based upon his blazing speed, terrific wrist shot and willingness to go to the net.
His speed creates 2-on-1 opportunities. His willingness to attack the net results in goals that are the product of rebounds, scrums, tip-ins and cross-crease passes. His terrific shot also allows him to score off the half boards.
All in all, people may complain about how Evander Kane plays the game—but he does one thing better than any other Jet—he scores. In fact, he scores a lot and does so in a variety of different fashions that should lend well to scoring in the future.
The Jets have a few problems on the roster, Kane’s “predictability,” however, is quite far down that list.