Evander Kane has more bitter comments about demotion from coach Knoblauch
Over the past few weeks, Evander Kane hasn't been the explosive and skilled power forward that the Edmonton Oilers need him to be. Due to his struggles, head coach Knoblauch has consistently demoted Kane to the third line, and he clearly isn't happy about it.
It's been widely reported now that Kane has been dealing with a nagging groin injury all season, and recently was also revealed to be dealing with a hand injury. Despite the injuries, Kane is insisting to play through the pain, and the results haven't been great. The injuries have clearly led to his struggles and Coach Knoblauch reducing his ice time, but Kane is clearly not a fan. Against Seattle, Kane got some looks on the second line and made good with two points - but when asked about the success he still had a comment with bitter undertones about the recent demotion.
Kane kept his comments extremely short, limiting his answer to only three words while keeping a stern demeanour to the reporter. Earlier this month, Kane was asked by Mark Spector about his declining ice time, and Kane only replied that he was keeping quiet - clearly indicating he's unhappy with his opportunities.
Honestly, I've never had this level of opportunity in my career. Not even my rookie year. For me right now, less is more - what comes out of my mouth.
In recent games, Knoblauch has been trying to get Kane more looks in the top six and on the power play, hoping to give Kane a a boost to his confidence. He's made good on these opportunities with 3 points in his last 3 games now, but he's not 100% healthy and his play is still clearly suffering.
While walking into the game last night, Kane was spotted with an obviously concerning limp.
Hopefully, Kane and the Oilers will be able to strike a balance that allows Kane to contribute as best as he can. It seems that instead of taking time to rest and heal up, Kane is going to play through his injury, and Knoblauch is going to find him sheltered minutes to remain effective on the ice.
| POLL | ||
Should the Oilers make Kane take time off to rest? | ||
| Yes, he needs to rest | 269 | 68.1 % |
| No, he can play through the injury | 85 | 21.5 % |
| See Results | 41 | 10.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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