Edmonton Oilers trade off the table with new injury report
Insiders reported today that Evander Kane will begin next season on the injured reserve, which will take a trade off the table for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are currently $350K over the NHL salary cap, with two more players to sign in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. This situation was going to force the Oilers to make a trade to clear salary cap space, with Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak, and Evander Kane floated as trade candidates. Now that Kane will begin next season on the LTIR, the Oilers won't have to lose a player as a cap casualty.
Kane's salary of $5.125M will not count against the salary cap as long as he's on LTIR, which could be a significant amount of time if surgery is involved. There's potential that Kane could sit out the entire year, then try to gear up to make a comeback for the playoffs. While the Oilers do benefit from being able to place Kane on LTIR, they are also missing out on a real asset that can help them win games when he's healthy. If he could come back at his best next playoffs, that would be an ideal situation for the Oilers.
Kane has a no-movement clause this season, but next season it becomes a limited no-trade list, and a move feels likely. Signing Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson eliminates Kane's role on the Oilers, and after he's rehabilitated, seems likely to move on from the team.
At the same time, the Oilers should still be inquiring about moves for their defence after floating Cody Ceci and Brett Kulak in trade. Their forward group is far and away the best in the league, so any more roster improvements this season should focus on the defence - perhaps an upgrade for the top four right shot defence spot where Ceci is slotted currently. Internally, the Oilers have a number of depth defenders capable of playing games, including Troy Stecher, Josh Brown, and Connor Carrick.
It's truly unfortunate news to hear that Kane will not be ready for next season, but it does present a temporary solution for some other roster problems. Hopefully he's able to come back next playoffs and finish the job from last season, contributing more after proper rehab from his injury.
Source for Salary Cap Data:
| POLL | ||
Do you think that Evander Kane will play for the Oilers this season? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 56.8 % |
| No | 46 | 39 % |
| See Results | 5 | 4.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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