Canucks GM on Kane trade: 'We didn't have the players to match that deal'
The Vancouver Canucks were very interested in bringing Evander Kane back to his hometown, but they didn't offer enough to land him.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning was heavily involved in negotiations for Kane, who was traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. Benning believes Vancouver presented the Jets with a fair offer, even though he wasn't willing to part with first-round prospects Bo Horvat, Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann.
The package Winnipeg received for Kane and Zach Bogosian included three former first-rounders, a player selected 31st overall and a 2015 first-round selection.
"The players we wouldn't include in the deal were the Horvats, the Virtanens, the McCanns," Benning told Ed Willes of The Province. "I think we made a fair offer. But they ended up making a big deal and we didn't have the players to match that deal."
Benning believes Horvat, Virtanen and McCann represent the Canucks' future, and he wasn't willing to mortgage it to land Kane. Time will tell whether or not Benning's cautiousness pays off.
- With h/t: Pro Hockey Talk