The relationship between Evander Kane and the Sharks has been broken for months, and the chances for an amicable parting of ways were slim.

The team decided it wants to move on Saturday, but it’s not going to be a clean ending.

Citing a breach of his NHL contract and a violation of AHL COVID-19 protocols, the Sharks placed Kane on unconditional waivers, with the intent to terminate his contract should he clear Sunday. The franchise believes it has the ability to walk away from the more than $22 million still owed to Kane, not to mention the $7 million in salary cap space in each of the next three seasons, without any penalty. The NHL supports the decision.

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The NHL Players’ Association disagrees. Kane’s agent does too. Assuming Kane does clear waivers Sunday, the Sharks will move to terminate his contract. Then the PA will file a grievance, and a process that isn’t likely to be pleasant for either side will commence.

“Based on what we have been told, we are satisfied there are adequate grounds to support a contract termination,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. 

“We are aware of the Sharks’ decision to put Evander on waivers for contract termination,” Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, said on Twitter. “If he clears, we will file a grievance. The Sharks do not have sufficient grounds for taking this action.”

The primary reason the Sharks moved to terminate Kane’s contract stems from late December. The forward was placed on the AHL’s COVID-19 protocol list on Dec. 22, but according to multiple sources, Kane traveled to Vancouver prior to the end of his required quarantine time. It’s unclear whether Kane made it into Vancouver, where he grew up. Following his departure in late December, Kane didn’t return to the organization until Jan. 6.

Still, even before that, frustration with Kane had been building. Shortly after joining the Barracuda on Nov. 30, Kane missed a pair of practices due to what he told the team was food poisoning on one day, and a sore shoulder on another. That led to skepticism among some in the organization that Kane was fully committed to the team.