Evander Kane Out 3-4 Months: Is a Trade Coming for Oilers?

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that forward Evander Kane will be out for 3-4 months after undergoing a procedure to help mend a severe cut to his arm from a skate blade during Tuesday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The freak accident occurred when Patrick Maroon skated over Kane’s exposed arm and it was known immediately that the issue was serious. The good news is that Kane will be OK. The bad news is that he’s out for an extended period of time.

#Oilers forward Evander Kane has been placed on LTIR & is expected to miss 3-4 months. Mattias Janmark & Klim Kostin have been recalled from the @Condors. We wish Evander the best in his recovery process. pic.twitter.com/FrDZnplPvp

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 9, 2022

The Oilers have also announced that Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin have been recalled from the AHL Bakersfield Condors and will join the roster thanks to the LTIR cap space created by Kane’s absence. The question in Edmonton now is, can the Oilers do anything else? Is there a way to use this unfortunate incident and add another player with Kane’s over $5 million coming off the salary cap?

The answer is, technically yes, but probably no.

The initial thought among many fans will be for the Oilers to go out into the NHL trade market and try to acquire another top-six forward. Things are not that simple. With Kane out three-to-four months, that puts him back on the ice in plenty of time for him to return during the regular season. If the Oilers go over the salary cap, which they would be with him back on the roster, he wouldn’t be able to play if and when he’s healthy, assuming Edmonton doesn’t make another move.

Sure, GM Ken Holland could add a $5 million player with the expectation that he would be trading away something just ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline, but it’s not a given he’ll be able to move that piece and if he’s unsuccessful, it creates problems. Kane could be back in February, which in itself is like the Oilers picking up another trade deadline asset. If they can use the pieces they have internally to get into the postseason, he’ll add a huge dimension down the stretch.

For now, expect the Oilers to see if names like Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Kailer Yamamoto, along with Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod can step up in Kane’s absence.

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