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Evander Kane has ‘come leaps and bounds’ for Jets coach

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)

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In the wake of yet another Evander Kane story that didn’t involve the actual playing of hockey (this one involved unpaid traffic tickets), Jets coach Claude Noel had a lot of good things to say about his young, star player this weekend.

“I think Evander Kane has come leaps and bounds for me in a lot of ways,” Noel said, per the Winnipeg Free Press. “The focus is always on a lot of things in the off-season, anything to write about. I don’t have any concerns with him. I see a huge change in him.

“I saw it last year. I’ve seen it through the summer. I’ve seen it both on and off the ice and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen. He’s very focused. I think he’s matured. This is part of the process. The problem is we’re under a microscope and that’s a little bit of an adjustment for a young player, a young man. I like a lot of what I’ve seen and I’m very excited to have him play this year. I think he’s got a lot to play for and I certainly know one thing, he wants to have success.”

Kane, 22, finished third in Jets scoring last year, with 17 goals and 16 assists in 48 games. In June, he had surgery on his left foot to remove pressure from a nerve,

Noel would certainly like to be right about Kane’s hunger for success. The Jets spent a lot of money this summer. Missing the playoffs again may not be an option if the coach wants to keep his job.

Related: Jets’ Kane apologizes for tweeting homophobic slur