There’s no denying Evander Kane is a talented player, but there simply is too much baggage with the San Jose Sharks forward right now for teams to justify acquiring him — especially at his current cap hit.
Kane, after getting put on and clearing waivers, has reported to the AHL’s Barracuda. He’s working to get back to the NHL after a series of controversies — from allegations of sexual assault and domestic battery, to using a fake vaccination card, to an investigation into him betting on games and a report that his teammates don’t like him.
So, while he is coming off a career year with 22 goals and 27 assists in 56 games, trading him and his $7 million cap hit can’t be easy.
But as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Tuesday, the Sharks are willing to retain salary.
“There are two questions on Evander Kane,” Friedman wrote. “First, is there anything that isn’t public teams need to be worried about? If the answer is no, we move to: What is his salary? If it’s the current $7 million, the market is very limited. If it’s $3.5 million — San Jose has let teams know they are willing to eat half — the market grows, and potentially even more if a third team is involved to further lower the hit.”
Kane was suspended 18 games to begin this season, so it seems unlikely teams will even consider trading for him until they see him play and are convinced there are no other legal issues. Even then, San Jose might be hard-pressed to trade him.
