Oilers GM Stan Bowman Hints at Worst Case Scenario For Evander Kane in New Interview

Oilers forward Evander Kane has missed the entire season so far with injury, and GM Stan Bowman tempered expectations for his return date in a new interview.

Kane played through injury for the majority of last season, then at the beginning of training camp, had a complex surgery to correct six different injuries.

Speaking with Bob Stauffer on OilersNow, Stan Bowman heavily stressed the severity of Kane's injuries, surgery, and rehab process. Conveying how serious the rehab is, Bowman could be hinting that Kane will be out for the rest of the regular season.

"He did have a pretty complicated and involved surgery. The fact that he wasn't skating yet is not really an issue or surprise to me when the doctors explained to me exactly what they had to do. So, it was a very intense situation he was in with different things they operated on. So, it is going to be a long rehab.

- Stan Bowman

The Oilers General Manager also recently told the media that he would have a more concrete update on Evander Kane's condition soon, but still, today's communication surrounding the injury certainly wasn't positive.

How would Evander Kane Missing the Oilers Full Season Affect the Team?

The Oilers are currently last place in hits and could always use some secondary scoring, so they clearly miss what Evander Kane can bring to the roster.

However, what will affect the Oilers most about Kane's return date is how it affects their salary cap heading into the Trade Deadline. NHL insider Frank Seravalli has already reported the Oilers could push the boundaries of LTIR rules with Kane's return.

Like the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning have done before, the Oilers could add Kane's $5.125M in salary and ice a playoff roster above the salary cap. However, Kane can't return until the playoffs, and that itself will carry some risk.

At 33 years old coming off a major surgery, Evander Kane may need some time to get up to full game speed. That's why it's concerning he's not skating yet, and why it could be risky to insert him in the playoff lineup right away.

The upcoming update on Kane's status will be a major factor in how the Oilers approach the trade deadline. Keep it locked at OilersDaily for all updates.