Evander Kane Return Date Revealed By Oilers Insider Bob Stauffer

Evander Kane has been recovering from an extensive surgery he had at the beginning of this season to repair several injuries from last season.

The Oilers have never put an official timeline on when Kane could be deemed healthy enough to play, but Bob Stauffer is now reporting on Oilers Now that Kane will be unavailable until March, and potentially longer.

Earlier reports of Kane's return suggested early 2025 as a possibility, which could've meant better news for the Oilers as a return in January or February. Now, Kane won't have nearly any time to ramp up for the playoffs after missing an entire year.

A return date in March would be extremely tough for both the Edmonton Oilers and Evander Kane. It's a lot to ask of Kane to be ready to play his best hockey in the playoffs after missing a whole year, especially at the age of 33.

If Kane returns in the regular season too, the Oilers will have to stay under the salary cap, and it will limit their options to acquire in trade.

The Oilers are already loaded with talent on the wings, and they perhaps use that salary better on a defenceman, center, or a goalie. Just yesterday, NHL insider Frank Seravalli said that Kane's return could force the Oilers into trading a forward.

It's a good possibility that Evander Kane could be the player to get traded when he's deemed healthy enough to return. His no-trade clause expires before this year's trade deadline, giving the Oilers the option to make the move.

We'll see how it shakes out, but the Oilers will certainly have a difficult decision to make when Evander Kane returns to the active roster.