Evander Kane to make Oilers debut Saturday vs. Canadiens

The Edmonton Oilers are set to unveil their new controversial signing this weekend. Forward Evander Kane is slated to make his debut with the team on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

In an introductory news conference on Friday, the 30-year-old addressed Oilers fans.

"I wanted to clear up a lot of the misinformation, a lot of the storylines painting me in a certain light that just are completely untrue and inaccurate and false," Kane said, per The Athletic. "I would encourage them to be open-minded, to allow me to do what I do best and get to know me on the ice, off the ice, around the rink, in the community and see what I bring to the table."

Kane was waived by the San Jose Sharks earlier in January with the team claiming he breached his contract by breaking COVID-19 protocols. The veteran was suspended 21 games earlier in the season for submitting a false COVID-19 vaccination card.

In a Thursday report, the NHL said it found "insufficient evidence to conclusively find that Mr. Kane knowingly made misrepresentations regarding his COVID-19 status or test results in connection with his international travel." On Friday, Edmonton defended the decision to bring in Kane as well.

"I talked to a lot of people inside our organization — players, ownership (coach Dave Tippett) — and came to the conclusion that if there was any way we could get Evander to come here, we felt it was going to be in the best interest of the Edmonton Oilers to make us a better team," general manager Ken Holland said.

Kane's recent controversies surrounding COVID-19 protocols are far from the only issues the former fourth overall pick has faced in his career. He's had allegations of assault and domestic violence made against him and reportedly filing for bankruptcy after amassing $26.8 million in debt.