Its official: Evander Kane will undergo surgery for a sports hernia he suffered last season. Before the playoffs started, Kane stated that he’d been dealing with it all season, so it should come as no surprise that this is the outcome. Kane has two years left on his deal with a cap hit of $5.125 million.
Kane played 77 regular season games last season, tallying 24 goals and 44 points. He also added four goals and eight points in 20 playoff games. Despite scoring 24 goals in the regular season, he was a non-factor in too many games; he was held goalless for a 21-game stretch and his lack of production and consistency could be attributed to his sports hernia issue. Kane is at his best and most effective when he is physical and forechecks hard. Due to the injury, he wasn’t able to play his physical style.
Related: Evander Kane Dealing with Nagging Sports Hernia Injury
Kane seemed to re-aggravate his injury in the game 6 of the Western Conference Final. He did play the first two games against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final before ultimately being sidelined for the rest of the series. It is puzzling why this announcement came days before the start of training camp. It should have been dealt with shortly after the playoffs concluded.
Kane’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the Oilers’ top nine. The British Columbia native provides a scoring touch on the third line that will now have to be filled by Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. It is not easy losing a perennial 20-goal scorer. That’s why the acquisitions of Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner were so crucial. They will help the secondary scoring in Kane’s absence.
What Do the Oilers Do With Kane?
Now the question is what do the Oilers do once Kane returns from this injury? The answer to this question is dependent on his recovery. There is currently no timetable for how long his recovery could take, which makes it extremely difficult for the organization to plan ahead. However, there are a few options at their disposal when he inevitably returns to the lineup.
Keep Him on the Active Roster
Despite his surgery, Kane will start the season on the Oilers’ cap-compliment roster. This will allow the Oilers to accrue up to $4.4 million in cap space before the trade deadline. By keeping him on the roster, they…
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