3) Evander Kane - only an outside chance
The fact that interim GM Jeff Jackson was able to bring back the band plus add Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner is a phenomenal thing for the Oilers' prospects at winning the cup next season. However, Evander Kane suffered from a sports hernia throughout most of last season, and it knocked him out of the lineup for most of the Stanley Cup Final last season.
As per the Daily Faceoff, looking at the Oilers' line combos for next season, it's hard to see a place in the lineup for Kane at his default LW. Kane is a dual winger, so he is capable of playing his off-wing. However, the depth is almost as good at RW for the Oilers, and is certainly ironclad in the top six forward group as I highly doubt Kane is supplanting Zach Hyman or Arvidsson out of the lineup next season. You might say he'd replace Corey Perry in the lineup, but even then -- in the playoffs especially -- ideally you'd want both guys in the lineup, not one or the other.
However, even putting aside the issue of where Kane will play, there's no doubt his $5.125 million pact would save the Oilers some cap if they could get rid of it. But, it's really not that simple. The fact is Kane's contract is far and away the hardest to move of anyone on this list. Here's why:
A) Kane has a No-Movement Clause (NMC) in his contract until past the halfway point of next season -- Mar. 1, 2025 -- at which point his contract reverts to a 16 team approved list modified No-Trade-Clause. That automatically eliminates half the teams in the NHL right away - and you have to wait until almost the trade deadline to do it anyway. Unless Kane himself wants to wave the NMC - with this clause, the player holds the cards, not the team. Good luck trying to trade that away. If Kane doesn't want to go anywhere he doesn't have to, and even after Mar. 1 only half the league is available to the Oilers to trade him.
B) Kane finished first on the Oilers in overall hits with 250 and is the highest lineup regular in hits/60 with 11.61. You don't just trade that away, and it becomes even more vital come playoff time. Knoblauch will simply have to find a way to keep him in the lineup more often than not.
C) When healthy, Kane is one of the best power forwards in the league, maybe the best. He scored 24 goals for the Oilers last season, and the season before if he weren't for the fact he got injured he would've had 32 goals had he kept up that same scoring pace. This combination of physicality, pestilence, and scoring is not easily duplicated in one player around the NHL - think a younger version of Perry. Like Perry, Kane knows how to get into opponents' heads and get under their skin, something that again becomes even more valuable during the playoffs.
D) The Oilers might be able to get some Long-Term Injured Reserve cap space out of him next season, depending on how severe his sports hernia is. Since I'm not a doctor I can't make a decision one way or the other on this one. That means even if he's out for the season he's still being useful to the team, and they can feed off his motivation to heal and get back into the lineup.
E) Perry himself is a factor in deciding to keep Kane. The 39-year-old is not an everyday player and it's obvious he has lost a step. Having a guy like Kane who can step in and play that role already potentially is extremely valuable, especially in the playoffs. Perry still has his uses, but at 39 it's worthwhile asking if perhaps his time might be done in the NHL? (Kane is only 32.) There's no doubt in my mind Perry wants to go out a winner and I'd bet almost anything he'll retire if the Oilers win the Cup after next season, so he can go out a champion.