Darnell Nurse and Evander Kane are both going to miss the start of training camp for the Edmonton Oilers. Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reported on Wednesday, that both are expected to “start training camp on the shelf due to injury.” He adds, “Nurse has been on the ice for informal skates & continues to heal up a lingering injury from the playoffs. The projection is he will be good to go later in camp.”
The Kane injury situation is not a surprise. However, to learn that Nurse might miss some time is a bit surprising. It’s expected he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season, but if he’s still dealing with something from the playoffs, it poses the question of how serious the issue was and if it will be something that lingers as the 2024-25 campaign gets underway.
It is good news that Nurse is on the ice with the team and looks like he’ll be able to play later in camp. He shouldn’t miss any significant time, even if the Oilers roll him out slowly to begin the season.
As for Kane, there has been talk for much of the summer that the Oilers were considering putting him on LTIR. His situation weighed into the team’s decision not to match offer sheets for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, as the club knew they needed to have cap flexibility. In the event Kane starts the season on LTIR, the Oilers still need the room to bring him and his over $5 million cap hit back.
The Action Heats Up For Oilers In the Coming Days
Oilers Rookie Camp began on Wednesday, specifically fitness testing and physicals. Thursday will be their first on-ice practice before participating in the Young Stars Classic.
As for preseason, the team’s first game is September 22, 2024, versus the Winnipeg Jets. It’s not clear if the Oilers will try to get Nurse in for any preseason games.
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