Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been tied together ever since they made their NHL debuts on Oct. 5, 2005. The pair have the same amount of points—1423,...
Kane suffered the injury during the second period when Patrick Maroon's skate caught his wrist while trying to get up following a hit along the boards.
On Wednesday morning, Kane posted an update, saying he would be back on the ice in the near future:
Entering Tuesday's game, he had tallied five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 13 games this season.
The 31-year-old is in his second season with the Oilers and agreed to a four-year, $20.5 million deal with the franchise in July. He's under contract through the 2025-26 season.
Kane began his NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization in 2009 when he was selected fourth overall in the NHL draft. He spent six seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres, where he spent two-and-a-half seasons before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks.
The Vancouver native put together some of the best seasons of his career in San Jose, tallying 87 goals and 79 points for 166 points in 212 games across three-and-a-half seasons.
However, Kane's tenure with the Sharks came to an ugly end when he was suspended for 21 games in October 2021 for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. After he finished his suspension, the team sent him to the American Hockey League, and the remainder of his seven-year, $49 million contract was terminated in January for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols.
Kane was in the fourth year of that deal and was due $19 million for the last three years of the contract. In September, he and the Sharks reached a settlement on the grievance the NHL Players' Association filed last season on his behalf in regards to his contract termination.
After his tenure with the Sharks came to an end, Kane signed a one-year deal with the Oilers for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. In 43 games last season, he tallied 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points.
Kane has been mostly durable over his 14-year career, appearing in at least 63 games in nine seasons. The Oilers will hope his latest injury doesn't sideline him for too long as they need his offensive production alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Blackhawks Haven't Had Trade Talks on Patrick Kane; Toews Reportedly Interests Teams
Nov 8, 2022
CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 10: Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrates his goal with center Jonathan Toews (19) during a game against the Detroit Red Wings on February 10, 2019, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks are still sitting on a number of tradable assets this season, including team captain Jonathan Toews and star winger Patrick Kane, though both need to waive their no-movement clauses in order to be dealt.
However, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told ESPN's Emily Kaplan that the team has had "zero" conversations with other teams on a deal for Kane, adding that he doesn't "foresee anything" happening soon.
Davidson didn't provide any clarity on where things stand with Toews, but Kaplan reports she's "heard that some teams are looking at" the veteran center given his respectable start to the 2022-23 campaign.
The Athletic's Mark Lazerus reported in July that the Blackhawks hadn't had any trade discussions involving Kane, so things appear to be status quo on that front.
Kane is in his 16th season in the NHL, all spent with the Blackhawks, and is in the final season of an eight-year, $84 million deal worth $10.5 million.
The 33-year-old has helped Chicago win three Stanley Cups, been named an All-Star four times and has won the Art Ross, Hart, Calder and Conn Smythe Trophies. He has tallied 432 goals and 758 assists in 1,119 regular-season games.
Through 12 games this season, the 2007 first overall pick has tallied two goals and eight assists.
Toews has also spent his entire 15-year career in Chicago and was a member of the team's three Stanley Cup victories from 2010-15. The 2013 second-team All-Star has won the Smythe and Selke Trophies as well as the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
The 34-year-old has notched 364 goals and 497 assists in 1,026 games. He has tallied seven goals and two assists in 12 games this season.
In an interview with Lazerus in July, Toews said that remaining with the team through a rebuild "doesn't sound appealing to me at all." However, he added that he wasn't sure what his future would look like:
"I can't speak for Kaner, but I definitely feel that the amount of turnover our team has gone through every single year these last three or four years, that's where it gets really, really draining. And exhausting. You have a guy like who was under Kaner's wing. And I like to think that Kirby [Dach] and I had that bond in some ways too. And out they go, out the door. Over and over, we've seen that turnover.
"I'm learning to be more patient, but there's no doubt that timeline is pretty daunting, and pretty exhausting to think about. So, I'm not going to sit here and say what I'm going to do or what the future holds for me, because I really don't know."
Like Kane, Toews is also in the last year of his contract, which is worth $10.5 million in 2022-23. It's unclear which teams might be interested in acquiring him.
Trade rumors surrounding Kane and Toews began around the 2022 NHL draft when the Blackhawks made a number of moves to signal they were entering a rebuild, including trading Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and Dach to the Montreal Canadiens.
If Chicago (5-5-2) trades Kane or Toews ahead of the deadline in March, it will mark the end of an era.
Bruins' Decision to Sign Mitchell Miller Leaves Nothing but Questions
Nov 8, 2022
The Boston Bruins front office (CEO Charlie Jacobs, general manager Don Sweeney and president Cam Neely) completely mishandled the Mitchell Miller signing.
It's hard to choose which disaster to start with when it comes to the Boston Bruins' signing of Mitchell Miller on Friday and their taking it back by Sunday.
There have been so many head-scratching discrepancies that you question the competency of the front office at best, and its morality at worst.
It doesn't even feel like justice that the Bruins announced they would cut ties with Miller in light of "new information." They already knew when they signed him that Miller had been convicted in juvenile court in 2016 of racially abusing and bullying Black classmate Isaiah Meyer-Crothers.
And Meyer-Crothers is all I can think about. Don't let the rest distract you from how severely the Bruins' "vetting process" failed a victim.
The "old boys' club" tells us repeatedly that playing in the NHL is a privilege, not a right. We're sold this vague concept, and we're told hockey is the best sport in the world because of the character of the men in the room. Through this intentional vagueness, you and I might fill in the blanks with our own definitions of character and what it means to earn a privilege.
Character doesn't begin and end when you enter the locker room. It should extend to how you conduct yourself off the ice, and Miller egregiously failed.
The Boston Globe's Matt Porter asked Bruins GM Don Sweeney after the signing what Miller had done to earn the privilege to potentially play for the Bruins.
"With us doing a lot of background work over the course of the last six months, almost a year now, and spending time in particular recently with Mitchell ... his acknowledgment of the mistakes he made when he was in eighth grade and 14 years old, and it's more about what he's going to do now—not ever losing sight of the disrespect that he showed to the young man," Sweeney said. "... We're going to put him in community programs so that he continues to educate himself and others as to what being disrespectful does for you and how you carry that with you for the rest of your life."
Words matter. According to Sweeney, Miller was a 14-year-old eighth-grader in 2016, but the classmate he bullied for years, Meyer-Crothers, who has developmental disabilities, was a "young man."
According to Sweeney, what Miller did was merely disrespectful. It was actually a pattern of verbal and physical abuse.
This included Miller's telling Meyer-Crothers his mom and dad didn't love him, calling him the N-word on a daily basis, punching him in the head repeatedly and tricking him into eating a urine-soaked lollipop, forcing him to get tested for hepatitis and STDs.
And according to Sweeney, Miller could make amends by acting as a cautionary tale to all the other promising players: This is "what being disrespectful does for you and how you carry that with you for the rest of your life."
I'm more interested in how Meyer-Crothers is carrying it with him.
"He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn't want to do," Meyer-Crothers told the Arizona Republic in 2020. "In junior high, I got beat up by him. ... Everyone thinks he's so cool that he gets to go to the NHL, but I don't see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life."
Bruins president Cam Neely said Sunday that they were letting Miller go in light of "new information." But Miller's list of transgressions was already public knowledge.
It was public knowledge that, according to Joni Meyer-Crothers, Isaiah's mother, Miller has not shown genuine remorse.
Miller reached out to Meyer-Crothers recently via Snapchat to apologize, saying it had "nothing to do with hockey," but his mother wasn't convinced.
Mind you, Meyer-Crothers has said she forgave her son's other bully after they offered a heartfelt apology.
On Monday, Neely said the Bruins had not reached out to Meyer-Crothers, and that this was part of the "new information" that led to the Bruins' rescinding the contract.
Why hadn't they reached out?
"That's a great question. Something I need to find out," Neely told reporters at Warrior Ice Arena.
How did the president of the team not know that? And how does he still not know the reason?
There were so many resources readily available, so much information about Miller already public that it seems like the "new information" Neely and Sweeney discovered was really continued backlash. The Arizona Coyotes rescinded their pick of Miller in 2020 after public outcry; how was this not a consideration?
Many Bruins fans have reached out to team and fan relations today to express their disappointment with decision to sign Mitchell Miller. There’s been so many that fans are getting an auto-reply informing them that they are experiencing higher than normal traffic.
Aside from the robust pressure Bruins fans and hockey fans applied since the signing was announced, we saw something arguably unprecedented in the NHL: public pushback by players on the team.
"It's not something anyone in this room stands for," Nick Foligno told reporters in Toronto on Saturday. "The culture that we've built is one of inclusion, and I think it goes against that. I understand he was 14 when he made this mistake, but it's hard for us to swallow because we take a lot of pride in here, the way we act, how we carry ourselves, what it means to be a Bruin."
Captain Patrice Bergeron said: "In a way, I was not necessarily agreeing with it. The culture we've built here goes against that behavior. ... If it's the same 14-year-old that would be walking into this locker room, he wouldn't be accepted and wanted and welcomed in this locker room."
Patrice Bergeron on speaking out about the Miller signing:
"To stay true to my values, really. ... It goes back to what we've built here as an organization, as a team, as a locker room.
One day after these comments and more from Bruins players, the club parted ways with Miller.
"There were a lot of factors in this decision," Neely said, "and that was one of them."
The signing of Miller is now a permanent stain on the Bruins franchise, from the utter disregard of the Meyer-Crothers family to the exposure of incompetent communication among executives.
But maybe—just maybe—that Bruins players spoke out and pressured the team to reconsider will have a lasting impact in a league begging for an updated definition of character. The universal derision of the signing forced an Original Six franchise to back down from a morally dubious decision. It's a start for those who want to change the game for the better, but we still have so much further to go.
Next up is a phone call the Bruins clearly didn't make for a reason.
When last we left you in preseason, we ranked out each
team’s goaltending situation headed into the season. What we learned was…you
all have many opinions and...
Cam Neely Apologizes, Says Bruins 'Made the Wrong Decision' Signing Mitchell Miller
Nov 7, 2022
Boston Bruins President Cam Neely speaks to reporters during the hockey teams end-of-season news conference, Tuesday, June 18, 2019, in Boston. The Bruins lost to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said the team made a mistake in signing prospect Mitchell Miller.
"The timing of it was never probably going to be good," Neely told reporters Monday. "I think it got down to the point of [whether] we're doing it or not. And we made the wrong decision."
The Bruins received criticism after signing Miller, who admitted in an Ohio juvenile court in 2016 to bullying former classmate Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. On Sunday, the team announced it was parting ways with the player.
"We like to take pride in what we do in the community and we hold ourselves accountable," Neely said Monday. "We dropped the ball and I'm here to apologize."
Miller had been a fourth-round draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2020, but the team renounced his rights after details of the player's history were revealed. There were multiple incidents of bullying and harassing Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with disabilities. Other students confirmed his repeated use of the N-word directed toward Meyer-Crothers.
Miller showed remorse after his signing with the Bruins, although he indicated it was a single action that took place when he was in eighth grade.
"I deeply regret the incident and have apologized to the individual," he said in a statement. "Since the incident, I have come to better understand the far-reaching consequences of my actions that I failed to recognize and understand nearly seven years ago."
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was not consulted before the Bruins signed Miller to a deal, adding the player is not currently eligible to play in the NHL:
#NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the recent signing of Mitchell Miller by the Boston Bruins. pic.twitter.com/9lOeNSEK5T
Neely indicated Monday that he didn't expect as much backlash as the team received.
"Well initially, I was I was thinking it was going to be, 'OK, this kid deserves a second chance,'" he said. "And, you know, I thought there would be some people that were going to be upset about it, but to the extent of this, I misread that."
Miller, now 20, spent the 2021-22 season with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.
Bruins Part Ways With Mitchell Miller, Apologize to Isaiah Meyer-Crothers' Family
Nov 7, 2022
Boston Bruins President Cam Neely speaks to reporters during the hockey teams end-of-season news conference, Tuesday, June 18, 2019, in Boston. The Bruins lost to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Boston Bruins president Cam Neely announced Sunday the team has parted ways with recently signed prospect Mitchell Miller.
Neely wrote in part:
"Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. We hope that he continues to work with professionals and programs to further his education and personal growth."
The Bruins were widely criticized for signing Miller after the move was announced Friday. In 2016, he admitted to an Ohio juvenile court that he repeatedly bullied and harassed Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. Miller was also accused of repeatedly using racist language toward Meyer-Crothers.
Neely apologized to Meyer-Crothers and his family.
"To Isaiah and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and other victims feel unseen and unheard," Neely stated. "We apologize for the deep hurt and impact we have caused."
The Arizona Coyotes initially selected the 20-year-old Miller with the No. 111 pick in the 2020 NHL draft but renounced his draft rights after news of the bullying broke via a report from Craig Harris and José M. Romero of the Arizona Republic.
The Oct. 2020 report stated the following:
"Four years ago, Miller admitted in an Ohio juvenile court to bullying Meyer-Crothers, who was tricked into licking a candy push pop that Miller and another boy had wiped in a bathroom urinal. Meyer-Crothers had to be tested for hepatitis, HIV and STDs, but the tests came back negative, according to a police report.
"Meyer-Crothers, also 18 and who now lives in Detroit, said Miller had taunted him for years, constantly calling him 'brownie' and the 'N-word,' while repeatedly hitting him while growing up in the Toledo suburb. Other students at their junior high confirmed to police that Miller repeatedly used the 'N-word' in referring to Meyer-Crothers."
"It hurt my heart to be honest," Meyer-Crothers said when asked about the Coyotes drafting Miller.
"It's stupid that they (the Coyotes) didn't go back and look what happened in the past, but I can't do anything about it."
Miller didn't end up with the Coyotes and played last season with the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League, recording 83 points in 60 games and being named the league's player of the season.
The Bruins signed him to a three-year, $2,850,000 entry-level contract, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters that the league would conduct a full investigation into the bullying allegations if he was ever promoted from the minor leagues.
#NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the recent signing of Mitchell Miller by the Boston Bruins. pic.twitter.com/9lOeNSEK5T
Joni Meyer-Crothers, Isaiah's mother, spoke with NBC10 Boston after the Bruins signed him.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's a monster," she said.
"He told our son that his Black mom and dad didn't love him, that's why he had white parents. On a daily basis, was called the N-word. [Miller] would ask Isaiah to sit with him on the bus, and as soon as Isaiah would sit with him, him and his friends would just punch Isaiah in the head nonstop, and all he wanted was friends. So he was an easy target for Mitchell."
No specifics were given regarding the "new information" that pushed the Bruins to reverse course. There has been no direct comment from Miller nor his representatives in response to his release.
This season will likely be the last for
Jonathan Drouin with the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-year-old winger
is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent...
