Evander Kane has been in the NHL since he was 18 years old. But on Tuesday, he was a minor leaguer again, looking to make his way back to the big stage.
The Sharks' veteran winger cleared waivers following his 21-game suspension by the NHL, and on Tuesday was sent to the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Kane said that his first day with the Barracuda was "fun" but made it a note to not believe everything you hear about him.
"I think there's been a lot of misinformation that's been said, but I can only control how I act and what I do here and that's what I'm doing," Kane said to reporters.
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Kane was suspended by the NHL for reportedly submitting a fake vaccine card to the league. While he didn't dive too much into that, the 30-year-old did disclose his current vaccine status.
"You'll have to refer to the NHL statement they put out via suspension," Kane said when asked about using a fake vaccine card. "I served my time, did my 21 games and now I'm back."
"I'm fully vaccinated and that's all I really have to say about it," he added.
That, of course, isn't the only reason Kane has been in the news for the wrong reasons.
San Jose Sharks
Over the summer, Kane was investigated by the NHL on claims from his wife, Anna Kane, that Evander bet on NHL games. He called the gambling accusation "incredibly false" and the NHL found no evidence that he bet on games.
"It was definitely not great to be associated with that at the time," Kane said. "But they investigated me heavily ... found what they found, which is nothing."
Kane has been away from the Sharks since training camp and hasn't played in a game yet this season. He said he feels "great" and has been skating away from the Sharks for the past three weeks.
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Kane also still is under contract with the Sharks and has a no-trade clause. He says he'll keep showing up to the Barracuda as long as the Sharks keep sending him there, and he's happy to have the no-trade clause in his deal.
His future with the organization is unknown at this time.