Insider Offers Approx. Return Date for Oilers Evander Kane

Elliotte Friedman posted a tweet on Sunday confirming the successful surgery of Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane. In that tweet, the insider also offered up an approximate return date for the winger.

Friedman wrote, “Evander Kane had his surgery Friday in NYC. No exact timeline for recovery, but not expected to be available until January/February.”

It’s an interesting tweet for a couple of reasons. First, he says there is no exact timeline. Then he mentions January or February, which is far more detailed than any other report. It means that Kane will not miss the entire season and placing him on LTIR, which could provide temporary relief, would require the Oilers to move money around to get him back on the roster ahead of the 2025 NHL playoffs.

Playoffs won’t begin until April, so this creates a bit of a dilemma for Edmonton. What do they do with the $5.25 million that would have otherwise been available if Kane were out just a couple of months longer? For now, the answer might be nothing.

The Oilers could spend a little but might have to ensure they get players that can be easily moved off the roster or would clear waivers for demotion. Or, if the team felt they could afford to make another trade around Christmas, it would give Edmonton three months to load their roster and then make other moves.

Will the Oilers Wait on Kane?

Some fans are wondering if Edmonton will do what other teams in the past have done. The Vegas Golden Knights were well known for having players (specifically Mark Stone) magically healthy on day one of the playoffs. Edmonton could do the same with Kane considering his injuries are so severe and the timeline for any recovery is not exact. The fact that approximate return dates are coming out already is not a great indication that they’ll do that, however.

For now, these are all just guesses. The Oilers will carefully monitor Kane’s situation, making sure he’s fully healthy before he returns.

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