Evander Kane has been at Sharks Ice away from the team, source says

SAN JOSE – Evander Kane, eligible to play NHL games again in just over a week, has been at Sharks Ice away from the team, a source confirmed to this news organization.

Kane has served 17 games of the 21-game suspension he was handed by the NHL on Oct. 18 for violating the NHL and NHLPA’s COVID-19 Protocol by submitting a fake vaccine card. He is eligible to play again on Nov. 30 when the Sharks play on the road against the New Jersey Devils.

The Athletic first reported Sunday that Kane had been at Sharks Ice on Saturday. Hours before their game with the Washington Capitals, the Sharks, as has been their routine this season, held a morning skate Saturday at SAP Center.

Right now it is unclear how Sharks general manager Doug Wilson plans to handle Kane’s potential return to the organization.

Asked Saturday night after the Sharks’ 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals if he could share anything regarding Kane’s status with the team, coach Bob Boughner said he didn’t have any further information.

“And that’s completely honest,” said Boughner, who said late last month that he did not know where Kane was at that time. “I don’t have any information. You know, there are decisions that need to be made.”

Kane led the Sharks with 49 points in 56 games last season and the team could use his production to fill a glaring need for another bonafide goal-scoring winger in their top-six forward group.

With Saturday’s shutout, the Sharks have scored just eight goals in their last five games. The Sharks host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

Kane was not around the team at any point during training camp earlier this fall as the NHL opened two new investigations into the 30-year-old forward’s past behavior.

One centered around a COVID-19 protocol violation, and the other involved accusations of physical and sexual abuse raised by his estranged wife in a court filing in September.

The NHL said it could not substantiate the domestic abuse allegations but did find that Kane breached the league’s COVID protocol, slapping him with a quarter-season suspension that cost him roughly $1.68 million of his $7 million salary for this season.

Kane is still owed over $20 million over the final three-plus years of his contract, which is set to expire after the 2024-25 season.