Teams believe there will be clarity on the Evander Kane situation next week

Teams in the Evander Kane sweepstakes are optimistic they will hear some sort of clarity regarding the NHL's investigation into the 30-year-old allegedly crossing the border into Canada illegally on December 29th.

"There are some teams who have said they will not go in Evander Kane's direction," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said. "But there are a couple who are hoping to see next week if there is clarity on whether or not Evander Kane will face any further penalty for potentially going over the border illegally from the United States to Canada on Dec 29."

Friedman added, "Now, he has maintained that he did nothing wrong, the NHL is investigating it, and the Canadian border services are believed to be investigating it, although they would not say anything about any specific case when they were asked about it this week."

Kane, a native of Vancouver B.C., was placed on unconditional waivers on January 8th by the Sharks and had his contract terminated the next day. In a statement, the Sharks said that Kane violated the AHL's COVID-19 protocol and breached his contract. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported that he travelled to Vancouver when he was supposed to be isolating at his home in San Jose after being placed in the AHL's COVID protocol.

"The NHL has said they will not provide a timeline, they will not commit to a timeline on when this investigation will be closed, but some teams are hoping to know next week if they will be able to sign Kane or whether or not he will face any further punishment," Friedman said.

With Kane likely to sign in the near future, two of the front runners appear to the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers. Kane led the Sharks in goals (22) and points (49) and has also scored 20 or more goals in six consecutive seasons.

Teams are optimistic that they'll receive more clarity on Evander Kane's situation this week.https://t.co/PsGuYhgZab— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 16, 2022

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