Kane’s imminent return to Oilers lineup raises salary cap questions for management

It appears Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane is nearing the end of his lengthy stay on the injured list.

Kane’s wrist was lacerated in a freak accident Nov. 8 in Tampa, when he was knocked to the ice and had his wrist stepped on by Lightning forward Patrick Maroon. 

The Oilers power forward was on the ice with his team for practice Monday morning at Rogers Place, before he was scheduled to see if he would get clearance to return from the doctor.

Kane is in the first year of a four-year, $20.5 million US deal, and the salary-cap-strapped Oilers will need to make some roster decisions when he’s cleared to come back, whether it’s Tuesday’s game at home to Seattle, or in the days to come. 

Head coach Jay Woodcroft says if Kane gets the green light, the team still has 24 hours to make those decisions.

“This is something we say in the coaching room a lot, that when you have time, you want to use it,” Woodcroft said after practice. “So, nothing needs to be decided today, we don’t play till tomorrow.

“And, the mechanics of those things go beyond the coaching room, that happens a little bit higher up. But I think the first step in the process is to get word back from the trainers, and then see what happens.”

WATCH | Draisaitl helps Oilers beat Golden Knights on Saturday: 

For Kane, it’s a bit of déjà vu. He was introduced as an Oilers player on Jan. 28, 2002, and he was a potential spark for a team that was in a battle just to make the playoffs. He delivered, scoring 22 goals in 43 games, then added 13 goals in just 15 playoff games as Edmonton got all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

Now, he’s set to be reinjected into the Oilers lineup. It’s January. And, like this time last year, the Oilers are a team that’s fighting for its playoff life, currently clinging onto the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.

‘I just want to play my game’

“It’s pretty similar that way,” Kane said. “I think last year it was a week or two later in January, right at the very end of January before the all-star break. It will be similar, and I hope I can repeat what I did last year, and hopefully be even better.

“I just want to play my game, to do what I do and bring that to the team, and that it will rub off in a positive way.”

Woodcroft replaced Dave Tippett in February 2022, so Kane was already an Oiler when he took over behind the bench. But he…