NHL’s LTIR Crackdown a Conspiracy Against Kane and the Oilers?

After years of turning a blind eye to teams exploiting Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) rules, the NHL appears to be laying down the law—and some fans are questioning the timing and intent behind this sudden enforcement. Specifically, fans in Edmonton are up in arms because the NHL’s decision to scrutinize teams with players returning from LTIR for the playoffs appears to be ‘targeting Evander Kane and the Oilers’.

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Let me go on record in saying that I don’t believe the conspiracy theory being discussed in Edmonton is accurate. Instead, it’s just really bad timing.

Other teams have felt the pressure of this new LTIR mandate. Gabriel Landeskog didn’t play Game 1 or Game 2 for the Colorado Avalanche. Teams like the Dallas Stars brought back players in Game 82, just to avoid questions about keeping names like Tyler Seguin out until the playoffs. As a result, it’s not as though the Oilers are the only team trying to figure out how to manage the situation.

All that said, Oilers fans find it ironic that their division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights, have been doing whatever they want for years, and no one has said anything. Now that the Oilers have a player in Evander Kane they would love to have back, is it suddenly a problem?

Why Is The NHL Coming Down Hard on LTIR Now?

For nearly a decade, teams like the Golden Knights and the Tampa Bay Lightning have faced criticism for manipulating LTIR to stay cap-compliant while stashing star players until the playoffs, when cap constraints are lifted. The most blatant example came in 2021 when Vegas activated Mark Stone just in time for the postseason after missing most of the regular season with a lingering injury. The franchise didn’t just do it once, they did it twice. Tampa kept out Nikita Kucherov, but he was miraculously OK after skating for several weeks prior to the playoffs.

Despite widespread media attention, the league never took action. Most believe the NHL barely even looked.

The sudden scrutiny has sparked frustration among Edmonton Oilers fans, who feel their team is being unfairly singled out. “Special rules that only apply to the Oilers,” one fan quipped on social media.

Now, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL is finally stepping in. On his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggested the league has been “really diligent” about monitoring injured players heading into this year’s playoffs, pointing to suspiciously timed returns. He said he believed the Oilers and Evander Kane were on a list of players they were investigating, and they wanted detailed accounts of his recovery and other evidence that he wasn’t able to return early, but was fine for the postseason. If the Oilers had their way, Kane would have returned from surgery in time for Game 1 of the postseason, but the belief is that it would have raised too many eyebrows.

Are the Oilers (Among Others) Getting Shafted Here?

The league appears eager to improve its image ahead of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The timing isn’t ideal for the Oilers, but it probably has very little to do with the NHL thinking the Oilers are abusing the system.

It’s likely just a coincidence that the NHL is trying to get ahead of a growing controversy that may negatively impact Edmonton. This isn’t the first time rules have been changed, and the Oilers have been on the losing end of those changes. (Coach compensation was a big one.) That could be why Oilers fans are upset this week.

Friedman hinted that broader changes are likely on the horizon, suggesting that the next CBA will include clearer mechanisms to regulate LTIR usage. For now, however, teams like the Oilers are left to navigate murky waters. Kane could play in Game 2 on Wednesday. Then again, he may not. Much of that depends on what kind of red flags the Oilers think they will raise if they push the issue and insert him into the lineup without proper documentation. Essentially, they need to show this was their only option.

Next: Game 1 Shows Oilers Stuck with Bouchard—For Better and Worse