Evander Kane clears waivers — should Sharks worry about him with Barracuda?

Forward Evander Kane, as expected, cleared waivers on Monday and was assigned to the Sharks’ AHL minor league affiliate, the first step in what the forward hopes will be an eventual return to the NHL.

Kane is expected to join the Barracuda for its practice at Sharks Ice on Tuesday morning and he will remain with the team for an indefinite period. Kane’s 21-game suspension for violating the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol officially ended after the Sharks’ game on Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks, a 2-0 San Jose win.

The Sharks are 11-9-1 without Kane. Their road trip continues Tuesday with a game against the New Jersey Devils.

Instead of paying Kane to stay home after his suspension ended, the Sharks are opting to assign Kane to the AHL to help try and increase his value on the trade market.

Kane, 30, hasn’t played since the Sharks lost to Vegas on May 12 in their 2020-2021 regular-season finale, didn’t practice with the Sharks during camp while was under NHL investigation and has sat out the last six-plus weeks as he served his suspension.

“Evander is looking forward to resuming his NHL career this season,” a statement from Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, read on Sunday.

Kane was the Sharks’ leading scorer last season with 49 points in 56 games, but his contract carries a salary-cap hit of $7 million for each of the next three seasons, presumably one of the main factors why no NHL team claimed him off waivers.

The Sharks, though, would reportedly be willing to retain some of Kane’s salary to help facilitate a deal. Kane’s contract carries a modified no-trade clause in which he would only accept a trade to three other teams, but he could potentially widen that list to increase the Sharks’ trade options. Teams are allowed to retain up to 50 percent of a player’s average annual salary.

Milstein, a guest Monday on the Donnie and Dhali Show based in Vancouver, Kane’s hometown, said in regards to a trade that “there are multiple options on the table.”

“We’re looking at all of the options, working closely with the San Jose Sharks and other parties involved,” Milstein said. “Hopefully there will be a resolution coming soon.”

For now, Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said he wants Kane just to get settled into the Barracuda.

“If he wants to look at (expanding his three-team list), he certainly could bring that up to us,” Will said Sunday. “But right now, our focus is just getting him to the Barracuda by Tuesday.”

Kane will likely be under a watchful eye once he joins the Barracuda.

Kane will be the oldest player on the team, as all but four players are under 25, with nine players 21 years old or younger. A report in The Athletic this summer indicated that Kane had an overall lackadaisical attitude toward team rules and practices, plus was involved in a confrontation last season with then-associate coach Rocky Thompson.

Will noted that Kane already has a relationship with Barracuda coach Roy Sommer, who served as an associate coach on Bob Boughner’s staff from Dec. 2019 to April 2020 after Pete DeBoer and three assistant coaches were fired by GM Doug Wilson.

Sommer, an Oakland native, is in his 24th season as the coach of the Sharks’ AHL affiliate and is that league’s all-time winningest coach.

“There’s very strong leadership with the Barracuda. Roy’s been around longer than anyone,” Will said. “Roy knows Evander, he knows the entire organization after having been an associate head coach a couple of seasons ago. Roy has been with many, many players, more than any other coach I know.

“He’s dealt with a lot of things in his career. So, he’s aware of this too, and I trust the environment.”

It is unclear when Kane will play his first game with the Barracuda. The team is scheduled to play in Abbotsford, B.C. on Saturday and Sunday, but he may need more time to get his conditioning up to his usual level. The Abbotsford area, too, has had severe flooding this month and there are road closures in the region, potentially affecting the status of this weekend’s games.

After this weekend, the Barracuda is scheduled to play at Stockton on Dec. 7, followed by home games with Abbotsford on Dec. 11 and 12.

“He’s in a great place right now, and very stable,” Milstein said. “He’s been obviously working out getting ready to get back on the ice and taking care of his personal things as well.”

NOTE: Sharks winger Andrew Cogliano has left the road trip to tend to a personal matter. Cogliano has five points in 20 games this season.