Evander Kane is still hunting for a job, and the former Vancouver Canucks winger's latest social media war might have closed that door for good.
He turns 35 next month and has spent 17 seasons chasing wins across five different NHL organizations.
The winger suited up for his hometown Canucks last season and posted 13 goals and 31 points, respectable numbers for a bottom six forward.
But the free agent has yet to sign anywhere or announce retirement.
Instead, he spent the summer trading shots online with an ex-teammate and a longtime NHL reporter.
Ask around the league and you'll hear the same thing: his talent was never the problem.
Former Sharks forward Kurtis Gabriel said on the San Jose Hockey Now podcast that Kane was one of the most selfish teammates he ever played with.
The stick-cutting incident that still trails Kane
Gabriel claimed the winger showed up late to meetings, dressed inappropriately and made life miserable inside the San Jose room.
He also alleged Kane once cut Erik Karlsson's stick before a game and purposely stopped trying during a stretch with the Sharks.
Sportsnet's Mark Spector, who covered him during his Edmonton run, piled on through a post on X, calling out what he framed as a selfish take on COVID.
Kane fired back on his own account, mocking Spector and hinting at Gabriel with a line about waiting for the day he shares his own truths.
Is anybody actually surprised at this point?
This is the same player Dustin Byfuglien reportedly tossed clothes into a shower over, after he showed up to a team meeting in a tracksuit.
It's the same player suspended in Buffalo for taking a private jet to the NBA All-Star Game and oversleeping through practice the next morning.
Kane has burned through locker rooms the way a chain smoker burns through a pack, fast, careless, and leaving a mess wherever he goes.
None of that erases what he did in Edmonton, where he helped push the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals.
Maybe there are two sides to every story here, and he deserves the chance to tell his.
But a pattern across Winnipeg, Buffalo, San Jose and now Vancouver isn't bad luck, it's a habit he keeps carrying to every new locker room.
Whether that habit costs Kane his NHL career for good, or just pushes him toward a broadcast booth, is still very much unsettled.
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Should any NHL team take a chance on Evander Kane this season?
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