The Edmonton Oilers return to action today (Feb. 22) as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in their first game back after the long break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. As they look to get back in the win column, there have been some news and rumours surrounding the team recently. In this column, we take a look at Evander Kane returning to skating, Connor McDavid not resting before returning, Mikko Rantanen chatter, and the debut of prospect Matthew Savoie.
Matt Savoie Making Oilers Debut Against Flyers
In today’s game, the Oilers will be giving Matt Savoie his first game as a member of the team. The Oilers traded Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason in exchange for Savoie, and he has played extremely well in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Bakersfield Condors. In 45 games with the Condors this season, he has scored 13 goals and added 24 assists for 37 points through 45 games, and will play in his second career NHL game this afternoon.
Savoie will slot in on the second line alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin. According to the projected lineup, Kasperi Kapanen is expected to sit out to make room for Savoie. It will be nice to see the youngster get some playing time alongside one of the best players in the league and earn some playing experience in a larger role before the playoffs roll around.
Evander Kane Skating Again
On Friday (Feb. 21), it was revealed that Evander Kane had begun skating again in the last few days. While he isn’t close to a return and needs time to get back up to game speed, it’s nice to hear he has finally gotten back on the ice. In a recent tweet from Jason Gregor, it was reported that Kane is “going at about 60 percent” and will need plenty of time before he can consider returning to play. However, being back on skates is a positive, considering the injury issues he has dealt with this season. The belief is he will be ready for the postseason.
Connor McDavid Not Resting, Will Face Flyers
After winning a gold medal with Team Canada and scoring the golden goal in overtime over Team USA in the championship game, Connor McDavid is expected to suit up for the Oilers and not miss any time to rest or for travel reasons.
Related: Oilers Among Teams Interested in Islanders’ Pageau, Pundit Claims
McDavid, who is 28 years old, has scored 22 goals and added 49 assists for 71 points through 49 games this season. He reached the 1000-point plateau earlier this season and has since surpassed that. At the time of this article, he has 1053 points through 694 games which comes out to a 1.52 points-per-game average.
Mikko Rantanen Trade Talks Heat Up, Oilers Not Connected
The Oilers have roughly $5 million in cap space to spend at the 2025 Trade Deadline, and fans have begun speculating on what the team could do with it. A recent report from Elliotte Friedman, which indicates the Carolina Hurricanes might make superstar Mikko Rantanen available if they aren’t close on a contract extension by the trade deadline, has some fans wondering if the Oilers would make an offer for him. There was some belief earlier in the season that the Oilers could have interest in him, but nothing ever seemed close enough to consider it a legitimate idea.
As of right now, there doesn’t seem to be any smoke behind the Oilers pursuing Rantanen. If the Hurricanes retain 50%, which would drop Rantanen’s cap hit to around $2.3 million, they should be all over trying to bring him in as a rental. However, as of right now, that seems like a long shot.
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