Former San Jose Sharks forward and Vancouver native Evander Kane is set to sign with the Edmonton Oilers, according to Tim Peel of Daily Faceoff.
The Fourth Period’s Irfaan Gaffar also backed Peel’s report, adding that there were a “handful of teams” in on Kane but that a conversation with Oilers captain Connor McDavid helped Kane make his decision.
In a recent press conference when he was asked about Kane, Oilers GM Ken Holland said he “believes in second chances”, and that he knows Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, quite well, as Milstein was once the representative for Pavel Datsyuk.
Nothing has been made official, and the league has notified teams that they will be conducting an investigation into allegations of Kane attempting to fly into Vancouver while COVID-19 positive, which could hold up any potential deal.
Kane has had all sorts of off-ice issues highlighted recently, including his partner making social media posts about his alleged gambling addiction and more.
Kane was suspended by the NHL for 21 games earlier this season after he produced a fake vaccination card in an attempt to skirt the league’s rules. Following his suspension, Kane was assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda playing games solely in California. In five games, he scored two goals and tallied eight points.
The Sharks cut bait with Kane, and in a statement, said the termination was due to a “breach of his NHL Standard Player Contract and for violation of the AHL COVID-19 protocols.”
This made Kane a free agent free to sign with any team, and it appears the Oilers are the team willing to take that gamble as they look to get any help they can get in turning their season around.
As we wrote a few days ago, the Canucks hadn’t reached out to Kane’s agent and it’s not believed that they were ever all that interested in the much-maligned 30-year-old forward.
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