NHL Makes Puzzling Pivot Regarding Evander Kane LTIR Probe

The NHL’s ongoing investigation into the Edmonton Oilers’ use of long-term injured reserve (LTIR) relief for forward Evander Kane has taken an odd turn — or more accurately, no turn at all.

Back on June 18, insider Frank Seravalli broke the news that the league was examining whether Kane’s rehabilitation timeline was manipulated to maximize cap relief, specifically questioning the pause of one rehab to begin another. The Oilers, for their part, have cooperated fully, providing all requested information.

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Yet despite the initial probe, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly now says the league hasn’t asked the Oilers for anything else, and doesn’t seem in a hurry to do so.

“I’ve held that as pending,” Daly told reporters this week. “I haven’t made any decisions yet with respect to how long I’m going to hold it pending.”

What Is The NHL Doing?

That vague stance by the league has raised eyebrows. At first, it seemed odd that only the Oilers would be investigated given how many teams have used the LTIR loophole in the past several seasons. Some teams haven’t even hid their obvious abuse of the rules that a player’s cap hit doesn’t count if that player is out until the playoffs. The Oilers, even if they were guilty, were not the first team to do this; not by a long shot.

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal sarcastically interpreted Daly’s non-committal language as a thinly veiled quid pro quo: “You guys shut up about the crooked reffing in the Final, we bury this thing.”

Further confusing matters, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski confirmed that Kane’s recent trade to the Vancouver Canucks will have no bearing on the league’s investigation — meaning the NHL is still theoretically prepared to penalize a team that no longer has the player.

There is a lot to unpack here. The most interesting aspect of this is that it might never amount to anything, but the NHL will keep it hanging over the organization’s head for who knows how long. At some point, one would think there has to be an expiration date on the pending status of the probe.

For now, the NHL appears content to keep the matter in limbo, raising more questions than answers.

Next: What to Expect From Oilers After Evander Kane Trade