The San Jose Sharks and forward Evander Kane have agreed to terms on a seven-year contract worth $49 million. After coming to the Sharks at the NHL Trade Deadline in the regular season, Kane was a productive forward for the Sharks and the team was looking to keep the forward in teal for the long term.
Sharks’ general manager Doug Wilson said of the signing “At only 26 years old, Evander has established himself as one of hockey’s true power forwards and an impact player. We think his abilities mesh perfectly with our group of skilled, young players and veteran leaders. It’s extremely heartening to have Evander join a trend of elite players who have chosen to remain in San Jose. It speaks volumes as to how players view this organization and further illustrates the continued commitment to our fans by our owner Hasso Plattner.”
GETTING CLOSE: San Jose #Sharks and F Evander Kane close to seven-year, $49 million contract extension. When signed, #Sabres would get San Jose's first-round pick in 2019. #NHL https://t.co/ESn8g6svyO pic.twitter.com/hLMw2orBbG
— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) May 23, 2018
Kane has been played in the NHL for nine seasons and while he’s been productive offensively, his career has been often overshadowed by off-ice controversy and rumors he’s hard to play with. Apparently, San Jose didn’t find those rumored behavior issues to be a concern as they inked him for seven more seasons at a considerable cap number. He scored 29 goals and 54 points in 2017-18 and has four 20-goal seasons to his resume including a 30-goal season with the Winnipeg Jets in 2011-12.
Kane scored nine goals and 14 points in his 17 regular season games with the Sharks and that, along with four goals and five points in nine playoff games was enough to secure him a long-term deal. He’ll now need to prove he’s worth the gamble and San Jose will likely make more changes this offseason as the time moves from an older roster to a younger and faster one.
As a result of the signing, the Buffalo Sabres will receive San Jose’s first-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft.
