Evander Kane reportedly set to undergo major surgery: fate for the season unknown
According to Sportsnet contributor Mark Spector, Evander Kane is set to undergo major surgery that could keep him away from the Edmonton Oilers in the upcoming season.
Evander Kane has always been a bit of a question for the Edmonton Oilers, primarily for his less-than-perfect reputation. However, at 33 years old, he has become more of a physical concern than a personal liability for the team. The Edmonton Oilers finished their last Stanley Cup run just short, playing 25 total games in the postseason. Head coach Kris Knoblauch announced that Evander Kane was one major player who was suffering from an injury during this run, yet while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could play through their injuries, Kane's was too much to play through towards the end, only allowing him to suit up for 20.
"Evander, obviously, with the sports hernia- something that's been bothering him throughout the season, and got to the point where it's just limited his game, and unfortunately we missed him."
Matters were made worse for the winger's fate for the upcoming season into August when fans started spreading rumors about how Evander Kane's injury could impact his availability. During the Surprise Summer Emergency edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman shared that he believed that the Oilers forward was heading into surgery. Though it would take weeks to schedule, it could set him back more than just a couple of months.
"There's been a lot of rumors floating around about Evander Kane, this is what I think is the truth: I believe Evander Kane is going to have surgery. I think one of the reasons it's kind of taken until this long was because I think there were some conversations about who was going to do it- which doctor, and I think they had to work that out, and I think secondly, I also believe it's that sometimes in the summer, doctors' schedules, they take vacations like everyone else, and I think that also kind of affected it. They had to decide who was going to do it, and then when was this doctor available. I believe that that decision has been made. Eventually, he will have the surgery and he's going to be out months, and I'm not talking like one or two months, I think it's going to be longer than that."
Almost a month after Elliotte Friedman's timid report, Sportsnet contributor Mark Spector confirmed that Evander Kane will indeed undergo an operation. According to the longtime Oilers reporter, the veteran forward will have surgery for his sports hernia in the next ten or so days. He has added that recovery details, availability, and how the team manages the cap will not be known until afterward.
While it is clear there will be a period before we know how long Evander Kane will be out, Elliotte Friedman's earlier report provides some further insight into what the Oilers and their fanbase could expect. In the same Surprise Summer Emergency Podcast, he stated that there is no evidence to suggest that he will not be available before the end of the 2024-25 regular season. Additionally, Edmonton can go over their cap in this offseason and fix the issue when it comes time to do so.
"Now, the one thing nobody knows at this point in time, I can hear what all these Oilers fans are saying: 'Bring him back Game 1 of the playoffs, bring him back Game 1 of the playoffs!' like any team would. I just don't know at this point in time, and I'm not sure anyone does, if the injury is going to last that long. Like, I had some people say to me there's no guarantee that Kane is going to be out that long. But, at the very least, what you can do, is you can go over the cap ten percent in the summer, and then you can punt this decision into the year, and, and at the very least, the Oilers could do that."
Evander Kane played in 77 games during the last regular season, recording 24 goals and 44 total points. Though it may be some time before he is back on the ice, hopefully, his surgery and subsequent recovery will bring his game up enough to be of use to the Edmonton Oilers.
Source: The Score
Report: Kane set to undergo sports hernia surgery
Report: Kane set to undergo sports hernia surgery
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 14 | 159 ANSWERS Evander Kane reportedly set to undergo major surgery: fate for the season unknown How many games will Evander Kane play with the Edmonton Oilers in the upcoming season? | ||
| 1-30 | 62 | 39 % |
| 31-60 | 52 | 32.7 % |
| 61+ | 11 | 6.9 % |
| None | 34 | 21.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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