The National Hockey League has reportedly closed their investigation into the Edmonton Oilers and their usage of the Long Term Injured Reserve for former winger Evander Kane.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli broke the news during an appearance on Friday’s edition of OilersNow.
“Sources indicate that with this new Collective Bargaining Agreement having been completed, the NHL is very likely to no longer pursue any additional information regarding the Evander Kane LTIR usage,” Seravalli said.
Kane missed the entire regular season after undergoing surgery last September to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two lower abdominal muscle tears. Another surgery in January to remove a congenital tumour-like growth on his knee halted his rehabilitation for the abdominal surgery, but Kane began practicing with the Oilers after the 4-Nations Face-Off.
He didn’t dress for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but was in for Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings. At the time, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL scrutinized multiple teams, the Oilers included, about their LTIR usage late in the season, and that it was his belief that’s why Kane didn’t dress for Game 1.
All was quiet after that, but after the Final finished, another report from Seravalli indicated the NHL was deliberating their next steps, but noted there was “potential for retroactive punishment if the league finds the spirit of the CBA was violated.”
Kane drew in for 21 playoff games for the Oilers this year, scoring six goals and 12 points. He arrived in Edmonton in January 2022, scoring 22 goals and 39 points in 43 regular season games, adding 13 goals and 17 points in 15 playoff games. The Oilers traded him to the Vancouver Canucks Wednesday morning, receiving back a 2025 fourth-round pick, 117th overall, while clearing the final year of his $5.125-million AAV contract from their books.
Across his 161 regular-season games in Edmonton, he scored 62 goals and 111 points, with 26 goals and 42 points in 68 playoff games.
