Evander Kane facing major surgery – Edmonton Oilers will have to manage without him

Evander Kane faces an urgent surgery after weeks of consultations and deliberations. The experienced forward of the Edmonton Oilers will undergo surgery in the coming days to repair his hip adductors, two lower abdominal muscle tears, and two hernias. These health issues have significantly impaired his performance, causing the Oilers to pull him out of play during the Stanley Cup Final. Kane played in pain for nearly the entire past season. He first noticed symptoms in late October, which worsened significantly by December or January and became "much worse" during the playoffs. Kane had already disclosed before the postseason that he was struggling with a sports hernia. This summer, Kane consulted with three different medical teams and spoke with several NHL colleagues who had similar issues, including Sean Monahan of the Columbus Blue Jackets. After all rehabilitation efforts failed, Kane opted for surgery. "I want to get this fixed once and for all so I can continue my career," he explained. Kane is confident about eventually fully recovering, but the exact timeline remains unclear. Although no return date has been set, Oilers General Manager Stan Bowman said that Kane will not start the season and will be out "for a while." When asked if this could affect the entire 2024-25 season, Kane could not give a definitive answer. "I hope not," he said. Despite the health concerns surrounding Kane, his role with the Oilers seems almost insignificant given his reduced involvement last season. The Oilers' CEO of Hockey Operations, Jeff Jackson, reinforced the team’s top line on July 1 by signing established wingers Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. Coach Kris Knoblauch plans to lineup the duo alongside Leon Draisaitl. The first line with Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Zach Hyman remains unchanged, and the third line, which ended the playoffs consisting of Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, and Connor Brown, will start in training camp. This means that even if Kane becomes match-fit, he has no obvious spot in the lineup. However, his situation could change if other players get injured, affecting the team's salary cap. The Oilers are already monitoring an injury to Darnell Nurse, who was injured in the final and will return to training camp later, according to Bowman. A severe injury could force Bowman to place Kane on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which he wants to avoid. The goal is to create salary flexibility to make a significant addition or multiple additions to the team before the trade deadline. According to PuckPedia, the Oilers would have just over $945,000 in cap space even if Kane is activated. There is no need to place him on the injured list as the Oilers are unlikely to reach the 23-player limit. The focus is less on replacing a scoring winger and more on strengthening the right-side defense behind Evan Bouchard. Bowman expects new signees Josh Brown and Ty Emberson, as well as the retained Troy Stecher, to play significant roles this season. He will continue to closely monitor the free-agent market and waiver list. "We need to get this part of our game under control," emphasized Bowman. There is little concern about the first three forward lines without Kane. Kane is one of the best power forwards in hockey when he is healthy and motivated. His play after signing with the Oilers as a free agent in January 2022 was at a new level. In 43 regular-season games, he scored 22 goals and added 13 more in 15 playoff games. However, a devastating wrist injury in November and other health issues impaired his functionality, as did his reduced role. There remains a possibility that Kane could play a significant role for the Oilers after his return if he regains his fitness. This seems to be of critical importance to Kane now. It should also be noted that the no-movement clause in Kane's contract becomes a partial no-trade clause on February 28. According to PuckPedia, buying out Kane in June would free the Oilers from his final contract year with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $5.125 million. He would count for $2.458 million in the 2025-26 season and $1.333 million in the 2026-27 season. Of course, injured players cannot be bought out.