Report: Oilers’ Evander Kane may require surgery, likely to start season on LTIR

Things are not looking good for one of the NHL’s underrated scorers.

According to Edmonton Oilers’ color commentator and analyst Bob Stauffer, forward Evander Kane will not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season. The host of “Oilers Now” stated that Kane may require surgery, and would likely start the campaign on long-term injured reserve.

Kane had injury problems late last season that were severe enough to have him miss time in the postseason. The Vancouver native reportedly played through a sports hernia for a good chunk of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after the first two games of the final against the Florida Panthers, Kane was not healthy enough to suit up, missing the last five games of the series. The Panthers would hang on to win their first Stanley Cup, outlasting the Oilers in a classic seven-game series.

Even though he was injured for the entirety of the postseason, Kane managed to score four goals and eight points in 20 games. He was coming off of a respectable regular season, where he notched 24 goals and 20 assists for 44 points in 77 games, the most he had played in a single season in his NHL career.

The move to LTIR might benefit the Oilers. According to CapWages, they are $341,667 over the salary cap, with restricted free agent Dylan Holloway still unsigned. With Kane’s $5.125 million AAV coming off the books while potentially on the shelf, it would give Edmonton time to make the proper moves to ensure they have the space to ice a team once Kane is healthy enough to return.

Whether it be injuries or ailments, Kane has never played a full 82-game season in his 15-year career. Over that time, he has scored 326 goals and 291 assists for 617 points in 930 games, with another 43 points coming in 76 postseason appearances. Over his three seasons in Edmonton, the 33-year-old has registered 62 goals and 49 assists in 161 regular-season games, with 30 points in 47 playoff appearances.