Sheng Peng
Evander Kane is going fast.
The unrestricted free agent, his contract terminated by the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, will have a “contract by [the] weekend” per his agent Dan Milstein.
Update from Evander Kane's agent Dan Milstein: “We are interviewing with teams. Almost done. Contract by weekend.''
We'll have more at the top of the hour on TSN's Insider Trading with @DarrenDreger, @reporterchris and moi— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 11, 2022
“I believe in second chances,” Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland declared about Evander Kane today. Holland also confirmed that he had spoken with Milstein about Kane.
Ex-NHL referee Tim Peel, now with The Daily Faceoff, is saying that Kane to Edmonton is a done deal.
I’m hearing Evander Kane will be signing in the next few hours. Destination: Edmonton Oilers. @EdmontonOilers #nhl #HockeyTwitter
— Tim Peel (@TimCPeel20) January 11, 2022
Besides the Oilers, Michael Traikos of Post Media reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights were also interested in the high-scoring winger’s services.
However, there’s some pushback on the purported Leafs interest:
https://twitter.com/LeafsSeason/status/1480917464758337541
Kane led the San Jose Sharks in goals in each of the last two years, but the controversial winger has been beset by a number of off-the-ice issues over the last calendar year.
By all accounts, Kane would like to play with a Stanley Cup contender, and to varying degrees, all the teams mentioned are in the hunt, per Fanduel’s NHL Stanley Cup odds, from the less likely +2700 Oilers to the +750 Golden Knights. The Sharks, by the way, stand at +10000.
Could Evander Kane reunite with former Sharks teammate Joe Thornton in Florida? Or former Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer in Vegas? The Oilers are also especially intriguing, considering Edmonton is actually behind San Jose in the Western Conference playoff race at the moment.
I’m told most contending @StanleyCup contending teams have reached out to Evander Kane’s Camp.
My understanding is they’re doing their due diligence by speaking to players that’ve played with him at @NHL Team Canada level, and his agent. @espn @NHLNetwork @NHL #HockeyTwitter— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) January 11, 2022
It looks like we won’t have to wait long to find out.