November 9, 2022 by Ryan Lotsberg

Evander Kane will miss the next three to four months as a result of the deep cut to his wrist sustained in Tuesday’s game in Tampa Bay. The Edmonton Oilers announced that they have placed Kane on LTIR and that they have recalled Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin from Bakersfield.

Losing Kane for a significant stretch of time is a huge blow to the Oilers. Kane’s thirteen points in fourteen games is fifth on the team. Aside from his goal scoring ability, his physicality and his swagger make him a rare throwback style of player. The Oilers will miss having him over the next three to four months.

This situation is awful and unfortunate, but it’s the new reality for Kane and the Oilers. The Oilers will have to carry on without him for the time being. Now it’s up to Jay Woodcroft and the rest of the coaching staff to figure out a game plan to adjust for the loss of Kane.

I’ll just get this out of the way right away… while putting Kane on LTIR does give the Oilers more cap space right now, they will lose that cap space whenever Kane is ready to return. Stop thinking about a big addition via trade because it isn’t going to happen right now nor does it make sense for it to happen right now. Giving Kane the “Kucherov” treatment might seem like a good idea on the surface, but the Oilers need to make sure that they get to the playoffs. March 8 will mark four months since the injury. The Oilers will want Kane for the stretch drive.

Placing Kane on LTIR gives the Oilers more roster flexibility. They had been carrying 21 players as opposed to the maximum of 23 because they had no cap space. Janmark and Kostin being recalled after Kane being placed on LTIR puts the Oilers at 22 players on the active roster. They could call someone else up soon if they so choose. James Hamblin, Brad Malone, and Philip Broberg would be the next most likely candidates to be recalled. Tyler Benson has resumed skating again after his preseason injury. He’s not ready yet, but he will be ready to play soon. He could assume that last roster spot as well.

It’s easy enough to replace Kane’s roster spot, but it will be much harder to replace his production. The truth is that they won’t be able to do that, but this is an opportunity for some players to shine. A top six spot just opened up. 

Jesse Puljujarvi was bumped up to the top line for the Washington game. He played well there in the last  two games, but he has no points to show for it. The Bison King only has two points through 14 games. To say it’s been a slow start for him would be an understatement. He’s going to have a firm grasp on a top six spot while Kane is out. This is his time. He wanted top six minutes this year, and he’s going to get a lot more of them now. It’s up to him to prove that he deserves those minutes. He just needs to show more composure and more finish around the net.

Puljujarvi replaced Kailer Yamamoto on the top line. Yamamoto was moved all the way down to the fourth line for the Washington game, and he was put on the third line for the Tampa Bay game. Yamamoto has yet to score a goal this season. He’s got three assists, but he’s been playing with one of the top guns all season long. He’s had chances, but his hands have deserted him. Hopefully getting moved down the lineup wakes him up because the Oilers need more from him, especially now that Kane is out.

One of Puljujarvi or Yamamoto has been in the top six all year, but they have rarely both been there at the same time. They’ve both shown that they can produce there in glimpses in the past. However, if they keep going at their current rates, then guys behind  them might start to get more chances.

Warren Foegele finally scored his first goal of the season against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. It was his first goal in 32 NHL games dating back to last season. He was clearly relieved to have finally scored. Perhaps the goals will start coming for him now that he’s broken his slump. Foegele did get some games in the top six last season, and it could happen again if he can get going offensively.

Dylan Holloway was on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman on opening night. He scored a hat trick while playing on that line in a preseason game. The preseason is obviously not the regular season and regular season Holloway hasn’t been anywhere close to preseason Holloway, but Holloway has skill and the coaches believe in him. Holloway is a left winger like Kane, so there’s a path to him getting a look in the top six should one of Puljujarvi or Yamamoto falter.

Tyler Benson could get a chance in the top six before Kane returns. Benson is a former second rounder that has produced at the AHL level, but was only able to get two points in 29 games with the Oilers last season. Woodcroft is familiar with Benson, and he had a decent preseason before he got hurt.

The other guy to keep an eye on is Klim Kostin. Kostin’s career numbers thus far show little to indicate that he can play in the top six, but he’s a former first rounder that was touted as a future top six scorer at the NHL level. He’s 23 years old and it hasn’t happened for him yet. There’s always a possibility that he’s a late bloomer that breaks out after moving to a new team.

The Oilers have a lot of potential options, but none of them are as good as Kane. The Oilers are still good enough to compete for a division title without him for the three to four months, but they are certainly a better team with him healthy.