The San Jose SharksYou have been placed Evander KaneOn Saturday, they gave waivers to him and said that they would terminate his contract because of “breach” or for violating AHL COVID-19 protocols.
Kane will be available for other teams to claim within the next 24 hours. If Kane is not claimed, the Sharks will end his contract, which has a cap of $7 million through 2024-25.
Kane’s agent declined comment to ESPN on Saturday.
Kane was released in November from a 21-game suspension after submitting a false vaccination card. Kane was deemed fully vaccinated by the Sharks before Kane was re-instated.
According to ESPN sources, San Jose attempted to trade Kane for the past two months. They believed that Kane was not a viable option due the broken relationship. Sources claim that Kane was being considered by several teams, but talks did not progress beyond the preliminary stages. Although the Sharks offered to retain Kane’s $7million salary, they were keen to trade for more.
The NHL was investigating domestic assault allegations made against Kane by his estranged spouse, Anna Kane. This was in addition to Kane’s suspension. The NHL announced the suspension of 21 games, stating that it was conducting a concurrent investigation into domestic abuse allegations made against Kane’s estranged wife. [Anna]”
Anna Kane also accused Kane of betting, including on NHL games. She claimed Kane deliberately sought to influence the outcomes for his advantage. Kane was cleared by the NHL after it investigated and found no evidence that Kane had ever bet on hockey.
The Sharks told Kane, even before his suspension, not to report to training camp. ESPN reports that Kane has been told by multiple Sharks players not to report to training camp.
During his 21-game suspension, Kane didn’t practice with the team nor interact with other teammates at the facility. After being drafted by Atlanta Thrashers, Kane was 30 years old and has been a player for three different organizations. Before being traded to Sharks in 2018, Kane had also been drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers. Kane has been a part of 769 NHL seasons and has scored 242 goals as well as 506 points.
Kane scored eight points in five games against the San Jose Barracuda.