So far this week there has been an alarmingly large amount of news regarding Evander Kane and whether or not he is going to be starting on LTIR or not. On one hand, you have the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast stating that he will not be going on LTIR, on the other hand, you have Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer saying that he is likely to be going to have surgery and will be starting on the LTIR.
Some @EdmontonOilers news to report:
— 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast (@2MuttsHockeyPod) August 10, 2024
1. Leon Draisaitl contract extension talks are going great, there has been some talk that Leon’s camp would ask for $14.5M on AAV but he’s willing to take less than that to stay in Edmonton & it will be an 8 year deal from what we are told.…
The real question comes down to which of these two opinions will end up being correct. Both of these are saying they are hearing their news, which means there are people confidently saying that each is the case. The real question is where each of their sources are coming from. My best guess is that 2 Mutts is hearing from the player's side and Stauffer is hearing it from the Oilers' point of view.
Hearing there is a very good chance that the @EdmontonOilers Evander Kane won't be ready for the start of the season...that he may require surgery...and is likely to be on LTIR to start the year
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) August 12, 2024
The Oilers and Kane Having Different Opinions Is A Problem
If what I am guessing is true then there are about to be some issues between the Edmonton Oilers and Evander Kane. If Kane’s camp is telling people that there is going to be no surgery and the Oilers' side is saying there will be surgery, there is going to wedge drove between the two. The thing is from each side they both want the opposite things.
There is no doubt in my mind that Kane wants to play hockey more than anything else. You could see it in the playoffs and all of last season where he played through his sports hernia. He could have shut it down whenever and let the injury heal properly, but he wanted to play through it. While it hurt his game, you have to give him props for getting out there and playing.
For the Edmonton Oilers, it would be the perfect scenario for them if Kane was on LTIR. The Oilers are over the cap and Kane going on LTIR would give them the space to be cap compliant. Salary cap aside, they also want a 100% healthy Evander Kane. We all saw Kane down the stretch and into the playoffs, he wasn’t himself and didn’t contribute much to the team, but if he is healthy, he will definitely make a positive impact on the team.
While getting two completely different sides of the Evander Kane news coin this week doesn’t make anything any better from a fan's or analyst's view. Both the Oilers and Kane want Kane to play for the Oilers this season, but the Oilers want a 100% Kane, not a 70% Kane. So if there is a chance he can’t play 100% I agree that Kane should do what is necessary to get back to the top of his game cause with him playing his game he is a force to be reckoned with.