Evander Kane reportedly the source of “significant friction” with Sharks teammates

According to an insider report from former TSN reporter Frank Seravalli, now with Daily Faceoff, San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane is the source of "significant friction" on the team's roster.

From Seravalli:

Doug Wilson is navigating choppy waters in the Bay Area. Sources indicate significant friction built up between Kane and a number of his teammates last season, frustration that was expressed clearly to management in exit interviews. The trouble is Kane is also coming off the best season of his career: 32 goal and 40 assist pace over an 82-game season. He is one of the best at his position with a relentless forechecking style  – and he’s signed to a contract that is commensurate with that production. We’ll see where this goes.

Wow... why am I not surprised? It's always something with this guy...

He has had issues with teammates at every stop in his NHL career and yet he maintains that he's not interested in drama. The problem is that drama doesn't really follow you around, you actively create it yourself. In Kane's case he's either at odds with teammates, his opponents, his coaches or, like we found out when he filed for bankruptcy, his finances. What's the old saying? Where there's smoke, there's probably fire. The smoke surrounding this guy suggests that maybe he's a bit of a pyro...

If the Sharks are indeed serious about moving on from Kane this offseason, they'll have a difficult time moving him and his onerous contract. He's 29 years old and he's due $7 million for each of the next four seasons. Ouch. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially when you consider that Kane doesn't exactly have a good reputation. This isn't like taking on an ugly contract, but expecting the player to give your team a morale boost. Phil Kessel at $7 million per season isn't exactly a good bargain, but at least you know he'll be a popular teammate and a good guy to have in the locker room. Kane though... you don't know what you're getting at this point.

Frankly, I think the Sharks will simply have to eat the rest of Kane's contract and cross their fingers that he doesn't ruffle too many feathers over the duration.