Kane deal nearly complete
San Jose reportedly will finalize $49M, seven-year deal today with forward
SAN JOSE >> The Sharks are on the verge of making Evander Kane one of the highest-paid players on the team for next season and well beyond, according to reports.
Multiple outlets reported Tuesday the Sharks were close to signing Kane, 26, to a seven-year contract that could be worth up to $49 million.
Per the Associated Press, the deal — one of the richest in franchise history — is expected to finalized today.
Without a new contract from the Sharks, Kane was slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
The Sharks were 12-6-1 for the last 19 games of the regular season — securing a spot in the playoffs — after Kane was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 26. Kane had 14 points in 17 regular season games with the Sharks and in his first trip to the NHL playoffs, had four goals and one assist in nine games. The Sharks advanced to the second round before they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
“Getting to know this group of guys and the coaching staff and this organization as a whole definitely helps and definitely gives me a great idea about San Jose and getting to know the city and the fans,” Kane said May 8, two days after the Sharks were eliminated.
As a condition of the Feb. 26 trade, the Sharks would owe the Sabres their first round draft choice in 2019 if they re-signed Kane. If they did not resign Kane, the pick would be a second-rounder. The first round pick the Sharks would owe the Sabres is lottery-protected, so it can be moved to 2020.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson did not immediately return a message Tuesday night seeking comment.
When asked about Kane on May 8, Wilson said he would soon sit down with Kane and his agent.
“I think he’s a differencemaker,” Wilson said. “He came in here and I talk about our leadership and our culture, I think he really appreciated that. We appreciated him. I think it was a good fit for him, it was a good fit for us.”
For next season, the Sharks’ players with the highest salary cap hits will be defensemen Brent Burns at $8 million and Marc-Edouard Vlasic at $7 million.