San Jose Sharks gamble big on Evander Kane

The San Jose Sharks are putting a lot of faith in EvanderKane after handing him a massive extension

The San Jose Sharks have made a massive gamble on Evander Kane after handing the winger a seven-year, $49 million contract extension.

Kane played well for the Sharks after the club acquired him at the NHL trade deadline for a prospect, a 2019 first-round draft pick and a 2020 fourth-round draft pick. He recorded 14 points in 17 regular season games in San Jose and chipped in four goals and an assist in nine playoff games.

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The 26-year-old, who’ll be 27 on opening night next season, had instant success upon arriving in San Jose. Although questions about Kane’s maturity have followed him throughout his career, the winger was on his best behavior for the most part with his new club.

However, Kane did have one incident that raised doubts about whether or not a team would want to commit to him long term. In Game 1 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Sharks were destroyed in a 7-0 loss.

Kane allowed his frustrations to get the better of him as he crosschecked Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the face after a whistle in the third period and was ejected from the game. He’d then be suspended for Game 2 as a result of the crosscheck.

It’s incidents like these that seem to plague Kane. Just when it looks like the player has turned the corner and is focused on playing great hockey, he then has a brain cramp that hurts him and his team.  With a $7 million a year cap hit for the next seven seasons, the San Jose Sharks can’t afford Kane to continue to lose his cool in key games.

San Jose would lose Game 2 against Vegas in overtime and there is no question had Kane been able to play in Game 2, the series could have been completely different.

Along with maturity issues, the San Jose Sharks will also have to worry about cap space moving forward as several key players are soon to become free agents. Tomas Hertl and Chris Tierney are restricted free agents in July, while decisions will also need to be made on unrestricted free agents Joe Thornton and Jannik Hansen.

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Looking ahead to July 2019, Logan Couture, Joonas Donskoi, and captain Joe Pavelski will all be unrestricted free agents. With Kane’s new $7 million cap hit, it could make things difficult getting all of the Sharks’ free agents under new contracts, especially as Couture and Pavelski will likely receive significant raises from their current $6 million per year cap hits.

By handing Kane $49 million over seven years San Jose clearly believes they’ve found a building block for their future. The club is about to enter a transition period as they decide what to do with Thornton and how they handle Couture’s and Pavelski’s next contracts. However, one thing clear about the transition period is the team expects Kane to be a major piece moving forward.

Handing a seven-year extension to a 26-year old isn’t a terrible decision given the player will just be entering his mid-30s as the deal expires. Although it’s crucial in the cap era to ensure long-term contracts are given to the right type of player and at-best throughout his career Kane has proven to be a gamble.  It was only a few months ago the Buffalo Sabres were having a difficult time even finding a trading partner as they desperately tried to move him prior to the deadline.

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Whether or not the gamble for the Sharks pays off remains to be seen as the club will have to wonder if they get the player who scored 14 points in 17 regular season games. Or the player who lost his cool when it mattered most and got suspended in the playoffs, putting his team in a hole they weren’t able to climb out of.