5 players the San Jose Sharks could trade before the deadline

4. LW Evander Kane

Kane was acquired by San Jose at the 2018 trade deadline, and he was signed to a seven-year, $49 million deal in May of that year as part of the push to win a Stanley Cup in the short-term. That means he has five more years at a $7 million cap hit per year left after this season, which seems to make him immovable at the deadline and for the foreseeable future.

But Kane is still just 28-years-old, and he won’t turn 29 until August. He’s also pretty productive, with 35 points this season (19 goals, 10 power play goals, and 16 assists). He’s also leading the league in penalty minutes right now with 100, after doing so last year too (153 penalty minutes).

As plenty of contending teams seek scoring help, it’s possible Kane garners some interest now that the Sharks should clearly be looking to sell. In the bigger picture, taking on a $7 million cap hit through his age-33 season is definitely not as much of an albatross as it may seem for some contending teams. If it means bolstering a playoff run this year, and adding a physical scoring winger who fit on the top two lines and has power play prowess or the next couple seasons, taking on Kane’s contract may be worth whatever the risk may be on the back end come 2023-24 or 2024-25.