If we are midway through another NHL season or thereabouts, it must mean that Evander Kane has messed up.
We would call him Evander Kane, except the Sharks are punting him off their team in the most thorough way possible. His contract is being terminated. You would think that a third team wouldn't want to play with Kane anymore. Getting talent on the cheap will always take precedence over a guy providing all the evidence in the world he is a tool.
Kane's latest balls-up, and apparently his last as a Shark, was yet another violation of COVID protocols. Kane was suspended for 21 games for faking his vaccination status. Kane had begun a stint with the Sharks in San Jose, but had entered isolation after testing positive for Covid. You don't have to fly to Vancouver on your own eight days later. Kane returned to the Barracuda six days after they expected him to, which was when his 10-day isolation period was over.
The Sharks didn't need much of an invitation to get out of their remaining money on his contract. Kane gave them an out, but he has been giving them and any other employer an out since he came into the league in 2009.
Kane has been in Atlanta/Winnipeg and Buffalo, and he had the same headaches. The same guy was accused of sexual assault in Buffalo. His lawyer denied any wrongdoing. Kane was given full custody of their daughter in December, but he faced domestic abuse accusations from his ex-wife. His lawyer also denies any abuse. He was sued by a Vegas casino. The one who was accused of betting on his team. He denied doing that. He missed a practice in Buffalo because he was too tired from partying at the NBA All-Star Game. Jets teammates hated him so much that they threw his clothes into the shower. Throw in the fake vaccination card and a trip to Vancouver.
That won't stop teams from calling him now that his contract is over.
Is Kane a good player? That is hard to argue against. He has seven 20-goal seasons, put up 30 in the last normal season of the NHL, and had 22 in 56 games last year. A good team could find room on their second or third lines.
The question about Kane is whether or not he is a guy who gives a shit. Kane has six playoff goals. He has played on just two playoff teams, which isn't necessarily his fault, but also might indicate that he has gotten big-time minutes to pad his goal-totals because he has been on garbage teams.
Combine that with the inescapable conclusion that he is a dressing-room anchor, and one wonders why everyone is in such a hurry to sign him. We don't live in that world, so the accusations of sexual assault and domestic abuse should have been enough to sideline Kane for a while. Kane resembles a hockey version of Bauer.
Kane could ruin a team's Stanley Cup hopes. We should be asking if the league and Kane would be better off without each other. Every GM wants to believe in the power of the room. Kane played his best and most important hockey in San Jose when Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and other players formed a strong leadership base. Every GM believes they have that structure in place.
Kane has never really faced consequences for his actions, which is what most of these teams don't realize. The last team to trade for him was always willing to do so again. This past suspension was the only major one he had faced, and he still broke the rules during the fuck. It is likely that whatever is next is worse than what came before.
We are going to find out, because this is the NHL.
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