Evander Kane has been suspended by the Buffalo Sabres for missing practice the day after he attended the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto.
Following Sunday’s win over the Colorado Avalanche, in which Kane scored 16th goal of the season — eight of which have been scored in his last 13 games — he hopped a private jet for Toronto, according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Kane appears to have been partying a bit while there, reportedly posting videos and photos to both his Snapchat and Instagram pages. Most of those have since been deleted.
The following day, he missed practice.
That mistake is going to cost him. Coach Dan Bylsma told the media Monday that Kane will not be traveling with the team to Ottawa and will be suspended for a game. “He slept in, called Tim and myself, broke a team rule. We’ll be dealing with it internally but he will not be playing in Ottawa. I’m disappointed,” Bylsma said.
Bylsma added that Kane called him and general manager Tim Murray to explain the situation.
Bylsma did note that the trip wasn’t the problem and that Kane is free to take trips like that during the season.
This is the second time the 24-year-old has run afoul of management in Buffalo and is currently involved in an ongoing investigation about an incident with a 20-year-old woman that alleges sexual misconduct.
Kane came to the Sabres last season in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets after he was suspended by the Jets for wearing a track suit to a team meeting, violating team rules.
After the trade, Murray said of Kane, “I’m not worried about his character.”
Coach Bylsma: Evander Kane missed practice. Broke a team rule. We will be dealing with it internally.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) February 15, 2016
