Evander Kane likely to get massive surgery and start the season on the LTIR

After an injury-filled 2024 playoff run with the Edmonton Oilers, it looks like Kane requires surgery, which should force him to miss the training camp and a part of the season.

The reporter Bob Stauffer shared the news on X:

If they want to avoid repeating what happened last year, when they had to fire Jay Woodcroft as head coach following a 3-9-1 record in 13 games, the clever moves made by the Oilers' management in the offseason will need to pay off. Jeff Skinner, Matthew Savoie, and Viktor Arvidsson could put the Oilers in a great position to get a strong start without Kane.

It's hard to predict what will happen before knowing what kind of surgery he'll undergo, but it'll be interesting to see how long Kane will miss. If he ends up missing most of the season, the Oilers will get an opportunity that often helped teams win the Stanley Cup in the past: circumventing the salary cap by waiting until the start of the playoffs to activate an injured player.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights both won the Stanley Cup that way. With the Oilers going on another "cup or bust" run, it could be a smart decision to do so, if Kane isn't able to join the team during the season because of his recovery.

Source for Evander Kane's statistics: Hockey DB
Evander Kane