NHL instructed Sharks to 'take care' of the Evander Kane problem.

We have some very interesting comments that have been made by a controversial media personality in Toronto, comments that raise a great many more questions about this ongoing fiasco surrounding San Jose Sharks star forward Evander Kane.

The comments come from notorious columnist Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun and in his most recent Sunday notes column, Simmonds clearly indicates that the National Hockey League has long been aware of the ongoing problems with Evander Kane. Simmons does not claim to have heard anything from sources, but instead states unequivocally that the league attempted to step into this situation going as far back as a year ago.

From Simmons:

At least a year ago, maybe longer, someone from the NHL head office instructed someone from the San Jose Sharks to take care of their Evander Kane problem. They thought they had...

This is very interesting because this would place the timing of this attempted intervention of the part of the league at several months before Kane would eventually file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in January of this year, and also clearly indicates that both the league and the San Jose Sharks were aware of the ongoing issues with Kane long before they reached the boiling point that they have in recent weeks.

Kane of course has recently been publicly criticized by his wife, Anna Kane, over a variety of different issues including his faithfulness, spending habits, and of course his now infamous gambling problems. What made the accusations from his wife so damning however was the fact that she has publicly accused him of both betting on NHL games, as well as fixing the outcome of those games for the bookies with whom he gambles with.

Kane has always been something of a controversial figure himself during his time in the NHL, often courting the disdain of fans due to his actions off the ice, but it is one thing to draw criticism from the NHL fan base and another matter entirely when your own wife is unloading on you through social media. Anna Kane may not be alone in her disdain for her husband when it comes to Kane's inner circle however, Matt Porter of the Boston Globe has recently reported that some of Kane's own teammates can't stand to be around him.

"That guy walks into a room and the flowers wilt," said an agent with clients on the Sharks roster.

If the NHL stepped in and told the Sharks to 'take care' of the Kane problem at least a year ago as Simmons is reporting here, then it means that the situation had already gotten very bad for Kane at that stage of things. The fact that Kane seemingly failed to get the message, even when it came down from the league itself, is not a good sign for his future in the NHL.