SAN JOSE New York Rangers Hoodies Authentic , Calif. (AP) Evander Kane knew San Jose was a good fit when Joe Thornton showed up for a late-night airport pickup following a trade deadline deal.That comfort was only reinforced over the next 10 weeks on the ice and in the dressing room. It left Kane with an easy choice as he headed toward free agency.Kane bypassed a chance at the open market by signing a seven-year deal Thursday worth $49 million to stay with the Sharks for the long term.”It’s good to be wanted and I wanted them just as much as they wanted me,” Kane said. ”The fact that we were able to work out a deal so quickly reflects that. Obviously, when you’re a free agent you have the option to do what you want and I made it clear to them that I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”Kane will be paid $9 million the first year of the deal, followed by salaries of $8 million, $6 million, $7 million, $7 million and two years at $6 million, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because terms were not released. He also has a limited no-trade clause.Kane, who turns 27 in August, was acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline in February and became a key part of San Jose’s team down the stretch and in the playoffs.Under the terms of that trade, the Sabres will 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.The Sharks aren’t concerned about that price.”You don’t find guys like this unless you’re picking in the top three, four guys in the draft, and no one wants to be there,” coach Peter DeBoer said.”When you’re signing free agents, especially elite players and guys that are going to play huge roles for you, you really want to know about them as much as possible. And you really don’t know a player until you stand behind the bench and are around them every day. So that was a nice luxury to have. I think we all felt comfortable that this was a guy that could help us win.”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 against eventual Western Conference champion Vegas.Thornton is the other prominent potential free agent on the team. But he’s said he’s willing to come back on a reduced one-year deal.The Sharks still have salary cap flexibility to make more moves, which will be easier now that Kane’s deal is done and he can be slotted in on a top line.”He plays with great speed and fits with not only our game but where the league is trending,” general manager Doug Wilson said.”To get him in place and secured was very important to us. Top-six forwards like that New York Rangers Hats Authentic , there aren’t many out there and when you get one you want to make sure that he’s secured. It fills in our roster.”Kane stepped right onto the top line with captain Joe Pavelski after arriving in San Jose and helped ease the loss of Thornton, who went down with a season-ending knee injury in January. Kane used speed and physical play to deliver nine goals and five assists in 17 games and helped San Jose make the playoffs, giving him a first taste of the postseason.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.He had one goal and a minus-5 rating in five games against Vegas. He missed Game 2 of that series when he was suspended for cross-checking Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.Kane finished last season with 29 goals and 25 assists, his second-most productive season to his 30-goal, 27-assist run for the Jets in 2011-12. Kane has 186 goals and 168 assists in 574 games since entering the NHL as the fourth overall pick by Atlanta in 2009.Despite his credentials, there was not a robust trade market for Kane back in February in part because he had issues off the ice with some teammates during his stints with Winnipeg and Buffalo.Kane also had legal run-ins.In March 2016, prosecutors announced after a three-month investigation that Kane would not face a sexual assault charge. In June 2016, he was arrested for allegedly grabbing three women by the hair and neck during an altercation at a Buffalo bar. The charges were eventually dismissed on condition Kane stayed out of trouble as part of a plea agreement.Also that year, the Sabres suspended Kane for one game for missing practice a day after pictures surfaced on social media of the player celebrating in Toronto after attending the NBA All-Star Game.There haven’t been issues in his brief time with the Sharks.”We really started things off on the right note and it just carried on from there,” Kane said. ”The one thing about this team and this group and this organization is that they allow you to be yourself. They embrace you for that. It’s a very unselfish group that makes it super easy to come into and mesh well with.”—AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report— The All-Star Game in the four major U.S. sports rarely captures the public's imagination in the modern era.The NHL was not immune to this issue, and the Lords of the Game were not happy when All-Star Games became scorefests with both teams either in or approaching double figures in goal totals.There was no hitting and no defense in any of these games, and there was more intensity in the beer line than there was on the ice.However, after changing lanes from Eastern Conference All-Stars vs. Western Conference All-Stars to captains pick their own teams, the NHL decided to make the main component of the game a three-on-three contest between the league's four divisions.The is the fourth year of a three-on-three format that featuresthe Atlantic Division meeting the Metropolitan stars in one semifinal and the Central facing off against the Pacific in the other, and the winners meeting for the title.While the response has been somewhat mixed, there is more intensity as the tournament produces a $1 million prize for the division that wins the title, and the games have been more competitive.Fans in San Jose and those watching on NBC Saturday night at 8 p.m. will be able to watch the NHL All-Star Game. This is the first time since 1997 that the NHL All-Star Game will be broadcast in prime time on network television.Here's a look at the four teams, and an analysis of the rosters.Atlantic DivisionAll-Star appearances presented parenthetically.F Jack Eichel, BUF (second)F Nikita Kucherov Custom New York Rangers Jerseys , TBL (third)F Auston Matthews, TOR (third)F Jeff Skinner, BUF (second)F David Pastrnak, BOS (first)F Steven Stamkos, TBL (sixth)F John Tavares, TOR (sixth)D Thomas Chabot, OTT (first)D Keith Yandle, FLA (third)G Jimmy Howard, DET (second)G Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (second)The strength of this team may be the plethora of Tampa Bay Lightning playerssince that team has been far and away the best in league this season.Start with Nikita Kucherov, the league's leading scorer with 22 goals and 78 points. He is a magnificent playmaker and a dangerous scorer when he decides to shoot.Teammate Steven Stamkos has found the back of the net 26 times and he has been hot in recent weeks, while goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the best puck stoppers in the league. He has 20-6-2 record along with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.Vasilevskiy will split the goaltending duties with Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings.The Toronto Maple Leafs are representedby Auston Matthews and John Tavares, while the Buffalo Sabres are sending Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner.David Pastrnak is the lone Boston Bruin in the game, and he has flashed his talent with 27 goals and 29 assists.A look at the Atlantic roster showsThomas Chabot of the Ottawa Senators and Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers are the division's two defensemen. While the three-on-three format is largely about offense, the Atlantic Division does not appear to be as strong as the others with its blueliners.Metropolitan DivisionF Sebastian Aho, CAR (first)F Cam Atkinson, CBJ (second)F Mathew Barzal, NYI (first)F Sidney Crosby, PIT (fourth)F Claude Giroux, PHI (sixth)F Kyle Palmieri www.officialsenators.com , NJD (first)D John Carlson, WSH (first)D Seth Jones, CBJ (second)D Kris Letang, PIT (fifth)G Braden Holtby, WSH (fourth)G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (fifth)Sidney Crosby is the big-name superstar who will lead the Metropolitan Division, and he has scored 21 goals and 36 assists to this point in the season.While those numbers are considerably less than stars like Kucherov, Mikko Rantanen, Connor McDavid and Johnny Gaudreau, it would not be a shock if Crosby was the best player on the ice in Saturday's action.Crosby usually has Alex Ovechkin as a teammate in recent All-Star games, but that won't happen this time around. Ovechkin has a league-best 37 goals, but he announced he would not play and needs the time off.As a result of his decision, the league has mandated Ovechkin will miss the Washington Capitals' first game after the All-Star break. The Capitals are represented by goalie Braden Holtby and defenseman John Carlson.Holtby has a 17-12-3 record, a 3.11 GAA and a .905 save percentage. Carlson does an excellent job of creating offensively and he has eight goals and 39 assists.Mathew Barzal will represent the New York Islanders and has 14 goals and 31 assists. Barzal has become the Islanders' go-to star since Tavares signed with the Maple Leafs in the offseason.Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones are representing the Columbus Blue Jackets. Atkinson has become a clutch scorer for head coach John Tortorella's team with 27 goals and 21 assists, while Jones is a rising star who has netted seven goals and 22 assists from the blue line.The New York Rangers have sent Henrik Lundqvist to the All-Star game, and he has a15-12-7 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .908 save percentage.This team appears to lack the firepower to win the competition since Ovechkin has decided to take a pass.Central DivisionF Patrick Kane, CHI (eighth)F Nathan MacKinnon, COL (third)F Ryan O'Reilly, STL (second)F Mikko Rantanen, COL (first)F Mark Scheifele Ottawa Senators T-Shirts Authentic , WPG (first)F Blake Wheeler, WPG (second)F Gabriel Landeskog, COL (first)D Miro Heiskanen, DAL (first)D Roman Josi, NSH (second)G Devan Dubnyk, MIN (third)G Pekka Rinne, NSH (third)Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche may be the sport's most underpublicized superstar, and he could use the All-Star game to fully introduce himself to sports fans.Rantanen is the league's second-leading scorer behind Kucherov with 23 goals and 51 assists, and he is strong on the puck and an excellent decision maker when he passes.He is joined by teammate Nathan MacKinnon, who has netted 27 goals and added 44 assists.MacKinnon will challenge McDavid as one of the fastest skaters in the league.Explosive Patrick Kane is a veteran of All-Star games, and this is his eighth appearance. He has scored 29 goals and 42 assists this yearand is having a fine scoring year for the struggling Chicago Blackhawks.Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele represent the Winnipeg Jets. Wheeler is one of the best three-zone players in the league and he has nine goals and 52 assists to this point in the season, while Scheifele has netted 25 goals 34 assists.The Nashville Predators are sending defenseman Roman Josi and goaltender Pekka Rinne. Josi is one of the league's best defenseman and has scored eight goals and 28 assists, while Rinne is18-12-3 with a 2.47 GAA and a .915 save percentage.Rinne will share goaltending duties with Devan Dubnyk, and the Minnesota Wild netminder brings a20-16-3 record, a 2.57 GAA and a .913 save percentage.The Central team looks strong in all areas and should have an excellent chance of performing well in this format.Pacific DivisionF Johnny Gaudreau, CGY (fifth)F Clayton Keller, ARI (first)F Connor McDavid, EDM (third)F Joe Pavelski, SJS (third)F Elias Pettersson, VAN (first)F Leon Draisaitl Ottawa Senators Hoodies Authentic , EDM (first)D Brent Burns, SJS (sixth)D Drew Doughty, LAK (fifth)D Erik Karlsson, SJS (sixth)G Marc-Andre Fleury, VGK (fourth)G John Gibson, ANA (second)The Pacific Division appears to be the favorite in this league, as the combination of McDavid and Gaudreaubrings a dynamic offensive presence to this team.Both players have scored 29 goals and 44 assists, and are tied for third in the league in scoring. They should get several chances to play together, and the results could be electric even though they are rivals during the regular season.McDavid is joined by teammate Leon Draisaitl, and he has scored 27 goals and 34 assists. Draisaitl is an excellent passer who can also take advantage of his opportunities around the net.The San Jose Sharks are represented byJoe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. The home fans will give their stars a huge ovation, and all three are capable of playing starring roles.Burns is the league's leading scorer among defensemen with nine goals and 46 assists.Pavelski has scored 27 goals 18 assists, and he is one of the top shooters in the league as he is connecting on 20.8 percent of his shots.Karlsson has scored just three goals in his first season in San Jose, but he has handed out 40 assists and is starting to get used to his surroundings after his long tenure with the Ottawa Senators.Drew Doughty is the lone member of the Los Angeles Kings to make the Pacific Division team, and he has five goals and 23 assists.Marc-Andre Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights will represent last year's Stanley Cup finalists, and he has a 27-14-4 record along with a 2.49 GAA and a .911.He will split goaltending duties withJohn Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks. Gibson is 17-16-8 with a 2.74 GAA and a .919 save percentage.This is a powerful team that will be difficult to beat.PredictionsSemifinal roundAtlantic over Metropolitan: No Ovie, no win for MetroPacific over Central: McDavid-Gaudreau pairing is just too tough to beatChampionshipPacific over Atlantic: Hometown heroes lead Pacific to $1M win.In addition to the NBC broadcast, the game can beviewed onFuboTV.