According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, “I believe Evander Kane is going to have surgery. I think one of the reasons it took this long is because there was some conversations which doctor was going to do it, and who was available.” Friedman noted this on the most recent edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, adding, “He’s [Kane] going to be out months, I’m not talking like 1-2 months.”
If accurate, and there is no reason to assume it wouldn’t be, this answers part of the questions about what Edmonton can do when it comes to the dual offer sheets tendered by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Oilers’ Salary Cap Pickle Isn’t As Big a Pickle As Expected If Kane Is On LTIR
The Oilers are now just under $7.3 million over the salary cap. To fit Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway onto their roster means other roster adjustments. Kane going on LTIR, would allow for another $5.125 million cap cushion — at least for the time being.
Kane on LTIR is not a permanent fix. Friedman said it’s not known if Kane will last long enough to take the winger off the ice until the post-season. Still, the Oilers can go over the cap throughout the summer and punt the decision into the season. At that point, they can put Kane on LTIR just before opening night, stretching out how long Kane will be away.
Related: Oilers’ Holland Made Big Error in Handling Broberg and Holloway Deals [Report]
The other options include a trade, potentially moving one of Cody Ceci or Brett Kulak. In this scenario, the Oilers would need to feel Broberg has more upside than either next season and in seasons beyond. Because Edmonton can’t trade Broberg for a full year once they match an offer, they’re stuck with him, regardless of how he plays. But, if the Oilers see Broberg as the better option at $4.5M than Ceci at $3.25M or Kulak at $2.75M, they could find a taker and dump one of the two players in a trade.
Friedman said, “If the Oilers wanted to [trade Cody Ceci], they could. They had options, but I don’t know yet that’s really what they want to do. However, now that St. Louis has done this, they might be boxed into it and forced into it.”
Why The Oilers Might Walk from Broberg Offer Sheet
Beyond the salary hike and the projection of where Broberg will be versus what Ceci or Kulak can contribute, there’s the question of how badly Broberg wants to be an Oiler. Friedman also noted that Broberg asked for a salary in the $1.8 million range over two years. This after saying he had no intention to sign during the season and had previously requested a trade.
The Blues offered him 250% more than what he was asking for. It’s not surprising he took it. Edmonton will have to pony up to keep Broberg, can’t imminently trade him, and will have to qualify him at $4.5 million at the end of this contract.
The insider noted the timing of these offer sheets was not accidental. The Blues wanted both players to sign the deal at the same time to make this challenging for Edmonton. “The feeling was they had to sign both of them, that was the only way this was going to work for St. Louis.” He adds that the Blues didn’t want to give Edmonton an escape route. No one blames either player for accepting a better offer, but the Oilers will have to think about the message it sends to be held over a barrel by another team and the players. Edmonton may choose to take the picks and let players who don’t want to work with the overall team salary structure go and find replacements.
There will be options if Edmonton needs to make other arrangements, especially if Kane still goes on LTIR.
Next: What Happens if The Oilers Lose Holloway and Broberg?
Kael
August 15, 2024 at 12:50 pm
blah blah blah…everyone keeps beating the dead horse by making the same guesses over and over.