With the Evander Kane surgery being successful, what happens now with the Oilers?

Heading into the start of this season there was a couple of questions regarding the Edmonton Oilers roster. One of the biggest questions was what was going to happen to Evander Kane and his health. Now that we finally know that answer, it is time to take a look at the implications that this causes the Oilers and Kane moving forward.

For Evander Kane, there are a couple of things that he is going to need to keep his eyes on while he is recovering. The main one is how the Oilers' top 6 looks without him being there. With the additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson, Kane is no longer guaranteed a spot in the top 6. While he is off injured the top 6 could get solidified without him in it. That would mean when he comes back, he would be locked on the 3rd line, is that a place Kane wants to be?

That leads me to my second point for Kane. Kane's contract currently has a full no movement clause built into it, but that shifts to a modified no move on March 1st. Once it turns to a modified no move, he will have to submit a 16-team trade list. With his timeline for return being January/February that doesn't leave him much time to make an impact. If he can't make an impact before March 1st there is a chance that he and his $5.125 million cap hit could be moved at the deadline.

Edmonton Oilers Implications

While Kane has to be nervous about whether or not he will be an Oiler by the time the deadline rolls around, the Oilers need to be focused on making their team better for another long playoff run. The big question Stan Bowman has to focus on is, are the Oilers better than with or without Evander Kane?

For him to answer that he will need to figure out what he can bring in to help this team. There is no doubt that the Oilers are weak defensively and strong up front. That is why a Kane trade may be a possibility. You want to deal from an area of strength to address your weaknesses.

To even think about this the Oilers will need to figure out what is going on with their cap space. Is Kane going on LTIR or are the Oilers going to try and bank cap space for the deadline? It is nice to have the option to put Kane on the LTIR for the first half of the season, but if they can keep him off then they can bank space for the deadline. It is going to be a tough call from management.

I am glad that the surgery was successful for Kane and that he is on his way back to being completely healthy. I also hope that the Oilers can keep Kane and improve their defense, but with the way the Oilers cap is set up it is an unlikely scenario, but that is why the Oilers brought in Bowman, to figure these things out.