Report: Sabres haven't discussed new deal with Kane

Evander Kane's days with the Buffalo Sabres appear to be numbered.

Kane confirmed to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that he won't be re-signed by the Sabres, meaning the winger is set to become one of the bigger prizes at both the trade deadline and in free agency.

From Harrington:

He's in the final year of a six-year, $31.25 million contract he signed with the Winnipeg Jets in 2012 and confirmed to The Buffalo News this week what has been widely assumed: The Sabres have never negotiated with him on a new deal.

The decision, Kane added, appears to be mainly organizational, as he would've been more than willing to talk to general manager Jason Botterill about a contract extension.

"Of course I would have. Absolutely," he said. "I've said from Day One I've really enjoyed the time here. For me, it's a place where I've grown to know more and more about Buffalo. It's been a real great experience for me. I'm just going to continue that until I get told something different."

Kane has recorded 16 goals and 20 assists in 44 games for the Sabres, and is on pace to match his career-high 30 goals while setting a new personal bar in points.

He'll be highly sought after in a trade and later on the open market, but the asking price will likely be set quite high by the Sabres, even if interested teams might only gain his services for the balance of this season.