San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy just days before the 2021 NHL season began and since had one of the best statistical seasons of his career.

Kane told Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic that filing for bankruptcy brought relief, but disputed the notion that his success this season came in one of the worst years of his life off the ice.

"It’s actually not. It’s not the most challenging year of my life. Not by a long shot," Kane said. "I have taken a lot of relief and the best I have felt in a long time. Yes, it’s been stressful to deal with a lot of the bankruptcy. It’s definitely been stressful. But it was a relief because I didn’t have to try and hide it anymore. I didn’t have to try to pretend. It was a big weight off my shoulders in a way. For years, I was dealing with all these things. It’s having that constant stress. Everybody has stress. But once I made that decision (to file for bankruptcy), people think it is the start of something.

"Really, it’s the end of this chapter of my life. I think that is where the big misconception is about this. I have a wife that I’ve been married to for almost three years. I have my daughter who turned 10 months two days ago. When you grow up, there’s different decisions you have to make. They are not always easy. But for me, it was the best decision I have made in a long time."

The 29-year-old winger has posted 22 goals and 49 points in 55 games in the shortened season. He surpassed his point total of 47 in 64 games last season, and could reach the 50-point mark for just the third time in his career with a goal or assist in the Sharks' final game on Wednesday.

The Athletic reported in January that Kane filed after amassing $26.8 million of debt. The filing included $10.2 million in assets for Kane, who is in the third season of a seven-year, $49 million contract extension signed with the Sharks in 2018.