Evander Kane, injured throughout playoffs, deserves extension with Sharks

Evander Kane said he’s been playing hurt, but will that impact his looming free agency?

With their loss to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday night, the San Jose Sharks are moving toward setting tee times. Evander Kane notably dropped off over the course of the series, with just one goal in the six games and only three shots on goal over the final two games.

But it turns out Kane had an excuse, if he wanted to use it. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, Kane said he had been playing with a separated shoulder and had previously dealt with an MCL injury.

After being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres near the trade deadline, Kane had 14 points (nine goals, five assists) in 17 regular season games for the Sharks. He then got his first taste of playoff action, and promptly scored two goals in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.

Kane had 54 combined points during the regular season, and he has 20 or more goals in three straight seasons. As a big physical forward with scoring prowess, and not yet 27 years old, Kane will be a hot commodity upon becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

As a condition of the deal to get Kane, the Sharks will send a 2019 first-round pick to the Sabres if they re-sign him this offseason. If he lands elsewhere, they’ll surrender a 2019 second-round pick to Buffalo. It’s not ideal to part with a first-round pick, but if they see Kane as someone to build around going forward, it would be a small price for San Jose to pay based on where they would expect that pick to fall.

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With no public mention of the possibility, it’s not immediately clear if Kane needs surgery on either of his ailments. But the Sharks have a nearly two-month exclusive negotiation window to have an eye on his healing process, with or without surgery, and their course of action stands to say a lot about where Kane lands as a free agent.