Evander Kane Nearing NHL Return After Fake Vaccination Card Scandal

Evander Kane reported for his first day with the San Jose Barracuda to prove himself worthy of another chance in the NHL after a 21-game suspension for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

The 30-year-old said he is focused on doing what it will take to get back to the NHL instead of bringing up the allegations from the offseason that led to one of the league’s top forwards being relegated to the AHL, The Associated Press reports.

“I came in today, the same person, same teammate, same player that I was and everything went great,” Kane said Tuesday. “I think there’s been a lot of misinformation that’s been said. But I can only control how I act and what I do here and that’s what I’m doing.”

Kane faced numerous allegations this offseason leading to his stint in the minors. The most serious stemming from allegations made by his estranged wife when she accused him of betting on hockey games, including “throwing games to win money," the AP reports.

But the league launched an investigation into those charges and found no evidence they were true. OutKick previously reported earlier this year the NHL veteran's debts piled up and resulted in him filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

“It was definitely surprising to see,” he said. “But I genuinely was not worried one bit about it because they were obviously false. There were certain motives behind that that didn’t make sense at the time. But it wasn’t something I lost any sleep over. It was definitely not great to be associated with that at the time. But the league investigated me heavily and interviewed a bunch of different people.”

The league did suspend Kane for the first 21 games when it determined he submitted the fake vaccine card.

The AP reports Kane is owed $7 million a year through the 2024-25 season and has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to block a trade to all but three undisclosed teams.

But Kane seems determined to get back to playing in the big leagues.

“I’m under contract with Sharks,” Kane said. “They’ve sent me here. I have shown up and will continue to show up and I look forward to whatever it is to come.”

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