Edmonton Oilers linked to former player in free agency reunion
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Evander Kane remains unsigned, and the Edmonton Oilers keep surfacing as a training camp option.
The pick that moved him tells the real story.
Kane finished 2025-26 with 13 goals and 18 assists in 71 games for the Vancouver Canucks, a minus-20 on a club that traded its captain away in December.
Oilers Hub floated a professional tryout, framing it as a low-risk look for new head coach Mike Babcock.
The fourth-rounder that keeps coming home
Edmonton acquired a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Ottawa Senators in July 2024, then shipped it to Vancouver that August for Vasily Podkolzin.
Ten months later, per the Oilers' own release, that identical pick - 117th overall - came back to Edmonton as the return for Kane.
Stan Bowman used it on David Lewandowski.
One draft slot bought Podkolzin, then bought cap relief, then became a prospect.
Why the tryout math is already settled
Podkolzin posted 19 goals and 37 points in 82 games last season, per The Hockey Writers, outproducing Kane while costing $1 million against the $5.125 million Edmonton shed.
His extension begins this season at $2.95 million.
That is the number that matters.
Edmonton did not lose Kane so much as convert him.
A tryout would close the loop at no risk, because a PTO carries no cap charge until a contract is signed.
If Babcock likes the pace, Edmonton adds a bottom-six body cheap. If not, the club walks in October having spent nothing.
Vancouver, meanwhile, paid full freight for one season and finished with a minus-20 winger and no pick.
Also read on House Of Hockey :
Star player's time with the Toronto Maple Leafs appears to finally be over following new report
Star player's time with the Toronto Maple Leafs appears to finally be over following new report