6 NHL Scouts Attend Barracuda AHL Game to Watch Evander Kane

Evander Kane has started his first game in the AHL and he’s got a few teams on hand from the NHL to watch him. News coming out of the San Jose Barracuda’s game is that at least six different scouts from six different NHL teams are on hand to see how Kane performs.

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Among the teams confirmed are the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Six scouts are credentialed for today's Barracuda game — ones from the Bruins, Penguins, Red Wings, Predators, Maple Leafs, and of course, the Stars.

— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) December 11, 2021

There will be a number of interested teams keeping tabs on how Kane does. If he performs well and keeps himself out of trouble, he could get another shot in the NHL, especially if the San Jose Sharks are rumored to retain up to 50% of his salary in a trade — a rumor that is out there and believed to be accurate.

As many fans know, Kane was the subject of a number of investigations by the NHL that included illegal gambling, abuse allegations and he ultimately was suspended 21 games for using a fake vaccination card. This is his first game back since the suspension.

Kane is in the fourth season of a seven-year contract that carries a $7 million cap hit. He’ll be a difficult player to trade at that price tag, especially with his off-ice history and reputation. He’s not welcome back to the San Jose Sharks locker room so the team is likely hoping he performs well with the Barracuda and sparks interest from NHL clubs. If the Sharks can get at least two or three teams interested at half of Kane’s salary, they won’t potentially have to part with a sweetener to facilitate a deal.

Kane is a two-time 30-goal scorer and surpassed 20 goals seven times in his career. His offensive production is not the issue.

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