There's more to Evander Kane's healthy scratch last night than an inappropriately worn tracksuit. The kerfuffle involves a wet tracksuit.
According to SportsNet's report, after Kane violated the Jets' dress code by showing up to Tuesday's morning workout in a tracksuit, Dustin Byfuglien threw the tracksuit into the shower. No one on the team saw Kane after that; he reportedly missed Winnipeg's pregame meeting and answered his phone an hour before the game to say that he wouldn't be playing against the Canucks.
Before the report came out, Byfuglien spoke enigmatically about Kane's absence:
"We're just a tight group," he said. "It is what it is. That's just among us. Things we've just got to handle ourselves."
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports offers a possible excuse for Kane's fashion faux pas:
So, either way, this story is still ridiculous. And almost assuredly not done. Kane's had various troubles in Winnipeg for years, though almost always minor, and definitely not always his fault. TSN's Bob McKenzie fills in some more background, including the note that Kane "is not beloved by some teammates and the feeling is undoubtedly mutual." Byfuglien, according to all accounts, is among those teammates.
So, which other team is going to get Evander Kane on the cheap?
Update (6:03 p.m.): And the Jets have placed Kane on injured reserve.
Photo: Getty