NHL trade rumors: Elliotte Friedman claims Oilers are "trying to see if there's a market" for $20,500,000 winger

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Mar 02, 2025 04:50 GMT

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The Edmonton Oilers are looking at trade options for Evander Kane. As per PuckPedia, his contract is worth $20.5 million over four years. He has a $5.125 million annual cap hit and one more year left on his deal. His full no-movement clause expired Friday, changing to a 16-team approved trade list.

General manager Stan Bowman and his team have started reaching out to the potential teams. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman says that Edmonton is checking if there is a market for Kane, who had abdominal surgery in September and knee surgery in January. His return timeline is unclear, which affects Edmonton’s salary cap decisions before the trade deadline.

“Last night Evander Kane’s no-trade protection evaporated. He no longer has a full no-trade clause, it’s a partial one. The Oiilers are going through those teams trying to see what the market could be for him. Right now, the injury situation is still uncertain. We don’t have a timeline but the Oilers are trying to see if there’s a market for Kane, because if they do decide to go in that direction, it could open up more cap room for themselves,” Friedman said.

Kane's production dropped last season. He had 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games, which was below his career averages. In the playoffs, he scored four goals and eight points in 20 games. He also missed the last five games of the Stanley Cup Finals due to injury.

Edmonton can exceed the salary cap by Kane’s $5.125 million cap hit while he remains on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). However, they must be cap-compliant if he returns during the regular season.

Insider Frank Seravalli's report on the Oilers' Evander Kane situation

Previously, NHL insider Frank Seravalli reported that Edmonton would not acquire a goalie due to LTIR salary cap restrictions. Seravalli told Bob Stauffer that they do not feel comfortable spending without clarity on Kane’s situation.

"It’s been a lengthy and long road of recovery with multiple different … surgeries for a Evander Kane...But really he’s going on LTIR, isn’t that right?’ And I’m like, no, that’s not the truth," Seravalli said. "The truth is the Oilers, they don’t feel very comfortable about this situation one way or the other.

"And in the end, what it really might come down to is the Oilers don’t have that LTIR money to spend and they could only really make one acquisition.”

As it stands, the Oilers may look to make only one trade before the deadline. In their latest outing, Edmonton ended their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. They are currently placed second in the Pacific Division with a record of 35-21-4.