How do you trade a problem like Evander Kane?

That’s what the Sharks are trying to solve right now.

There are many ways to do it, but none are easy. It’s complicated because of the combination of Kane’s immense ability on the ice, his many off-the-ice issues, and his sizable contract.

The biggest hang-up is his contract. Kane signed a seven-year, $49 million contract in May 2018 that still has this year and three more seasons left on it.

Right or wrong, teams will overlook a pending battery case in Buffalo, accusations of domestic violence by his estranged wife Anna Kane, a possible gambling problem, and multiple reported instances of the player breaking team rules or not getting along with his teammates. Not every organization will overlook these red flags, but a number of them will.  The concern is committing that many years to a player with such a checkered past, and therefore, an uncertain future.

With all that said, let’s look at how the Sharks can, realistically, part with Kane.

Sharks trade full contract

The Sharks already waived Kane and found no takers for free. 

Well, it wasn’t exactly free: A team would’ve had to assume the entirety of Kane’s remaining contract. That he cleared is an obvious sign of a devalued asset, despite his obvious productivity.

Kane has scored 48 goals over the last two shortened seasons, which leads the Sharks.

It’s still possible, however, for the Sharks to part with the entirety of Kane’s contract. The catch?

As Hart Levine of salary cap site Puckpedia suggested, they probably would have to take on another bad contract in return.

That’s not ideal, of course, but nobody wants Kane with his current contract without getting something, on top of Kane, in return.

It’ll probably be a really bad multi-year contract, probably close in terms to Kane’s remaining deal, coming back in this case.