Boughner unsure of Kane's status with Sharks

San Jose Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said on Tuesday that his team was expecting the Evander Kane situation to be handled by the league, but chose to concentrate on their task at hand.

The 30-year-old forward was suspended for 21 games on Monday for falsifying his COVID vaccination status.

#SJSharks Boughner and Couture say the team is disappointed how Kane breached COVID protocol. “We, as a group, put it outside our radar,” said Boughner; Couture adding that coaches had individual meetings & discussions with players to focus on moving forward without Kane.

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) October 19, 2021

"We, as a group, put it outside our radar," Boughner said ahead of Tuesday night's game at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. Boughner also indicated that his was unsure as to whether or not Kane would have access to team facilities during the suspension.

Sharks captain Logan Couture added that the coaching staff met with players individually to discuss moving forward without Kane as part of the team.

As for a potential return for Kane following the completion of his ban, Boughner says the decision will be up to ownership and management.

On a potential path for #SJSharks Kane’s return to the team:

Boughner said ownership and management will make their decision, which will trickle down to players and coaches.

Vlasic: “We’ll see once his suspension is over.”

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) October 19, 2021

Veteran defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic also demurred regarding Kane potentially rejoining the team.

"We'll see once his suspension is over," Vlasic said.

The 21st game of Kane's suspension is set to be a Nov. 30 contest against the New Jersey Devils, meaning that he would be eligible to return for the Sharks' Dec. 2 game against the New York Islanders.