Although it hasn't been made official yet, we are now hearing reports that Kane may not be able to test free agency on July 13 like the rest of the players who are expected to be free agents at the end of this current season.
On Monday morning, National Hockey League whistleblower Pierre LeBrun reported that there was not yet a scheduled date for Kane's second grievance hearing against the San Jose Sharks, and furthermore, LeBrun indicated that as a result, it is unlikely that Kane will have the grievance resolved in time for him to hit the open market.
That leaves Kane in a pretty terrible position, one that could potentially cost him millions of dollars. While there are undoubtedly a large number of teams interested in Evander Kane after his recent performances as a member of the Edmonton Oilers, there are legitimate questions as to whether or not those teams will be willing to set aside the cap space necessary to sign him.
Kane had likely set himself up for a big contract with his regular season performance, scoring 22 goals and adding 17 assists for 39 points in 43 games despite missing the first half of the season. His performance with the Oilers in the Stanley Cup playoffs may have even surpassed that, as he scored 13 goals and added 4 assists for 17 points in just 15 playoff games.
Regardless of what you think of Kane, you certainly feel like he's had quite a season.
POLL | ||
5 JUILLET | 242 ANSWERS Evander Kane is getting screwed by the National Hockey League How many goals will Kane score next season | ||
Around 20 | 47 | 19.4 % |
Around 25 | 76 | 31.4 % |
Around 30 | 92 | 38 % |
35 + | 27 | 11.2 % |
List of polls |