The Last Stop?

The San Jose Sharks finally did what they should have done long ago on Sunday night, placing Evander Kane on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Kane's behaviour in San Jose has been nothing short of embarrassing off the ice while with the Sharks, but it shouldn't surprise anyone after his stints in Buffalo and Winnipeg where he made more news off the ice for his antics than he ever did on it. After the Sharks assigned him to the AHL's San Jose Barracuda following his suspension for lying about being vaccinated, there were more anti-team antics and bizarre behaviours that ultimately led to San Jose's decision last night. Kane's time in northern California is over.

The NHLPA went ahead and did what it always does in situation like this in filing a grievance over this contract termination, but there would appear to be very little face for them to save when it comes to Evander Kane. They can try to make a case that a player's off-ice behaviour should have no bearing on his contract for what he does on the ice, but that's precisely why the NHL has Code of Conduct clauses in their Standard Player Contracts.

Ultimately, this saga will be decided by lawyers, but it's pretty clear that Evander Kane will never skate for the San Jose Sharks again. That might be good for Kane because there are teams that are reportedly interested in signing him, but, assuming that's true, what does that say about those teams outside of "winning is the ONLY thing that matters"? What does that say to their fans, their sponsors, their partners, and their employees if these teams are kicking tires on a player who has left a trail of burned bridges in three NHL cities?

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, this is the crux of the reasoning for the Sharks finally saying "enough" when it comes to Evander Kane:

"With support of the National Hockey League, the Sharks are alleging that Kane, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Dec. 21, made a flight to Vancouver on December 29th and they are saying he did not have permission to take that flight, medical clearance to take it, and that is being disputed.

"Also they said he was supposed to return to San Jose, the Barracuda's of the AHL, on Dec. 31 and did not come back until Jan. 6, also that is being disputed."

This goes beyond the gambling issues, the marital issues, and the myriad of personal issues he has with teammates because Kane executed his own personal decisions that went against the medical advice from the team, and then made decisions that led to him returning to the Barracuda, who expected him in their lineup, a week later than that to which he originally agreed. No offence to Kane, but if I didn't show up for a week of work without a valid explanation, I'd be fired from my job pretty quickly too.

Rumours on social media have teams like the Oilers, Maple Leafs, and Bruins keeping an eye on Kane's situation, but I cannot see any of those teams willing to deal with the circus that comes with Kane off the ice to have him score a handful of goals over the remainder of the season. Quite honestly, if any NHL team has any sense of "good in the room" or "team chemistry", adding Evander Kane to any of the 31 other rooms in the NHL would be the worst thing a general manager could possibly do.

Some have suggested that Kane may be better off in the KHL, but we know that experimented failed horribly when he joined Dinamo Minsk during the 2012 NHL lockout. Despite knowing that a CBA could be negotiated at any time between the NHL and NHLPA, Kane showed up out of shape and not ready for the rigors of KHL hockey, resulting in a rather brutal one goal, no assists, and a minus-8 rating in his 12 KHL games in the Belarussian capital. As Minsk athletic director Igor Matushkin said in a statement, "Unfortunately, Evander Kane could not adapt to hockey in the KHL."

While Kane has certainly been keeping himself in better shape with the Sharks, you have to wonder if he'd be able to land with a KHL team and put up numbers he only ever dreamed of achieving in the NHL. There are a handful of teams in the Russian league who welcome North Americans to their rosters, and we've seen the likes of other troubled players such as Brendan Leipsic and Jake Virtanen land there after their options in North America evaporated.

I'll be completely honest in saying that it's hard to find any sort of empathy or sympathy for Evander Kane in his current situation. The San Jose Sharks terminating his contract was the consequence of the actions he chose to take, and this isn't the first time his short-sighted actions have cost him in the long run. For all the talent he has on the ice, his ability to think beyond the next five minutes is simply a skill he has not developed at any point since joining the Atlanta Thrashers.

If San Jose is truly his last stop in North American hockey, Evander Kane's career will be remembered for missteps and poor decisions rather than highlight-reel goals and Hall-of-Fame statistics. For a man with so much hockey talent, he has no one but himself to blame for how his career may have ended.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!