Evander Kane's tumultuous run with the San Jose Sharks is over. The Sharks placed Kane on unconditional waivers Saturday with the intent to terminate the rest of his seven-year, $49 million deal.
San Jose said it made the decision because Kane breached the NHL standard player contract and the AHL's COVID-19 protocols. Kane joined the Sharks' AHL team, the Barracuda, late November after serving a 21-game suspension for submitting a fake vaccine card to the NHL.
The 30-year-old Kane played only five games with the Barracuda before entering COVID-19 protocols on Dec. 22.
San Jose's decision to waive Kane comes after months of controversy surrounding the once highly-touted forward. In July, Anna Kane – Evander Kane's estranged wife – accused her husband of betting on NHL games and "throwing (his own) games with bookies to win money" in an Instagram post. The NHL investigated Anna Kane's accusations but found no evidence to support them.
NHL gambling wasn't the only illicit act Anna Kane accused her husband of. She also claimed Evander Kane physically and sexually abused her during their marriage, causing her to file a restraining order against him in a Santa Clara court last September.
Evander Kane, however, claimed Anna Kane was violent with him prior to her filing and was granted a temporary restraining order of his own. The timing of Anna Kane's filing caused Evander Kane's lawyers to describe the move as "retaliatory."
The NHL announced it couldn't verify Anna Kane's domestic abuse allegations on Oct. 18.
Kane will finish his Sharks career with 212 games played and 166 points (87 goals, 79 assists). He joined the team in 2017-18 after spending his first nine NHL seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres.
With San Jose terminating the remainder of his contract, Kane is set to lose roughly $22.9 million from his original seven-year, $49 million deal. It's not an ideal time for Kane to lose that income, as he reportedly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California last January after incurring $26.8 million in debt.
According to The Athletic's Daniel Kaplan, Kane lost $1.5 million to gambling the month of his bankruptcy filing. Days before Kane filed for bankruptcy, Centennial Bank sued Kane for $8.3 million in Florida federal court over gambling debts.
