Evander Kane’s name is back in the conversation for all the wrong reasons, and this time the criticism is coming from a former teammate who didn’t hold back. Former San Jose Sharks defenseman Kurtis Gabriel said on the San Jose Hockey Now podcast with Sheng Peng that Kane was a difficult presence during the 2020-21 season, his final year with the Sharks, and he called that behavior “absurd”.
Gabriel said Kane was regularly late to team meetings and described him as a bully and a locker-room problem. He also questioned how a player with Kane’s talent could keep creating issues and still find NHL opportunities.
Gabriel did add that he believed a “hurting” Kane was acting out, but he made it clear he didn’t enjoy sharing a locker room with him. He also said the rest of the Sharks room didn’t seem to either.
The timing matters for Kane, who is now searching for another NHL opportunity after a disappointing season with the Vancouver Canucks. He showed in Edmonton that he can be a difference-maker in the right setting, but his past keeps resurfacing. That could leave him looking at a professional tryout or a short-term deal, with teams weighing his scoring ability against the possibility of disruption.
While Kane’s future remains unsettled, Calle Järnkrok has made his next move official. The former Toronto Maple Leafs forward has signed a three-year contract with Brynäs IF and is headed back to Gävle, Sweden, where his professional career began. The deal runs through the 2028-29 season.
Järnkrok’s NHL run lasted 13 seasons after Detroit took him 51st overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. He played for the Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames and Toronto, finishing with 774 games and 316 points.
His time in Toronto turned difficult in the later stages, with injuries becoming a major issue after he scored 20 goals in his first season there. Surgery for a sports hernia was part of that stretch, and last season he posted six goals and eight points in 56 games with a minus-15 rating.
Back in Sweden, Järnkrok returns to the club where he once helped Brynäs win an SHL championship in 2012.
And in Minnesota, the Quinn Hughes situation appears to be moving in a direction the Wild can live with. According to Michael Russo, everything he’s hearing from Hughes’ side suggests the defenseman intends to sign with Minnesota. The larger question is how the contract gets built.
Russo said the Wild and Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson, have been talking all summer and still believe they can get an extension done before the season starts. The two sides have discussed different ideas, including term, average annual value and contract structure. A shorter deal is one possibility, and Russo suggested Hughes could pursue something in the three-to-five-year range rather than matching Cale Makar’s eight-year, $20.4 million annual extension.
That Makar contract has already reset the market at the top of the defense position, and Hughes is right there in that same tier. Minnesota may have to pay a premium to keep him, even if he opts for less term.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Suddenly Have A Big TV Question For Next Season
Bill Guerin spent part of his Minnesota State Fair stop working through the kind of off-ice issue that can matter almost as much to fans as the roster itself: how theyll actually watch the games next season. The Wild president of hockey operations made the rounds in multiple media interviews, and while no formal announcement has come from the team, reports from sports journalists have pointed to a possible shift in live game streaming to Amazon Prime, following a path the Dallas Stars have already taken.
For Wild fans, the bigger takeaway may be that the team is still expected to keep a linear cable or satellite option in place for viewers who want the traditional TV setup. Even so, any move toward a streaming-first model would be a meaningful change in how Minnesota supporters follow the club, and it leaves one of the biggest questions of the season still hanging out there as the calendar turns toward next year. [Read more 🡒]
Which Wild Star Could Finally Break Into The NHL Awards Race
Joel Eriksson Ek has long looked like the kind of player voters notice only after the season is over. He does so much of the thankless work that drives Minnesotas identity, which is why a Selke Trophy conversation would not come out of nowhere if he stays in the same role and keeps anchoring the Wild in the middle of the ice. The broader picture is even more interesting, though, because this is a team with a few names that could start to force their way into a leaguewide awards race rather than just the usual mix of local praise.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are the obvious stars to watch if Minnesotas offense is going to have the kind of season that gets attention beyond the Central Division, and much of that discussion comes down to health and whether they can put together the sort of performance that pushes a player into Hart Trophy territory. There is also an element of timing here, since the Wild have had talent before without quite crossing into that awards conversation, but the roster now has enough high-end skill that a breakthrough no longer feels far-fetched. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Fans Should Be Watching Winnipeg Very Closely Right Now
Connor Hellebuycks situation in Winnipeg is suddenly one of the most important goalie stories in the Central Division, and it has a direct ripple effect for the Wild. The three-time Vezina Trophy winner, long viewed as the backbone of the Jets, has now publicly confirmed through his agent that he has requested a trade, turning an already uneasy offseason into something much bigger for a division rival Minnesota knows well.
For the Wild, the timing matters because Winnipegs uncertainty could alter the balance of power in the Central. Hellebuycks request comes after a season that fell short of his usual standard, but his reputation and track record still make him a major piece of the NHL landscape. If the Jets have to pivot quickly, Minnesota will be watching closely, because what happens next in Winnipeg could shape the road ahead in a division where every small edge counts. [Read more 🡒]