Amid new NHL investigation, Evander Kane will not attend Sharks camp

San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane. (Rick Scuteri/AP)

The San Jose Sharks say they "are aware of additional allegations" against Evander Kane that are unrelated to the NHL's initial investigation into whether he gambled on league games and, until further notice, have decided the forward will not participate at training camp.

Earlier on Wednesday, the NHL released a statement saying it found no evidence to support allegations that Kane had gambled on games, but that "additional unrelated allegations" were brought to its attention and are now being investigated.

The league did not specify the nature of those allegations. However, publicly available court records show a request for a domestic violence restraining order with a minor was recently filed in Santa Clara County Family Court by Evander's estranged wife, Anna Kane.

In a statement obtained by Sportsnet, Travis Krepelka, Kane's attorney, refuted the latest allegations, saying "Evander denies ever abusing Ms. Kane or their daughter Kensington, whom he cherishes."

Requests by Sportsnet for comment from Anna's representation were not immediately answered.

The Sharks, when announcing Kane would not participate at camp, said the league would continue to have their full cooperation in its latest ongoing investigation.

The investigation into the gambling allegations levied against Kane involved a review of social media, public data, court filings from the bankruptcy proceeding initiated by Mr. Kane in January 2021 and his pending divorce proceeding, as well as a review of sports betting data and analysis.

The league also said it interviewed Kane and other members of the Sharks organization, but noted that Anna Kane declined to participate in the probe.

"The investigation uncovered no evidence to corroborate Ms. Kane's accusations that Mr. Kane bet or otherwise participated in gambling on NHL games, and no evidence to corroborate the allegations that Mr. Kane 'threw' games or did not put forward his best effort to help the Sharks win games," the league said in a statement. "To the contrary, the evidence raises doubts about the veracity of the allegations.

"While Mr. Kane denied the accusations, our findings are not based on these denials but instead on other evidence uncovered during the investigation."

In an interview with ESPN's Linda Cohn last week, Kane said the gambling allegations made against him were "incredibly false."

The allegations first surfaced in July, when Anna Kane came out with a series of public accusations against him, including allegations he had bet on his own NHL games. Shortly after, the NHL announced the league was opening up an investigation into the matter. Kane denied the allegations at the time, with respect to his personal conduct and gambling, and re-iterated that stance during the ESPN interview.

"Obviously, when [the allegations] happened, I understood the magnitude of them immediately, not knowing what was going to happen next. But confident, because I know that's not true. I knew none of what she was saying was true," Kane told Cohn of the accusations made. "I was very confident, comfortable with where I was, knowing that I was gonna be exonerated and am going to be exonerated of those allegations."

Asked by Cohn whether he still gambled, Kane said he did not. Cohn also asked a series of pointed questions about his gambling history with respect to the NHL -- particularly, whether he had ever bet on an NHL game or altered the way he played because of a bet -- and he responded that he had not.

Kane admitted that he had dealt with a gambling problem, and opened up about how it affected his life. He said his decision to file for bankruptcy in January was the first step to "making some better decisions moving forward."

Kane, a 30-year-old Vancouver native, broke into the NHL with Atlanta after the Thrashers picked him fourth overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Kane moved with the franchise to Winnipeg before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.

The San Jose Sharks acquired Kane in a deal with Buffalo in 2018.

Kane has four years left on a seven-year, $49-million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2018.

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