Forward Evander Kane’s name was put on unconditional waiver by the San Jose Sharks in an attempt to free him from his contract on Saturday.
• Read also: Evander Kane suspended 21 games for violating NHL COVID protocol
• Read also: Sports betting: NHL player under investigation
In a short statement, the California team said they made the decision since the 30-year-old “violated his standard NHL player contract and violated AHL COVID-19 protocols.”
The British Columbian is in the fourth campaign of a lucrative seven-year contract worth $ 7 million annually. With this breach of contract, Kane will leave on the table an amount of $ 22.9 million, according to the specialized site CapFriendly.
He would thus become a free agent without compensation as soon as he leaves the waiver and will be free to come to an agreement with another club.
However, Kane doesn’t intend to give up his contract, and the money attached to it, that easily. His agent, Dan Milstein, has said his client will file a grievance if he is not claimed on waivers.
“The Sharks do not have sufficient grounds to make this decision,” Milstein wrote on Twitter.
The NHL Players Association has also confirmed that it will support Kane’s cause as well.
Kane collected the controversies in 2021. In November, he was suspended for 21 games by the National Hockey League (NHL) for violating the COVID-19 protocol. Front Office Sports media reported in October that the player allegedly used a fake vaccination card.
Sharks’ leading scorer in 2020-2021 with 49 points in 56 games, Kane was finally placed on waivers at the end of November. Unclaimed, he reported to the American League’s San Jose Barracuda, amassing eight points in five games, before contracting COVID-19 on Dec. 21.
Also last year, Kane was also cleared by the NHL of the sports betting allegations once morest his own team that he faced. Several public dissensions with his ex-wife and a declared bankruptcy in January also tarnished his year 2021.
In his career, the man who was selected fourth in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers has recorded 264 goals and 242 assists for 506 points in 769 games. He also wore the colors of the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabers.
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