Evander Kane's Days in Edmonton May Be Numbered

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Tyler Ball
August 9, 2023 (4:16 PM)

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Evander Kane has had a controversial career in the NHL. From his time in Atlanta all the way until his current stint in Edmonton Kane has been in the headlines. This has led him to be somewhat of an NHL journeyman. With the Edmonton Oilers' current Stanley Cup or bust window he could find himself on the road to his next team.

Allan Mitchell eluded to the fact that Edmonton wants to start out better next season to give themselves a better chance at winning the division.

Edmonton fell short of winning the division and was forced to take a more difficult route in the first round of the postseason. It cost them in the series versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kane In Edmonton.

Evander Kane's time in Edmonton started in a polarizing fashion. He had just had his contract terminated by the San Jose Sharks for breaking COVID-19 protocols. He was also in several legal battles one for various gambling debts and the other with his wife at the time. This led to many disagreeing with the signing and even berating Connor McDavid for justifying it.

Once Kane was on the ice he showed Edmonton fans exactly what he could do at his peak. He would go on to score 22 goals in 43 regular season games. Then another 13 in 15 playoff games. This then led to an extension for Kane to stay long-term in Edmonton.

Injury Leads To Uncertainty

In November of 2022, Evander Kane suffered a scary wrist injury where he had his arm slit open. After what was supposed to be a 4-6 month injury and a lengthy recovery Kane returned in late January just a little more than two months after the injury. However, after returning Kane was not able to put up the same production and looked like a shell of himself. This has led some to wonder if Kane will be able to return to his peak form in 2023-24 including Allan Mitchell.

Kane is a good bet to outperform his production from a year ago (16 goals and 28 points in 41 games), but his injuries were serious and he's the only true power forward on the roster. If his mediocre numbers posted after his return from injury continue, Edmonton will have a dilemma.

While Mitchell seems optimistic that Kane will be able to get back to his former self he eludes to the fact that Edmonton might not be afraid to move on from Kane quickly. The first few months of the NHL season will be interesting to watch Edmonton and how well they start out of the gate.

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