Woodcroft has seen enough: Kane demoted to 4th line

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Ryan Hall
October 19, 2023 (11:59 PM)

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The opening games of this new season have not gone well for Evander Kane. Many anticipated a bounce-back season after a gruesome wrist injury last November. During a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Patrick Maroon skated over Kane's wrist, necessitating major surgery and sidelining him for several months.

Since that injury, he has only managed to amass 28 points for the entire season and was hoping for a better start to this season. Unfortunately, that has not happened, as he has only recorded three assists and no goals while playing on the top line with Connor McDavid.

The Oilers were on the road against the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers. The Oilers did not perform well and had a tough sequence that led to Evander Kane colliding with McDavid, resulting in a goal that put the Oilers down 3-1.

As the game progressed and the Oilers fell further behind, head coach Jay Woodcroft made the decision to move Dylan Holloway to the top line while placing Kane on the fourth line.

There is a sense of urgency for Kane to improve his game quickly, as he holds a cap space worth over $5 million, which is not suitable for a fourth-line player. Playing with some of the best players in the world, he should be scoring goals again and using his physicality to bolster the team.

However, that does not seem to be the case at the moment, and we will need to see how this situation develops. The Oilers will be hosting the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, October 21st, with the game scheduled to start at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.