Kane re-signs with Sharks

SAN JOSE, Calif. —

Evander Kane knew San

Jose was a good fit when

Joe Thornton showed up for a late-night airport pickup following a trade deadline deal.

That comfort was only reinforced over the next 10 weeks on the ice and in the dressing room. It left Kane with an easy choice as he headed toward free agency.

Kane bypassed a chance at the open market by signing a seven-year deal on Thursday worth $49 million to stay with the Sharks for the long term.

“It’s good to be wanted and I wanted them just as much as they wanted me,” Kane said. “The fact that we were able to work out a deal so quickly reflects that. Obviously, when you’re a free agent you have the option to do what you want and I made it clear to them that I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”

Kane will be paid $9 million the first year of the deal, followed by salaries of $8 million, $6 million, $7 million, $7 million and two years at $6 million, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because terms were not released. He also has a limited no-trade clause.

Kane, who turns 27 in August, was acquired from

Buffalo at the trade deadline in February and became a key part of San Jose’s team down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Under the terms of that trade, the Sabres will get a firstround pick in 2019 instead of a second-rounder because Kane signed with San Jose. The selection is lotteryprotected, so it could be moved to 2020.

RANGERS, COACH QUINN A ‘NATURAL FIT’

NEW YORK — David Quinn had been contacted by other NHL teams in recent years, and chose to remain at Boston University. When the New York Rangers came calling, it was different.

As talks with general manager Jeff Gorton and assistant GM Chris Drury — both of whom he’s known for many years — progressed, he knew it was time to make the move.

“It just seemed like a natural fit,” Quinn said Thursday when he was introduced as the Rangers’ coach at Madison Square Garden. “I’m 52 years old and at this point in my life, to be able to be the head coach of the New York Rangers was an opportunity I could not pass up.”

Quinn led the Terriers to four NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons, including a trip to the national title game in 2015. — The Associated Press The San Jose Sharks acquired Evander Kane before the NHL’s trade deadline. Kane opted not to test free agency, signing a seven-year contract to stay in San Jose.