As the Edmonton Oilers continue on their path to what could be their first Stanley Cup since 1990, they have been getting 100 percent effort from their entire team throughout the playoffs. While the big names in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard have all been playing at an elite level, one player has stood out for a different reason. Evander Kane has had his ups and downs during the 2023-24 campaign as he struggled offensively but maintained his physicality despite coming off of a major injury in the 2022-23 season.
While the Oilers had brought Kane in originally for his physicality and to provide offensive production, he has been able to step up physically in a lesser role. They know what he brings to the table, and his impact was recently emphasized by two major insiders. Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman are two of the most trusted insiders around the NHL and have proven to know plenty of what’s going on behind the scenes. As they were talking recently, they emphasized just how important Kane was going to be in their next series and why he’s going to be a difference-maker, even going as far as to say the Oilers may not beat the Panthers without him.
Kane is dealing with an injury that happened in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars, and that’s why this topic was being discussed. Without him, the Oilers may not have anyone to match the physicality and taunting ability of Matthew Tkachuk, who is well-known around Edmonton after his time in Calgary as a member of the Flames. If Tkachuk gets in the Oilers’ heads and they don’t have a response, they could easily get off their game and fall out of the series, which is where Kane would come in.
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Kane has been known to respond when needed, and he is the X-factor who could single-handedly shut down Tkachuk. He has proven he plays better when he is playing the role of an enforcer, and that’s just what he would be in the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately for the Oilers, he isn’t quite 100 percent and they may have to find other ways to shut Tkachuk down. The Panthers are by no means a one-man squad, but Tkachuk is a difference-maker who could become a real problem if not limited early on in the series.
Kane vs Tkachuk Could Be an Interesting Matchup
Tkachuk had no problem dropping the gloves against Boston Bruins superstar David Pastrnak in the second round in hopes of getting his team fired up, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he wanted to spark his team early on and targeted Kane. The Panthers are certainly aware of the beef between Edmonton and Tkachuk, but that can’t be their main focus. If Kane can get in the head of Tkachuk and throw him off of his game, it may lead to the rest of the Panthers playing differently.
With Tkachuk’s unfortunate major injury in the Final last season, we saw how the rest of the team was dominated in five games by the Vegas Golden Knights. If the Oilers can somehow limit Tkachuk and beat him physically, they will have a better chance of winning the series. He is an elite player who could be considered an X-factor, and he knows that, so he has more pressure on him coming in.
The Oilers and Panthers face off for Game 1 on Saturday (June 8) in Florida where both teams will be looking to get off to a strong start. As of right now, that gives Kane four days to recover from his injury to try and be ready for the start of the series. Hopefully, he gets healthy and can elevate his game once he returns to the lineup because Kane vs Tkachuk will be a must-see matchup.
