Sounds like NHL may have put a stop to Kane playing for Edmonton Oilers in Game 1
The NHL may have pressured the Edmonton Oilers to sit Evander Kane in Game 1.
Kane missed the entirety of the 2024-25 NHL regular season due to multiple injuries, but speculation on his playoff availability has been ramping up in recent weeks. He met with the media before the postseason, where he gave a positive update on his health, and head coach Kris Knoblauch has been saying Kane is close to playing for the past week or so.
However, the veteran power forward was not available for the start of the Oilers’ opening-round series against the LA Kings. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday night that he thinks the league has been scrutinizing multiple teams for using LTIR during the season, but are somehow finding ways to get those players into playoff action.
Friedman believes Edmonton’s situation with Kane caught the league’s attention.
“I’ve heard the NHL really scrutinized a number of teams about their LTIR use late in the regular season and wanted detailed explanations of why some players couldn’t play game 82 and then could be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs,” Friedman said. “I think Kane was one of those players.
“I think it’s possible that’s why he’s not playing Game 1, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him Game 2.”
Interesting tidbit from Friedman in last night’s second intermission…
Could this mean Evander Kane could make his season debut on Wednesday night? #Oilers
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) April 22, 2025
It would be strange for the NHL to suddenly take such a hard line on a loophole that has been prevalent for several seasons now. Teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning, both of whom have won recent Stanley Cups, have had players miss the end of the season on LTIR and then come back for Game 1 of the playoffs.
This, however, wouldn’t be the first time that the league has cracked down on something when the Oilers got involved. Back in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season, the league forced Edmonton to give the Calgary Flames a third-round pick for compensation in the Milan Lucic-James Neal trade despite the latter coming up just short of the 21-goal condition.
There are questions around Kane’s ability once he returns to action. He hasn’t played an NHL game in almost a full year, and while he has been practicing, there is a worry that all that time out of commission could have an impact on his play. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are not the time of year to shake off rust.
It’s unclear where Kane would slot in if he does make a return to the lineup sooner rather than later. You’d think that Knoblauch wouldn’t want to put him in a top-six spot right away, so a spot on the third line seems most likely to start.
We shall see if the Oilers (and the NHL for that matter) opt to give Kane a chance in Game 2 on Wednesday night to help tie up the series.