NHL makes final ruling for Edmonton Oilers on Evander Kane LTIR investigation
The Edmonton Oilers are no longer under investigation for their handling of Evander Kane on LTIR last season.
This comes after NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the league had completed its investigation of the Oilers’ LTIR use last season, specifically regarding Kane. The investigation was reportedly opened in mid-June, shortly after the Florida Panthers defeated Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Final.
According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Daly said that the investigation has ended and that the Oilers will not be facing any repercussions for how they handled the situation.
Bill Daly says the book has been closed on the NHL's examination of the Oilers for Evander Kane's LTIR situation last regular season/playoffs
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) September 9, 2025
The veteran power forward missed the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season on the LTIR with multiple injuries. This allowed Edmonton to use Kane’s $5.125 million in cap space to make key trade deadline additions like Trent Frederic and Jake Walman.
However, once the playoffs rolled around, Kane was able to return in time for Game 2 against the LA Kings and went on to play all the way to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
This seemed to irk the NHL, which recently worked together with the NHLPA to help get rid of that specific LTIR loophole in the new CBA. Though the CBA will take effect in time for the 2026-27 season, the rules closing that LTIR loophole will be put in place for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Among the changes being made is the implementation of a playoff salary cap, meaning teams will no longer be able to activate players off the LTIR in the postseason and carry a lineup that exceeds the NHL’s salary cap.
While it certainly was a sneaky move by the Oilers to do this with Kane last season, they are far from the first to do it. The Vegas Golden Knights are notorious for doing the same with big-time players like Mark Stone, and the Tampa Bay Lightning did the same a few years ago with Nikita Kucherov.
It felt a bit strange that the Oilers garnered an investigation from the NHL when those previous teams went on to win Stanley Cups while doing the same.
Nonetheless, there isn’t anything to worry about for the Oilers now that they’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing.