NHL Rumors: Evander Kane Under Fire, Järnkrok Leaves, Quinn Hughes Contract Takes Shape – The Hockey Writers – News and Rumors

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Evander Kane is facing fresh criticism from a former San Jose Sharks teammate as questions continue to follow him into free agency. Meanwhile, Calle Järnkrok is ending his 13-year NHL career and returning home to Sweden. Finally, the Minnesota Wild will keep working on the Quinn Hughes extension, with the Cale Makar numbers likely shaping negotiations.

Evander Kane Faces More Criticism From Former Teammate

Evander Kane’s NHL career has always been complicated, and comments from former San Jose Sharks defenseman Kurtis Gabriel have potentially hurt Kane’s ability to get another NHL contract. Appearing on the San Jose Hockey Now podcast with Sheng Peng, Gabriel described Kane as a difficult teammate during the 2020-21 season, his final year with the Sharks. He called Kane’s behavior during that time “absurd”.

Gabriel accused Kane of routinely arriving late to team meetings and described him as a bully and a locker-room problem. He also questioned how a player with Kane’s talent could repeatedly create issues and keep finding NHL opportunities. He did say that he believed a “hurting” Kane was acting out, but he said he didn’t enjoy his time with Kane as a teammate at all. The rest of the Sharks locker room didn’t seem to either.

The comments come at an interesting time for Kane, who is looking for another opportunity after a disappointing season with the Vancouver Canucks. Kane showed during his time with the Edmonton Oilers that he could thrive in the right environment, but one has to wonder if his past reputation continues to plague him.

That could leave Kane looking at a professional tryout or short-term contract elsewhere. His talent should still attract some interest, but teams may be far less willing to take a chance if they believe the potential disruption outweighs his on-ice production.

Calle Järnkrok Returns Home After 13 NHL Seasons

Calle Järnkrok is officially leaving the NHL. The former Toronto Maple Leafs forward has signed a three-year contract with Brynäs IF, returning to the club in Gävle, Sweden, where his professional career began. The agreement runs through the 2028-29 season.

Järnkrok spent 13 seasons in North America after Detroit selected him 51st overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. His NHL career included stops with the Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames and Toronto. He finished his NHL career with 774 games played and 316 points.

His final seasons in Toronto were difficult. After scoring 20 goals during his first season with the Maple Leafs, injuries became a major issue, including surgery for a sports hernia. Last season, he produced six goals and eight points in 56 games with a minus-15 rating.

Järnkrok now returns to Brynäs, where he previously helped the club win an SHL championship in 2012.

Quinn Hughes Appears Intent on Staying With Wild

The Minnesota Wild appear to have reason for optimism in their negotiations with Quinn Hughes. According to Michael Russo, everything he is hearing from Hughes’ side indicates that the star defenseman intends to sign with Minnesota.

The big question isn’t whether Hughes will stay, but what his next contract will look like. Russo suggests Hughes could pursue a shorter-term deal than Cale Makar’s eight-year, $20.4 million annual extension, which recently established a massive new benchmark.

Russo writes:

“The Wild have been in talks with Hughes and his agent, Pat Brisson, throughout the summer and remain confident that they can get an extension done before the start of the season. They’ve gone over different concepts of what a deal might look like, from term to average annual value to contract structure.”

source – ‘Will Cale Makar’s record-breaking extension kick-start Wild-Quinn Hughes negotiations?’ – Michael Russo – The Athletic – 08-28-2026

A three-to-five-year Hughes contract could theoretically carry an AAV below Makar’s $20.4 million. However, Minnesota faces enormous internal pressure to keep Hughes.

With Hughes viewed as the only defenseman in that same elite tier as Makar, his negotiating leverage is significant. The Wild may ultimately have to pay a premium, even if he refuses to sign a longer-term deal.