Evander Kane’s grievance hearing vs. San Jose Sharks takes place today

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Evander Kane’s grievance hearing regarding his contract with the San Jose Sharks is taking place as we speak and will determine whether or not he’s entitled to any of the nearly $23 million he was owed before his contract was terminated.

As we saw yesterday, Kane was absent from Oilers practice and now we know why as he will be looking to recoup some or all of his contract with the San Jose Sharks that was voided back in early January. Leading up to these issues, Kane was in the fourth season of a seven-year, $49 million contract and stands to lose about $22.9 million as a result of his contract being cancelled by the Sharks. Before this all happened, however, Kane was suspended for 21 games near the start of the year for allegedly submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, which resulted in him being assigned to the AHL’s Barracuda after the suspension was over. Kane did not play any games for San Jose in 2021-22.

As a result, the NHLPA filed the grievance on Kane’s behalf after the Sharks placed him on unconditional waivers in January for the purpose of voiding his deal. If the ruling goes in San Jose’s favour, the Sharks would be free of paying Kane what’s left on this long-term deal over the next three seasons. At this stage, we have no idea when or how proceedings will end, but according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, a decision isn’t expected to be reached Tuesday as there are many details and angles to consider. From an Oilers perspective, what happens during this hearing could directly affect Edmonton’s ability to re-sign Kane as he may be less inclined to chase the bag if he’s getting some money back from the Sharks, but that’s obviously just me guessing at this point.

Since joining the Oilers after having his contract terminated, Kane has registered 16 goals and 31 points in 37 games played with Edmonton. While Jay Woodcroft explained that Kane would be away for a couple of days after Monday’s practice, he is expected to rejoin the team ahead of Wednesday’s matchup with the Dallas Stars at Rogers Place.