Oilers reportedly close to making announcement on Evander Kane

Earlier this week, General Manager Stan Bowman told OilersNow that the team is evaluating all options, and will announce a decision on his health status soon. It appears that decision may be coming now, as the 2 Mutts Hockey Podcast is reporting that an announcement is imminent.

Kane revealed to the media before the playoffs began that he was battling a sports hernia, and later in the playoffs sustained several more injures. According to Elliotte Friedman, Kane has also dealt with a significant hip injury that could require surgery and keep him out of the lineup for months.

With the Oilers pressed tight against the salary cap this season, there was plenty of speculation that Evander Kane could be moved in a trade. That's clearly not the case anymore, as the Oilers are back under the salary cap to start the next year. If Kane is set to come back late in the year, the Oilers could borrow a strategy from the Vegas Golden Knights and ice a roster millions over the salary cap in the playoffs.

Still, losing Evander Kane for any amount of time makes the Oilers a worse team. He wasn't able to fully perform last season being bogged down by injuries, but when he's at his best, Kane is one of the premier power forwards in the NHL - both a physical threat and a scoring threat on the ice. Hopefully he is able to make a return this season.