Evander Kane with salary retained checks a lot of boxes for the Toronto Maple Leafs; is there a fit?

A report had surfaced on Tuesday that the San Jose Sharks are finally willing to retain salary in hopes of moving on from winger Evander Kane.

While Kane, the hockey player, is exactly what many teams are looking for - a big, physical, competitive, scoring winger with an excellent shot - his off-ice persona has turned him into somewhat of a pariah around the National Hockey League.

One hurdle that the Sharks may face in moving Kane is that the 30-year-old has a no-trade clause and has the ability to submit a 3-team trade list. It is worth mentioning that Kane has the ability to waive in order for the Sharks to facilitate his trade.

In an attempt to get out in front of this one, I'll ask the question before the rumours actually start to take flight. Does Evander Kane make sense for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Well, the most obvious factor here is that he checks a lot of boxes for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas. He's a top-six left winger, he scores a lot of goals, he hits everything in sight, he wants to win and he will not be pushed around and will drop the gloves if necessary.

The problem is that even with salary retention, say 50%, Kane will still carry a $3.5M cap hit, so the Leafs would have to make a move to two to clear some space or send back salary in order to make a deal with the Sharks.

If the Sharks were willing to take back Nick Ritchie and Pierre Engvall in the deal, along with a pick or maybe a prospect, the money could work. The package would be very underwhelming in the grand scheme, because of Kane's current perceived value.. but is there a fit?

One of the Leafs' major assets right now seems to be the chemistry on the bench and in the locker room. Kane, by all accounts, has been a player who tends to rub some people the wrong way. As you'll recall, during the offseason a number of unnamed Sharks players had revealed that they would prefer it if the team moved Evander Kane as he was a major distraction in the locker room.

Does having veterans like Jason Spezza, John Tavares, Jake Muzzin and Wayne Simmonds change that in Toronto? Can any of these players, or a collective help to tame Kane and keep him in line? I'm not necessarily sure the organization would want to find out.

For now, even with salary retention, I don't feel as though Kane and the off-ice circus that comes with him would be a fit in a media hot-bed like Toronto, where every aspect of a player is over-analyzed.

Still, it's fun to think about the Leafs having a player who checks that many boxes all at once who can certainly fix some of the problems that the team does have almost immediately. It's just unfortunate that he likely creates more problems than he solves for any team, the Leafs included.

MUST READ

7 minutes ago  |  By Tyler Ball Beloved TNT Analyst Paul Bissonnette Hospitalized After Horrible and Violent Crime: Six Arrested

3 hours ago  |  By Daniel Lucente Canadian Team Reportedly Desperate to Make Massive Trade for a Top Defenseman

5 hours ago  |  By Aaron Itovitch Metropolitan Team Acquires Young First-Round Pick From the Nashville Predators

6 hours ago  |  By Graham Montgomery Former Sharks Defenseman Doug Murray Shares Incredible Story About Joe Thornton's Generosity

6 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Shocking Turn of Events in New York: Former 50-Goal Scorer Placed on the Trade Block

8 hours ago  |  By Julien Trekker Longtime NHL Referee Mike Hasenfratz Tragically Passes Away at the Age of 58

9 hours ago  |  By Aaron Itovitch NHL Hopeful Colin Brown Critically Injured in St. Louis Shooting: Community Rallies

12 hours ago  |  By Aaron Itovitch Don Cherry Brutally Calls Out Darnell Nurse for Actions Leading to Ryan Reaves' Suspension

MORE STORIES