The Oilers will likely be without forward Evander Kane to start this season as he recovers from a yet-to-be-performed undisclosed surgery, according to the team’s Bob Stauffer (X link).
Kane played through a good chunk of last season with a sports hernia, he revealed to reporters in April. It plagued him through the Oilers’ run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, holding him out of five of Edmonton’s 25 playoff games. It’s unclear if today’s news is related.
The recovery from the undisclosed surgery would likely sideline him for at least the first 10 games and 24 days of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning the Oilers can place him on long-term injured reserve. Doing so would allow them to gain temporary relief from his $5.125MM cap hit, giving new general manager Stan Bowman some much-needed financial flexibility. Edmonton’s roster currently projects to check in at more than $350K over the $88MM upper limit, per PuckPedia. Not only do the Oilers need space for day-to-day transactions, but they also still need to come to agreements with RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
After an underwhelming 2023-24 season, the 33-year-old Kane may have seemed like a probable trade candidate for Edmonton to clear cap space. But a full no-movement clause through July 1, 2025, meant he could have blocked any move, including a waiver placement, and the second year of term remaining on his deal makes him a tougher sell to interested teams.
In fact, it’s been an underwhelming couple of seasons for Kane after a strong initial showing in Edmonton. His 44 points in 77 games last season were especially poor production for the power forward, and his 0.57 points per game were his worst since the 2015-16 season. He didn’t fare much better in an injury-plagued 2022-23 campaign either, limited to 16 goals and 28 points in 41 games. His 0.68 points per game that year cratered from the year prior, when he put up 0.91 per game after signing with the Oilers midseason following a contract termination by the Sharks.
The two-time 30-goal scorer still finished fourth on the Oilers in goals (24) and led them in hits (250) last year, but his 16:47 ATOI was his lowest usage since his rookie season with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
And let the Stan Bowman Cap merry-go-round begin! Like the guy said in the move ” This isn’t gonna end well”. Josh Duhammel in Transformers. Just remembered.
Why wouldn’t he have surgery right after the finals? Didn’t want to ruin his summer vacation to Monaco/Vegas/Atlantic City?
Seriously why wait until the middle/end of summer?
So then the team can get early relief come the start of the season.
If they could get away with it they’d be happy to have him take the whole year off. He can’t play up to the level required to make his cap hit worth it anymore.
Guaranteed this is about the hernia. The team probably asked him pretty quickly after the finals ended to hold off on his surgery until mid-late summer so they could get some cap relief.
Don’t be surprised if his “rehab” takes until well into the season either.
Glad that you are on the case!!!!! Someone has got to hold these teams accountable.
I honestly think Kane gets kind of a bad rap.I watched him alot when he was with the sharks and he was pretty good.I get it he had a gambling addiction but is that worse than DUI or even going bankrupt by just spending to much period.My point is I would trade for him if the price was right.
Did you watch him the past couple years? He’s been abysmal. A possession black hole, inept on defense and not even that good a scorer anymore. Teams aren’t touching that contract with a 10 foot pole.
That’s why I said if the price was right
What’s the matter Evander you couldn’t take time from your busy Casino schedule to have surgery?
Maybe his wife will take him back or he will be an effective player again.