CHICAGO — Wherever you look, the Evander Kane situation ends in a question mark.
Whichever direction you go, you run straight into uncertainty.
Why did Evander Kane wait until the fall to have abdominal surgery that they knew he needed — or should have known — last May?
How can a guy who is rehabbing that abdominal surgery suddenly decide his knee is bothering him, and opt for more surgery that also could have been conducted months ago?
Given what we saw Connor Brown go through last season after his ACL surgery, what kind of player is Kane going to be if he joins the National Hockey League in April or May after not having played a healthy game in perhaps 18 months?
And this whopper: What’s better for the Oilers’ Stanley Cup chances? A healthy Kane in the regular season lineup? Or to do the Mark Stone/Nikita Kucherov boogie, and use Kane’s cap space to acquire players at the trade deadline — then welcome Kane back for Game 1 of the post-season.
“I don't know if it changes as much as people think it changes,” said Oilers GM Stan Bowman, addressing the cap situation under those two scenarios. “It's not that dramatically different.”
So, let’s begin by addressing something we can give you an answer to, shall we?
If Bowman uses the long-term injury reserve option, meaning Kane doesn’t play until playoffs, he’ll be able to acquire just over $5 million in AAV at the deadline. It’s pure AAV — not trimmed down by the fact three-quarters of the season has been played, and three-quarters of the salary has been paid.
If Kane comes back to play regular season games, depending on how many other injuries Edmonton gets between now and then, the Oilers will have room for around $3 million in AAV. But, a $4 million player only carries $1 in AAV on deadline day.
And remember, under either scenario, Bowman can get teams to retain salaries in trades. But that will cost draft picks.
Complicated? You bet.
But whether you wish to believe them or not, both player and manager said Friday that there is no grand plan laid out to maximize the Oilers’ benefits.
Kane, for one, says he’s coming back to play as fast as he is able.
“Whenever I'm 100 per cent I will make myself available and intend to play hockey,” he promised in a Zoom call with reporters. “I'm not exactly sure what date that will be, but what I can promise everybody is, I'm doing everything I can to make sure that's as soon as possible.”
Bowman, whose forward group lacks physicality and could use some of what Kane has traditionally brought to a team, knows that a healthy Kane may be something he couldn’t even acquire at the trade deadline if he tried.
“We want him back as soon as he's ready to be back,” Bowman said. “I'm not the doctor, (so) I'm just going to defer. At the end of the day, it's up to Evander. How does he feel?”
Is Bowman concerned about getting a rusty player who can’t catch up to the moving rain that is the NHL season? Can Kane possibly find playoff form when he hasn’t played a game yet since last June?
History tells us that will be the biggest challenge for Kane. But Bowman promises he’ll be given every opportunity to make that comeback.
“He's not going to be back playing until whenever that is, whether it's March, April, May or June,” Bowman said. “Whenever that is, when he's ready to step on the ice, he's going to be ready to be himself. He’s not going to come back at 50 per cent. That's not how it works.”
We’re not even going to address this latest knee injury, because frankly, it smells funny.
It will push Kane’s rehab from his abdominal injury back six weeks or so. It’s fair for skeptics to wonder why the Oilers and Kane would want to do that.
Kane isn’t just any player, though. His entire career has been conducted in a fashion unlike pretty much any other player, so why would we expect uniformity now?
We know for sure that Bowman wants to add a player or two at the deadline. We also know that a healthy Kane in top playing form helps you win — especially when the game gets heavier come playoff time.
The rest of this soap opera? It’s a mystery cloaked in the daytime drama that has marked Kane’s career.
The Oilers have a very good team without Kane, and a slightly better one with him.
They’ll welcome him back with open arms — if he can help them with their ultimate goal.
And we all know what that is.
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