Evander Kane's status unclear heading into next season due to ongoing injuries

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Graham Montgomery
August 9, 2024 (9:39)

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Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane appears to be heading into next season with a lot of question marks surrounding his health according to team insider Jim Parsons.

Parsons has been following Kane's situation with the team this offseason and has since shared some concerns about his status. It is known that he was dealing with some serious injuries in the playoffs this year, but the exact extent of those injuries are likely only known by Kane himself and the team doctors. Parsons has confirmed that Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson said he is dealing with a hip injury, but he did not confirm reports from earlier in the summer that he is dealing with a sports hernia, which is what Kane says bothered him the most in May and June.

"What makes him such a wild card is that it's hard to read from day to day and interview to interview where Kane stands health wise. CEO Jeff Jackson mentioned an 'issue with his hip,' and the nature of his injury and recovery path remains unclear. Meanwhile, Kane called it a 'sports hernia' that was bugging him most of last season. Is it a hip? Is it a hernia? Is it a bit of both? Do either keep him out to the point he's unreliable?" - Jim Parsons

Many Oilers fans seem to believe that the best move for the team would be to put the forward on long-term injured reserve to start the season. Theoretically, they could try to keep him there all season long before reactivating him for the playoffs, which would open up 5.25 million dollars in cap space for the team. However, the NHL will likely be monitoring this situation as LTIR has become a popular avenue for circumventing the salary cap.

While Kane is a good finisher, and can often have an impact on games through his physical presence, publicly available analytics models view him as more of a hinderance to his team than anything else. Considering the off-ice issues that have followed him throughout his career, perhaps it would be best for the team to find a way to cut ties with him.

Kane appeared in 77 games for the Oilers last season and recorded 44 points, including 24 goals. He has played in a total of 930 career regular season contests split between four organizations and has 326 goals and 617 points as well as 1186 penalty minutes. He was less of a factor in the playoffs, but still managed 4 goals and 8 points despite playing through injuries. Will he finish out his contract with the Oilers? Anyone's guess is as good as ours.

Source: HockeyFeed
Oilers and Evander Kane in disagreement on serious injury

Source: HockeyReference
Evander Kane Career Statistics