Oilers Provide Sobering Injury Update on Evander Kane

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided a businesslike update on forward Evander Kane when he spoke to the media on Tuesday morning. The timeline news may not have been what everyone wanted to hear, and it leaves some questions about what the team has planned if anything. Still, it’s an update.

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“You’re not going to see or hear anything on him for at least a month,” Knoblauch told reporters. He added:

“He’s got a schedule that he comes in on certain days and gets treatment. Whether we’re on the road or we’re at home. He’s coming in several times a week and getting that treatment.”

It’s not clear if Knoblauch was suggesting it would be much longer than a month, but it seems that nothing is imminent.

It’s been a challenging start to the season for Oilers fans. The team got off to a rocky beginning, and while they’re working to turn things around, and actually playing quite well of late, the inability to ice a fully healthy roster hasn’t made things any easier. Kane dealt with nagging injuries most of last season and the hope was that the work he had done in the summer would mean a return at full strength. The Oilers are doing everything they can to keep pace while they wait for their power forward to make it back.

Kane’s Injury Timeline Leaves Questions for Oilers

Kane was initially injured during the offseason and underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia. While his recovery has been lengthy, his return is expected to make a significant impact. Edmonton has avoided putting him on LTIR with the expectation they would need to leave space for his cap hit at some point this season. If things change and he’s out until the playoffs, the Oilers might use his cap and the space they’ve accrued to make a move at the deadline.

At the time of the surgery, his estimated return was projected for February or March. However, there’s now hope he could return as early as late January. Given that he hasn’t played a game this season, Kane will likely need one to two weeks of practice to regain game readiness.

In about a month’s time, fans will learn if the organization has any plans or if there’s a hint they might even delay Kane’s return slightly to leverage some of that space for addressing other roster needs.

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