It appears the Edmonton Oilers may have a different plan for Evander Kane than putting him on LTIR to start the season.
After offloading veteran defenceman Cody Ceci in a cap-clearing deal with the San Jose Sharks and rejecting to match St. Louis Blues offer sheets for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, the Oilers are now finally under the cap.
Reports surfaced earlier this month that the team may be getting further cap relief by putting an injured Kane on LTIR. That would have cleared up an additional $5.125 million in temporary cap space for the duration of his injury.
Though, it sounds like the Oilers may be contemplating another plan of action for Kane. GM Stan Bowman met with the media earlier today to discuss the offer sheet situation and did give some insight on how the team could proceed with Kane.
He mentioned that the team would not be able to accrue cap space with Kane on LTIR and, given that the team is currently cap-compliant, the Oilers could start the year with him on the roster to allow that additional space to add up ahead of the trade deadline.
“The way we’re situated right now, we’re going to be able to start the season with Evander Kane not being on any type of injury,” Bowman said. “If he’s able to play right away, that’s great, if he’s not, then we are not going to have a problem making room for him when he’s healthy.”
#Oilers GM Bowman didn’t commit to putting Evander Kane on LTIR to start the season.
Mentioned that you can’t accrue cap space while in LTIR:
“The way we’re situated right now, we are going to be able to start the season with [Kane] not being on [LTIR]”
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) August 20, 2024
It’s not a surefire bet that this is what the Oilers will be doing. Bowman also mentioned that the team does not have all the details of how long Kane will be out.
“Whether he’s going to be out for a little bit of the season or, if he needed surgery, a longer part of the season, we don’t have that information,” Bowman said. “That is something that he is going to sort out with the doctors.”
A report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman earlier this month indicated that it does sound like Kane will undergo surgery and is expected to miss a significant amount of time. If that does wind up being the case, the Oilers may be forced to place him on LTIR anyway.
Kane is coming off an inconsistent, yet productive season with the Oilers. He managed to put up 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games. It was a disappointing postseason, however, as he only mustered four goals and eight points and was sidelined in the Stanley Cup Final with an undisclosed injury.
We’ll see if more news about Kane’s status leaks before training camp opens next month.