Friedman reveals that a historic and unusual trade could soon be completed between the Oilers and Sharks
Evander Kane joined the Edmonton Oilers in the middle of the 2021-22 season on a one-year contract after his previous contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks.
Many were intrigued to see how the association between Kane and the Oilers would play out, seeing that Kane had been caught up in numerous issues over the years: bankruptcy, a COVID-19 violation and a long legal battle with his ex-wife. Kane was eventually cleared by the NHL regarding his gambling allegations, but reportedly retained a restraining order against his ex-wife.
While Kane has stated that he would like to return to Edmonton, there may be obstacles in his way, although general manager Ken Holland also wants to retain the forward's services.
Kane is free to renegotiate and re-sign with the Oilers at any time before the free agency market opens on July 13. However, we are still waiting to see what happens with the grievance hearing regarding his contract with the Sharks. The hearing must determine if Kane will receive one or more of the remaining $22 million owed to him by the Sharks when they terminated his contract earlier this season.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman asked an intriguing question on Tuesday night. What if the arbitrator's decision is that Kane must return to the Sharks? Is there a side deal in the works between San Jose and Edmonton to ensure that Kane can return as an Oiler?
The Oilers have to hope that the Sharks end up with some of the money in order to negotiate a contract they can actually afford in order to keep Kane in the fold. As of today, Edmonton's payroll for next season is already over $75M for just 15 players...
Kane scored 22 goals and 17 assists in 43 regular season games for the Oilers, while adding 13 goals and four assists in 15 playoff games after signing for the team in January.
In short, we could be looking at a historic trade, one that has never been seen before in the NHL.
Imagine the scenario. Evander Kane (current Oilers player) could be traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Edmonton Oilers.
All this while he is already an Edmonton player. It's a case to watch, but it could really come to fruition and it would look like this:
TO Oilers - Evander Kane
TO SHARKS - Future considerations (or a distant choice).
An unusual and unique trade. This would keep Kane in Edmonton for $7 million per season.
| POLL | ||
What contract would you give to Evander Kane (per year) | ||
| 1 million | 52 | 12.6 % |
| 2-3 millions | 120 | 29 % |
| 4-5 millions | 160 | 38.6 % |
| 6 millions + | 82 | 19.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
