Kane, Sharks reach settlement agreement

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane and his former team, the San Jose Sharks, have reached an agreement regarding Kane’s grievance settlement.

“The San Jose Sharks have reached an agreement with Evander Kane regarding the termination of his NHL Standard Player Contract," the Sharks said in a team release Friday. "The agreement has been approved by the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. We are satisfied that its terms will not adversely impact the team, either financially or competitively, in this or future seasons.”

Kane was in the fourth season of a seven-year, $49 million deal in 2021-22 with the Sharks when his contract was terminated on Jan. 8 due to an alleged breach of COVID-19 protocols.

"I played some of my best hockey in San Jose and gave everything I had on the ice," Kane wrote in a statement on Twitter. "I really enjoyed playing in front of the Sharks fans and appreciate my loyal fans who have supported me throughout. Adversity can either break you or make you stronger, it certainly made me stronger. I'm happy to finally close that chapter of my hockey career. Edmonton, let's go!"

He stood to lose approximately $22.9 million from the deal, but his settlement will reportedly come close to making up the difference between Kane’s contract with San Jose and the four-year, $20.5 million contract he signed with Edmonton earlier this summer, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger. 

The NHL announced in January that Kane would not face discipline for the alleged protocol breach, which occurred while he was with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda.

Kane joined the Oilers soon after on a pro-rated one-year, $2.1 million contract, scoring 22 goals and 17 assists over 43 regular-season games. The 31-year-old native of Vancouver added 13 goals and four assists over 15 playoff games.