After an offseason where so much has gone wrong for Evander Kane, there was finally some news on him today that may end up turning out positive.
The 30-year-old San Jose Sharks winger was being investigated for allegedly gambling on his own games this past season, a claim made by his ex-wife, Anna. However, the investigation has stalled as investigators have been unable to get in touch with Anna. On top of that, Front Office Sports reported that no betting trends or abnormalities appeared in Sharks games.
One would hope that these claims, which Anna posted on her Instagram earlier this offseason, were false, however, it does cause suspicion that she is not communicating with investigators. Kane is certainly a player who has made some questionable decisions in his playing career and oftentimes is unliked within his own dressing room, but it would be quite difficult for an NHL player to intentionally try and throw a game.
The unfortunate thing here if these claims aren’t true is that so many believed them immediately given the fact Kane admitted to a gambling addiction shortly after he was forced to declare bankruptcy earlier in the year. Considering the fact he led the Sharks with 49 points this past season in what was his best campaign as an NHLer, it makes it hard to believe he was fixing games.
Regardless of what comes of this, it remains interesting to see what will happen with Kane for the 2021-22 season. There have been a number of reports from highly credible sources that several of his teammates spoke to general manager Doug Wilson about the need to get him off the team. It is similar to a situation earlier in his career with the Winnipeg Jets where numerous teammates had run-ins with him throughout their time together.
If he does indeed suit up for the Sharks, he is very capable of helping them if he is able to get his off-ice act together. He is very talented and could help get San Jose back into the playoff picture if he is able to play at his best and stop being a distraction, but the latter part of that sentence doesn’t seem very likely.
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