“Disagreement”: Troubling news for Edmonton Oilers when it comes to star forward
Evander Kane was an impact player for the Edmonton Oilers as recently as the 2024 playoffs. He was a star in many games, certainly while he was somewhat healthy. But there’s some troubling news about him just now.
Kane’s injury situation has been up in the air all season, with contradictory reports and uncertainty about the timing of his return. Obviously it’s best for the team that the player who has been out all year is back for the playoffs. But it’s also best for the team if he does not return until the playoffs. That way Edmonton can use his $5.1 million salary slot at the deadline to bring in other good players for the 2025 Stanley Cup run.
But such a plan now seems to be in doubt. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports two key facts today in his 32 Thoughts podcast, first that Kane wants to come back and play in the regular season, meaning his cap slot might not be available, and, second, confirmation that the Oilers are now looking at trading Kane.
Kane’s no-trade clause ended on Friday and he gave the Oilers a list of 16 teams where he can be traded.
Friedman said he had second hand info on where Kane might choose to go. “I think basically if you’re a contender, Kane will go to you. I heard his list is basically contenders where he can go to. He set it up to be in a place where he can win. That’s what I’ve heard. Again, second hand. But I believe in the information.”
Then Friedman added the what I’ll call the troubling factor: Kane wants to play in the regular season, which lessens his value either to the Oilers or to the team where he’s traded.
“With Kane, I think it’s important for him to play. I think he wants to come back in the regular season, and he wants to prove that he can be a factor on a good team.
“I don’t know what the medicals say. I know there’s a disagreement.
“Everything he’s been through, his body’s been through, I just don’t know that the Oilers feel that that makes sense. I just don’t know. So at the very least, the Oilers are doing their due diligence. They got his list, and they’re definitely calling around to ask the teams that he can be traded to, is there interest? And, you know, Kane has another year at just over a $5 million cap hit.”
Friedman added if there is a trade, “if they do find something, you have to think they would have to provide some incentive while he’s hurt to get it done, you have to think that they’re looking at it and saying, if we can do this, maybe we have even more cap room and flexibility available to us.”
My take
1. This is the first actual confirmation from a credible source that there’s a disagreement here. That is big news and troubling news.
Kane was seriously hurt last year. He had multiple core and leg injuries and now he’s had multiple surgeries. One other fact: the only thing that matters is the Stanley Cup playoffs.
You would think that he and the team could work out a win-win, where he takes all the time he needs to get ready to return and is back early in the playoffs, but not until then so that Edmonton can use his cap slot to bolster the team.
Is that so complicated?
Does Kane not see the value in working with the team on this? He’s already been out five months and he’s still not 100 per cent. Why rush him back? It’s a terrible idea.
