Interesting Kane tidbit could help Edmonton Oilers create cap room

It’s been no hidden secret that the Edmonton Oilers trade deadline plans revolve around the status of Evander Kane.

The 32-year-old has yet to play this season, and currently sits on long-term injured reserve. There was and remains a chance that he stays on LTIR for the remainder of the regular season, which would give the Oilers more cap space heading into next week’s trade deadline.

It sounds as though there is a real chance, however, that Kane will return before the end of the season. That could make for a somewhat quiet deadline in Edmonton, with GM Stan Bowman likely only having the space to pull off a single deal.

Unless he were to trade Kane, that is.

Kane is currently on the third year of a four-year deal that carries a cap hit of $5.125 million. That contract carried a full no-movement clause. As of yesterday, however, the full no-movement clause has instead turned into a 16-team trade list.

This means that Kane no longer has full control over his playing future, whereas before he could have shut down any and every move the Oilers may have tried to make with him. Being able to move out his hefty salary would give Bowman plenty of flexibility as he looks to improve his roster ahead of the playoffs.

The question is whether or not teams would be willing to trade for Kane. While very effective when healthy, he’s battled some significant injuries since the 2022-23 season. There’s a chance that even if a team were interested in acquiring him, they may try and force the Oilers to retain some of his salary.

There is also a chance that Bowman views Kane as a player who could really help this lineup. The Oilers have struggled to get depth scoring, and everyone knows what the power forward can provide when he’s at his best. He also adds an element of toughness which is very beneficial to have in the playoffs.

It remains unclear as to what the future, both immediate and long term, holds for Kane at this time. We should, however, have a better idea in the coming days, with the trade deadline set for Friday, March 7 at 1 pm MT.

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