NHL: MAY 20 Western Conference 2nd Round - Oilers at Canucks - Source: Getty — Elliotte Friedman speculates concerning return timeline for Evander Kane (Credits: Getty)

Evander Kane injury: Elliotte Friedman speculates concerning return timeline for $20,500,000 Oilers’ winger

Modified Jan 13, 2025 18:29 GMT

Evander Kane has yet to suit up this season. The Edmonton Oilers star, currently on a $20.5 million contract since 2022, has been on long-term Injured Reserve since before the season began. However, the Oilers have weathered that storm to a 26-13-3 start. They also had very few other major injuries.

When Kane returns, it will be sort of an embarrassment of riches. Edmonton are well-equipped without him, but he did have 44 points in his last full season with the team.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has the latest on when exactly Kane might return to the lineup. He said on his 32 Thoughts podcast (34:15):

"I don't think that this schedule has really surprised a lot of people, but the overall tone of it is has been the Oilers are more than prepared to be patient, and the player wants to get back out there as much as he possibly as quickly as he possibly can," Friedman said.

He went on to say that the season is running short and the playoffs are nearing with every day. There are only a few milestones in the season remaining, and the Oilers might just be aiming for a postseason return for Kane:

"A couple teams were saying to me, you can start to see the map working out later and later and closer and closer to April 19, which is when the playoffs begin. Now, I'm not saying that we're going to get there, because I think it's too soon."

He initially believed that Edmonton would have Evander Kane back well before the postseason, but the clock continues to tick. The team is reportedly more interested in his overall health than in rushing him back, so they may be extremely patient.

Evander Kane gets surprise injury announcement

Evander Kane is currently not playing for the Edmonton Oilers, having just undergone another surgery. He had one for an unrelated issue in September, and now he has had a second one.

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane had an arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday (Credits: Getty)

The abdomen issue has kept him out since September, but this knee surgery is for an entirely new issue. The Oilers offered up a statement per Athlon Sports:

"Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane underwent successful knee surgery on Thursday in Edmonton," the statement read. "It is expected that he will require four to eight weeks of recovery time.While this procedure is unrelated to his abdominal surgery in September, it will require him to pause his current rehabilitation schedule to recover from Thursday's operation."

He will resume his prior rehab after recovering from the latest surgery.