The Evander Kane situation is getting messier by the day.
The Winnipeg Jets winger was a healthy scratch for Tuesday’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. Head coach Paul Maurice saying the benching was a “coach’s decision” following the 3-2 overtime loss, but that’s not quite the whole story.
According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Kane didn’t arrive on time for the team’s game because of an “incident” with Dustin Byfuglien and other teammates. Kane was not on the team’s bus to Rogers Arena and also missed a pregame meeting, Johnston reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the situation.
The team was unable to reach the 23-year-old until roughly an hour before game time, according to Johnston, at which point Kane finally picked up his phone and informed the team he wouldn’t be playing that night.
The incident that triggered this mess happened earlier in the day when Kane showed up to a team meeting wearing a track suit, which is a violation of team policy. According to sources, Byfuglien tossed Kane’s clothes into the shower to send a message to him and his teammates.
The run-in marked the last time Kane’s teammates saw him until their charter flight back to Winnipeg.
Kane was not at Thursday’s practice at MTS Centre. Maurice told reporters Kane was meeting with team doctors.
Thumbnail photo via Bruce Fedyck/USA TODAY Sports Images
