The ongoing discussion about what could happen with the Edmonton Oilers regarding how the team handled former Oilers forward Evander Kane’s status on long-term injured reserve is being addressed, sort of.
When speaking to the media on Wednesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly was asked about the investigation into the Oilers’ usage of LTIR with Kane and whether the league has requested more information from the team.
Daly admitted he still has yet to decide on what his next steps will be.
“I’ve held that as pending,” Daly said. “I haven’t made any decisions yet with respect to how long I’m going to hold it pending.”
Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli had previously reported that the Oilers have cooperated with the NHL in reviewing the findings of information and medical opinions regarding Kane’s status, which led to him missing the entire 2024-25 regular season while recovering from multiple surgeries.
In September, Kane had work done to repair a couple of hernias, two torn hip adductor muscles and two lower abdominal muscle tears. Though it appeared that the 33-year-old would be able to return around the trade deadline, a knee surgery in January led to Kane’s season debut getting pushed into the playoffs.
With being on LTIR, and his $5.125 million cap hit off the books as a result, the Oilers were allowed to overspend in order to bolster their roster, trading for the likes of Trent Frederic, Max Jones and Jake Walman prior to the deadline.
In his return to the lineup once the postseason began, Kane played in 21 of Edmonton’s 22 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Although he wasn’t the most dominant player, he still managed to score six goals and record six assists for a total of 12 points. It was the most the Vancouver native had registered in a postseason since the 2022 playoffs, when he notched 13 goals and 17 points.
Unfortunately, it didn’t help the Oilers reach their ultimate goal, as they lost to the Florida Panthers in the final for the second year in a row, this time in six games.
While Kane the player is no longer on the team, having been dealt to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, the looming investigation will seemingly keep the he and the Oilers connected for some time.
