Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

By Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Sharks are closing in on a seven-year contract with star forward Evander Kane that will keep the high-scoring forward off the free-agent market and for all intents and purposes make Kane a Shark for life, according to multiple reports.

Kane, who turns 27 in August, was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline. Under the terms of that trade, the Sabres will now get a first-round pick in 2019 instead of a second-rounder because Kane signed with San Jose. The selection is lottery-protected, so it could be moved to 2020.

Kane’s status was one of the biggest questions heading into this offseason for the Sharks, who were knocked out of the playoffs in six games in the second round by eventual Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights.

What this means for longtime center Joe Thornton, the other prominent potential free agent on the team, is not clear but he has gone on record saying he’s willing to come back on a reduced one-year deal.

Kane had issues off the ice and with teammates at times during his stints with the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo, but blended in well with a veteran Sharks team and got the opportunity to go to the postseason for the first time in his career.

Kane made an immediate impact in San Jose, stepping right onto the top line with captain Joe Pavelski and helping ease the loss of Thornton, who went down with a season-ending knee injury in January. Kane used his speed and physical play to deliver nine goals and five assists in 17 games and spark an eight-game winning streak that sent San Jose to the playoffs.

Kane shined in the first round with three goals and an assist during a sweep against Anaheim. But he struggled a bit against the Golden Knights, slowed by injuries to his knee and shoulder that lingered from the end of the regular season.

Even if the Sharks were to sign Thornton (imagine Kane on the number one line with Pavelski and Thornton), Kane will now be the face of the Sharks. With his speed, tenacity and scoring touch, Kane will be the star player for the Sharks for the next seven years as he is entering the prime of his career. The torch will be passed on to Kane once Thornton is gone.

It will be a role Kane will relish in as he likes the winning environment that the Sharks present with veterans Pavelski, Logan Couture and up and coming young players such as Tomas Hertl, Joonas Donskoi and Timo Meier as the core nucleus of the team.

Kane finished last season with 29 goals and 25 assists, his second-most productive season to his 30-goal, 27-assist campaign for the Jets in 2011-12. Kane has 186 goals and 168 assists in 574 career games since entering the NHL as the fourth overall pick by Atlanta in 2009.