SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Sharks have designated forward Evander Kane as a non-roster player as they get set to start the regular season later this week.
In revealing their opening day roster Monday, the Sharks said Kane is considered a non-roster player “pending completion of the NHL’s investigation.”
NHL teams had to submit rosters of no more than 23 players by Monday at 2 p.m. (PT). The Sharks right now have an active roster of 22 players.
Kane has stayed away from the Sharks throughout training camp as the NHL proceeded with two investigations into the forward’s past behavior. One centered around the possible use of a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, and the other involved accusations of physical and sexual abuse raised by his estranged wife in a court filing last month.
As of now, there is no precise timeline for the NHL’s investigation to be completed. Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, told The Athletic in a podcast published Monday that there should be more news regarding Kane in the near future.
Kane, through his lawyer, denied ever abusing Anna Kane or hurting their daughter. Also, no criminal charges have been filed against Kane.
Kane, 30, is entering the fourth year of a seven-year, $49 million contract he signed with the Sharks in May 2018. He was the team’s leading scorer last season with 22 goals and 49 points in 56 games and is still owed $26 million in salary.
Kane’s contract has an average annual value of $7 million and the NHL’s salary cap for this season is $81.5 million. A Sharks team spokesman said the salary cap situation as it relates to Kane is still to be determined. The Sharks’ first game is Saturday at home against the Winnipeg Jets.
The Sharks as of now are carrying 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies — Adin Hill and James Reimer.
The Sharks right now have seven rookies, including William Eklund, Jasper Weatherby, Jonathan Dahlen, Jonah Gadjovich, and Lane Pederson, and defensemen Santeri Hatakka and Jake Middleton.
By having just 22 players on the roster right now, the Sharks can add forward Jonah Gadjovich, who they claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks last week, to the roster without sending anyone else down.
In other roster moves Monday, the Sharks placed forward Jeffrey Viel on injured reserve. Defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has a lower-body injury and has not skated with the team, and has yet to pass a physical.
