Leafs reportedly among the teams with interest in Evander Kane
As expected, the NHL Players Association filed a grievance on behalf of San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane, which claims that the Sharks don't have appropriate cause for terminating the remainder of Kane's deal.
The grievance was filed on Sunday, per TSN's Pierre LeBrun, but at this point, there is no timeline as to when we might see a resolution. If upheld, Kane will lose approximately $22.9M in salary from his current contract.
In addition, LeBrun is reporting, per Kane's agent (Dan Milstein) that multiple teams have significant interest in giving Kane another shot, albeit on a one-year deal that would give him a new home for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Milstein has also confirmed that Kane's hometown Vancouver Canucks are not among the teams who have reached out to him, but he did mention that he has plans to reach out to Jim Rutherford to determine whether or not the Canucks have interest in the gritty winger.
Surprisingly, the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly among the teams with interest according to the Toronto Sun's Michael Traikos. Traikos flirted with the idea of a line that features Evander Kane, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, where he can use his 6'2, 210-pound frame to wreak some havoc.
If his contract in San Jose is indeed terminated, the expectation is that wherever Kane lands, it will be at a significant discount. The 30-year-old has been limited to just 5 games this season, all with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda. He has 8 points over that span.
I think there was always going to be interest in a player that possesses the kind of talent that Kane has, but I was also under the impression that, given the circus that he brings with him, he wouldn't have a lot of options. Apparently I thought wrong.
