Ever since the conclusion of last season, there has been speculation about Evander Kane's future in Edmonton. As we wrote last July, Sportnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the rumour that the Oilers had asked the winger to waive the no-movement clause contained within his contract.
Now however, there's been a change in Kane's status, which can assist the Oilers -- at least to an extent -- if they are indeed interested in moving Kane. As per David Staples of the Edmonton Journal, the polarising player no longer has a full no-trade clause in his contract.
Staples notes that as of Mar. 1, Kane has to submit a a 16-team trade list to the Oilers, which now obviously changes the whole dynamic between the player and the organisation. The question is, whether or not this will actually lead to an attempt to move him prior to the Mar. 7 trade deadline?
The challenge of the Oilers trading Evander Kane
Now yes, trading Kane would free up his $5.125 million cap space for this season, which would also be the case for the 2025-26 campaign. (The final year of his current deal.) However, getting another team to take him on will not be the most straightforward of tasks, given the uncertainty which still surrounds his health.
In any event, we would be loathe to move on from Kane anyway, with him providing a couple of X-factors which can still help the Oilers. First the aforementioned $5.125 million cap space can still be used elsewhere, as long as he remains on Long Term Injured Reserve until the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season.
In this respect, despite the coyness and ambiguity still being displayed publicly by the Oilers, we would bet they have a good idea of when Kane will officially be back on the team. Assuming it is not until the playoffs begin, then the extra cap space can be used to help find upgrades ahead of the trade deadline.
A new signing of sorts come playoff time for the Oilers
The second aspect is related to the playoffs and assuming Kane will be back in action at all this season, with it almost being like adding a new player. And certainly one who will be fresh, after not playing since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.
We appreciate that in this scenario Kane would need to get back up to speed in the high-pressure environment of the playoffs, but this is a player who knows how to step up on the big stage. Consider his contribitions in Edmonton during the 2021-22 postseason for example, when he scored 17 points in 15 games for the Oilers.
In addition, Kane will bring some much-needed physicality and toughness to an Oilers roster which desperately needs it. And in case you have forgotten -- although we assume most fans haven't -- this is a player who has an innate ability to get under the skin of opponents and wind them up.
So ultimately, we do acknowledge the Oilers have to consider all of their options as we approach the Mar. 7 trade deadline, including the possibility of moving Kane. However, we believe they are better-placed in keeping hold of the 2009 fourth overall draft pick for now and then revisiting the possibility during the summer.
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