The Edmonton Oilers, just hours after losing again in the Stanley Cup Final, are under investigation by Gary Bettman and the NHL over their use of Long Term Injured Reserve involving forward Evander Kane.
The Edmonton Oilers just suffered another disappointing defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers, marking their 2nd straight loss in the Stanley Cup Final against them in under a year's time.
The pain still lingers from their loss to the Panthers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on June 24, 2024, which at the time was the closest they'd come to winning a title since losing Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final to the Carolina Hurricanes.
And as an added insult to injury, the Oilers are now under investigation by Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League for potential misuse of Long Term Injured Reserve when it comes to forward Evander Kane.
Per Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff:
So far, sources said the Oilers have complied with all the NHL's requests for information and medical opinions, as is typical with any LTIR return scenario for the playoffs, which are scrutinized by the league. It remains unclear what exactly the NHL may have found issue with as they continue to examine the circumstances.
Kane didn't play during the regular season after undergoing multiple surgeries in September, followed by more surgery in January before eventually returning to practice with Edmonton in late February after the 4 Nations Faceoff.
He was eventually cleared by doctors and made his appearance for the 1st time in Game 2 of Edmonton's WCQF series against the Los Angeles Kings; he had 12 points (6G, 6A) during the postseason.
