The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms with winger Evander Kane on a one-year contract for the remainder of the 2021-22 NHL season. According to Darren Dreger, the agreement is verbal and a contract still needs to be signed which will come in the upcoming days. The contract will have a $750,000 salary and a $625,000 signing bonus, for a cap hit of just over $2.1 million with a full no-movement clause.
Kane has been involved in many off-ice issues that have landed him in trouble over the course of his NHL career. This includes assault and harassment charges (2016) gambling debts and bankruptcy (2019), NHL game betting allegations (2021), Domestic violence allegations filed by his wife (2021), and finally violation of NHL Covid protocols (2021), which winded up getting his contract terminated by the San Jose Sharks.
Now Kane will join a struggling Oilers team that are 4-11-3 in the past 18 games that desperate need of talent. Kane is a perennial 20+ goal, 50+ points player that could be a big contributor in the Oilers’ top 6. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid even said this about Kane with ongoing rumors about his signing. “Right now it’s all speculation. Obviously, Evander is an amazing player and he’s had lots of success over the last couple of years and whatever else is going on, it’s not something I look into much.”
However, this signing does come at a risk. Evander Kane has been surrounded by drama his whole career with players he has played with complaining about his presence on the team. If Kane can stay away from trouble in Edmonton, this would end up as a steal for Oilers. But if not, this gamble will go bust.
