“Multiple sources” confirm the reason behind Evander Kane's contract termination.

National Hockey League star forward Evander Kane probably got some of the worst news of his life today when he was informed by the San Jose Sharks that they would be terminating his NHL contract effective immediately. Kane was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination on Saturday and we are now learning the reasons why the move was made.

First, here is what the Sharks had to say on the matter via the team's official website:

The San Jose Sharks have informed Evander Kane that he has been placed on unconditional waivers with intent to terminate his contract for breach of his NHL Standard Player Contract and for violation of the AHL COVID-19 protocols.

The Club will have no further comment on this matter.

As you can see the Sharks shed very little light on the matter, however Kevin Kurz of The Athletic is now reporting that multiple sources have confirmed the details of this decision. Although Kurz now covers the New York Islanders for The Athletic, he was a long time Sharks insider up until just recently and I have no doubt that his sources on this matter are impeccable.

From Kurz:

The Sharks’ Evander Kane contract termination stems primarily from him traveling to Vancouver while COVID positive, according to multiple sources

If this in any way has impacted his ability to travel between Canada and the United States of America it's not hard to see why that could prove to be a major problem for a team in a league that has several teams on either side of the border. If I'm being honest though I strongly suspect that the Sharks were looking for a way out of this deal already, either via trade or through some other mechanism, and this no doubt proved to be only the final straw in what has been a very tumultuous history for Kane during his time in San Jose.

Kane's financial issues were made public in the offseason, Kane was involved in a very ugly and very public feud with his soon to be ex wife, he received a massive 21 game suspension for allegedly submitting faulty documentation regarding his vaccination status prior to the start of the season, and was even allegedly despised by other members of the team's locker room.

"That guy walks into a room and the flowers wilt," said an agent with clients on the Sharks roster.

The Sharks put up with a lot from Kane, but it seems he finally ran out of second chances.