Confusion reigns in Evander Kane injury situation

Did you hear the one about Evander Kane having a lingering injury situation? Yes, so have we, but it depends on which version you're talking about.

Is it the one where Kane dealt with a sports hernia all of last season, but it still persists? Or is it the one about a more recent hip injury? Or maybe even about both being a problem?

Even then, if you're able to deduce which injury scenario is the correct one, there's still the challenge of working out what's going to be done about it. More to the point, is the 33-year-old going to have surgery, or rest and let the problem resolve itself?

Then finally on top of all of this, is Kane going to be ready for the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign? Or is he going to start the new season on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)?

If your head's spinning after that influx of contradictory information/speculation, they you're not alone. It's been a particularly crazy time when it comes to the polarising winger, which is saying something given his 'colourful' past in the NHL.

Finally some clarity ... for the most part

So what the heck is going on with Kane? Well, it seems we finally have some sort of a definitive answer, at least in respect of part of the situation surrounding his ongoing health issues.

The clarity started to come into focus, when Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now took to social media on Monday. Stauffer advised that Kane will not be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season, may require surgery, and will likely be on LTIR regardless of if he has said surgery or not.

This went against a social media post from the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast on Saturday, which advised Kane will be ready for training camp, and going on LTIR wasn't in the plans. With all due respect to the 2 Mutts folks, their reputation isn't as strong or longstanding as Stauffer's, so it was natural to lean towards the latter.

In fairness though, the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast came forward on Tuesday with a follow-up social media post. They commendably admitted they'd got it wrong in respect of Kane, saying he was indeed going to have surgery, with him needing and wanting it.

Not everything adds up

We will point out though that what still doesn't quite make sense, is that the original social media post from the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast on Saturday, was as a result of them apparently talking to Kane himself. And yet three days later, the player is saying he wants and needs surgery.

So what gives? How did the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast get it wrong if they had spoken to Kane? Did he simply get a second opinion and/or change his mind?

We'll probably never know for sure, but the main thing is that it's now more clear that the 2009 fourth overall draft pick will indeed undergo surgery. Further, that this also removes any doubt about him beginning the 2024-25 season on LTIR.

This will in turn help the Oilers navigate their dicey salary cap situation, made even worse by the double offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. Certainly, Kane's $5.125 million salary being placed on LTIR helps big time, albeit we don't know for how long at this stage,

Which brings us back to the one thing which is still unclear in respect of the Vancouver native, i.e. what is the injury/situation that requires surgery? Pending if it is the sports hernia or apparent hip issue -- or both -- this will determine how long he needs to rehab and recover.

For the most part, it's just good to have a bit more clarity in respect of what the heck's going on with Kane. At the same time though there's still a lot for the Oilers to contend with, which only puts even more pressure on the recently hired Stan Bowman, who can ill afford to get anything wrong considering a lot of people want him to fail in Edmonton.

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