Evander Kane is staying with the Edmonton Oilers.
The left winger announced on social media very late Tuesday evening he signed a four-year deal with an average annual value of $5.125 million. He would have become an unrestricted free agent at 10 a.m. MT Wednesday.
“A big part of my decision to stay in Edmonton was because of the opportunity given to me only seven months ago but also the chance to be a part of a championship team,” Kane tweeted.
“I want to win, and I believe after signing this deal we will be able to add the right pieces along with myself to accomplish that goal, a championship.”
Kane, 30, joined the Oilers in late January and racked up 39 points in 43 games. In the playoffs, he had 13 goals and 17 points in 15 games.
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“I want to thank the Edmonton Oilers for giving me an opportunity to REMIND people who I am as a player and person,” he also wrote in his tweet.
Kane was available at the time because the San Jose Sharks has terminated his contract. He’s filed a grievance against the Sharks which has yet to be resolved.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, Oilers general manager Ken Holland was asked if the grievance or its outcome — which could potentially see the rights to him as a player go back to the Sharks — concerned him.
“It all comes back to Evander wants to be in Edmonton and wants to play for the Edmonton Oilers,” he said. “I’m comfortable that that’s going to happen.”
Holland noted that he discussed the grievance with Kane and his agent before the new contract with the Oilers was agreed to.
While answering questions from reporters on Wednesday, Kane was asked why he was comfortable signing a contract for the amount of money that he did given some hockey commentators believe a player with his skills and recent statistics could command more.
“I was willing to definitely take less,” the forward said. “I want to win and in order to win you need to have more than one or two players.
“I think this gives our group the best opportunity to be able to put more pieces in place, to give ourselves the best shot and opportunity to be successful.”
Kane also pointed out that he wanted to stay in Edmonton, noting “this is the first real chance where I’ve been kind of free to choose where I want to play.”
“(I have) a strong belief in this group and wanting to be a part of a team that has a chance to win — a real chance to win,” he said.
“The guys and the team and the organization, it just seems to fit really, really well together.”
Holland told reporters that during spring exit interviews with players when the Oilers were ousted from the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche, it was made clear to him how Kane’s teammates felt about him.
“Everybody in that locker room wanted him back and made that very clear to me,” he said. “(They) felt that we were a much better team with Evander.
“He found tremendous chemistry with Connor (McDavid), with Leon (Draisaitl)… He brings an edge to his game — some personality, some physicality. It’s not only the ability to score goals.”
The Sharks said they terminated the remainder of Kane’s seven-year, US$49 million contract for violating COVID-19 protocols while in the American Hockey League. On Wednesday, Kane said he was not willing to speculate on what the outcome of his grievance would be, but noted he is “confident — extremely confident — in the outcome I believe would occur when it gets to the decision of an arbitrator with the case that we have.”
“Obviously I feel my contract was wrongly terminated,” he said.
–With files from Phil Heidenreich, Global News
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