Kane, Sharks Have A Lot in Common Heading into Tonight’s Reunion

Evander Kane had a personal message for me, when I asked him why things didn’t work out with the San Jose Sharks.

“We’ve continued to beat this dead horse over and over and over again. You seem to continue to want to talk about it over and over again, I’m not even part of the team anymore. You probably write more articles about me than you write about anybody else on the team,” Kane said on the eve of his first game at SAP Center since he signed with the Edmonton Oilers last month. “So I don’t know. I’m not going to get into that. I’m here to play hockey, and you’ll continue to make those judgments and write reports.”

For what it’s worth, I’ve never asked Evander Kane that question, and the last time I think he was asked, this was what he said to Oilers media two weeks ago: “There’s certain things that have happened, the majority of them outside of hockey, that have obviously been well-documented whether they’re accurate or inaccurate. For me, like I said, I take responsibility for things that I’ve done wrong but I’m definitely not going to take responsibility for things I haven’t done.”

Whatever happened, there’s one thing that Kane does have in common with his San Jose Sharks teammates. Neither side is giving up much of their emotions in the lead-up to tonight.

“Same as we’d be against another divisional team,” captain Logan Couture said yesterday. “At the end of the day, they’re a team we’ll have to pass to get to where we want to go. Pretty sure for guys on their team, our team, that’s the main focus.”

“Honestly, not that much,” Kane offered, when asked what he was feeling about returning to his home from 2018 to last month. “It’s funny, the coaches asked me yesterday, and I really haven’t given much thought to it. So I’m just looking forward to get out there and getting a win.”

The Sharks are three points behind the Oilers, both trailing the Anaheim Ducks for the last wild card playoff spot.

Kane had much the same type of answer when asked how he thought SAP Center (and perhaps his ex-San Jose Sharks teammates) would receive him.

“I have no idea [the reaction],” he said. “It probably matters to you guys more than it matters to me.”

Or when asked if he expected a chippier game than usual tonight?

“This is the NHL,” Kane noted tersely. “Every game is physical.”

Boughner, on why Gadjovich tonight: "Played really well against Tampa…Gadge is a guy that wasn't here with the [Kane] saga. Obviously, it's gonna be an emotional game tonight, a physical game…I like the fact that he has no chips in the game when it comes to relationships."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) February 14, 2022

Something both Evander Kane and the San Jose Sharks have in common? Safe to say, both sides are happier without the other.

“We just wanted to get back to a team that we just come to the rink with no distractions and play hard,” San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said yesterday. “If things didn’t work out here for him, I hope all the best for him somewhere else.”

“I’ve kind of moved on,” Kane indicated. “I’m happier where I’m at.”