Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Kane: I could’ve played vs. ‘Hawks, Jets made me healthy scratch

Winnipeg Jets v Colorado Avalanche

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 27: Evander Kane #9 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on December 27, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Evander Kane isn’t letting Wednesday night go.

After being held out of the lineup in a 4-1 loss to Chicago -- the second game in a row he missed with an unspecified injury -- Kane told reporters on Friday he was ready to face the ‘Hawks and insists he was a healthy scratch.

“I felt healthy enough to play,” Kane told the Winnipeg Sun. “My definition of a healthy scratch is a healthy player not playing. That was my interpretation.”

Embattled coach Claude Noel, who has run afoul of Jets players in the past (see: Burmistrov, Alex), told the Sun he’s discussed the matter with Kane and respects his opinion, but still stands by the decision to hold the 22-year-old out due to “health reasons.”

That said, it’s clear there’s some sort of rift between coach and player.

“I felt good in warm-up and obviously the feeling wasn’t mutual,” Kane explained. “Obviously it’s some sort of disagreement in a sense, but I don’t think it’s a big of a matter as some people are making it seem.”

Kane has six goals and nine points through 15 games this year, which is decent production. The problems in Winnipeg, it seems, are much larger in scope -- after spending huge in the offseason to retain its core players for playoff push, the club has just six wins through its first 17 games and sits dead last in the Central Division.