Evander Kane annoyed by tough questions following his first AHL game.

I have to be honest for a guy that is trying to get back into the National Hockey League and one that is no doubt also trying to pick up the pieces of his tattered reputation, this came off really poorly.

On Saturday veteran NHL forward Evander Kane played his first career game in the American Hockey League with the San Jose Barracuda, the AHL affiliate team of the San Jose Sharks, as part of a conditioning assignment following a lengthy suspension to start the season. Kane was relatively underwhelming in the outing finishing with no goals and no assists and a plus minus rating of -1, and quite frankly it was his conduct following the game that garnered more attention than his play on ice.

Following the game Kane addressed members of the media that were on hand to ask him some questions, and although they seemed relatively generic they seemed to draw the ire of the controversial forward. Kane appeared to take special issue with San Jose Sharks reporter Sheng Peng, and it seemed largely due to the fact that Peng was asking the questions that many fans have been wondering about.

When asked if he felt he was NHL ready, Kane smugly responding with the following:

"Well Sheng I am NHL ready," said Kane.

When Sheng clarified that he meant from a fitness perspective Kane again was curt with the reporter.

"Like I said.... I think I am... I don't get the question."

Later during his availability Peng asked him if he wanted to be back on the Sharks main roster, this time Kane deflected the question entirely.

"I think I've made my stance pretty clear and it's been well documented what happened," was all that Kane would say.

The best may have been saved for last. No doubt fully aware of the reports that have come out regarding the Sharks locker room and the disdain that some of the members of that locker room have had for Kane, Peng asked Kane if he had run into some of his Sharks teammates while in the building. This question seemed to visibly frustrate Kane who gave a condescending answer to the reporter.

"No Sheng, I play for the Barracuda right?" asked Kane. "So I come to the rink and I go to this room, how would I run into anybody? I don't know maybe you have been in more rooms than I have in this building, maybe you're more experienced than I am."

I don't believe this is going to help his image with fans or with teams potentially interested in acquiring him one bit. Which is a pity for Kane given that 6 teams were reportedly scouting him last night.