Oilers Blockbuster Trade Deadline Hot Take Faces Major Roadblock

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal had some hot takes for the summer in a recent post on X.com. First, he said he believed Darnell Nurse would flip the script and become the story of the 2026 playoffs — in a good way this time. Second, look for Edmonton to swing a deadline deal to bring back Evander Kane. And finally, keep an eye on Noah Philp, who could emerge as the surprise breakout player of the year, much like Vasily Podkolzin did last season.

The big takeaway from the post was the second hot take in which he noted, “The Oilers will trade for Evander Kane at the deadline.”

Surprisingly, he’s not the first person to wonder if Kane was going to be on the Oilers’ radar this year. In early August, according to a post by the 2 Mutts Podcast, Kane—now a member of the Vancouver Canucks—has had conversations about a possible return to the Oilers after his current contract ends.

The Oilers moved Kane to the Canucks this summer in an attempt to create salary cap flexibility. He waived to join Vancouver (where he had history), despite loving his time with the Oilers. In a post we wrote on August 6th, we noted, “Now entering the final year of his deal, Kane will hit free agency next summer. If he stays healthy and productive, and if Edmonton has cap room, anything is possible.”

Kane missed the entirety of the 2024-25 regular season due to rehabbing a sports hernia injury in addition to a knee injury. He returned for the playoffs, but wasn’t as effective as he was when he’d first joined the team partway through the 2021-22 season. Kane, 34, recorded 12 points in 24 playoff games this last postseason.

How Would The Oilers Make This Kane Trade Work?

Staples didn’t go into detail about what the Oilers would have to give up to acquire Kane at the deadline or how they would make his salary work. When a fan pointed out, “Wait I thought you couldn’t re-acquire someone and have salary retention. Does that mean you think they will trade for Kane at his full cap hit?? Or is that not a rule?”, Staples responded, “Yes, full cap at deadline.”

In the NHL, you have to wait 364 days after trading a player to retain money to bring the player back to the team he was traded from. IN other words, Vancouver can’t trade him to Edmonton and retain any of his $5.25 million cap hit.

Next: Trade Watch: Oilers Could Make Bold Move in Goal Before Deadline