San Jose Sharks have to pay Evander Kane after grievance
Anthony Scultore
|
Evander Kane had his contract terminated last year by the San Jose Sharks. At the time, his agent said that the team had no grounds to do so. The NHLPA filed a grievance on his behalf and the results favored Kane with a decision coming down on Friday.
Per the Sharks statement:
“The San Jose Sharks have reached an agreement with Evander Kane regarding the termination of his NHL Standard Player Contract. The agreement has been approved by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. We are satisfied that its terms will not adversely impact the team, either financially or competitively, in this or future seasons.”
Evander Kane wins grievance
Per multiple sources, the decision bridges the money gap for the last three years of his contract. Kane’s new deal with the Edmonton Oilers is for four years, he was owed $19 million on his previous Sharks contract. The difference between the first three years of his new deal and his old is $2.5 million which will be applied to the Sharks cap for last season. San Jose finished with almost $5 million in cap space so there is no penalty.
“I really enjoyed playing in front of the Sharks fans and appreciate my loyal fans who have supported me throughout,” Kane posted on social media. “Adversity can either break you or make you stronger, it certainly made me stronger. I’m happy to finally close that chapter of my hockey career. Edmonton let’s go!”
During the 2021-22 campaign, Kane was suspended for 21 games in September for violating the NHL’s COVID policy. That led to the San Jose Sharks terminating his contract and making him a free agent. He went on to sign a one-year show me deal with the Edmonton Oilers and it worked out for both sides.
Kane, 31, had a big postseason with 13 goals and 17 points in 15 games. That performance, along with a solid regular season of 39 points in 43 contest had him as an interesting UFA target this past summer. That was before he re-upped with the Oilers for four-years ($5.125M AAV) on the eve of free agency.
