There are more than a few fans and insiders asking questions about Evander Kane‘s revelation that he’s dealing with a nagging sports hernia issue ahead of Game 1 in the series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. First, how long has he been dealing with it? Second, why didn’t the Oilers and Kane address it well before the postseason? After all, doing so could have opened up a loophole for the team with LTIR.
As the Vegas Golden Knights strategically show every season, if you can put a player on LTIR and time their return for the playoffs, there’s money to be spent on additional help at the most important time of the year. Now, with Kane telling media that he’s not sure he’ll be a go for Game 1 because of a sports hernia that has been slowing his movements all season, questions linger about why the team didn’t play this hand better. As painful as a sports hernia injury is, the recovery time is not terribly long. The Oilers could have placed Kane on LTIR back in February, when the playoffs were all but assured, and had him back at 100% for the playoffs. At that time, they could have gone shopping with an extra $5.125 million and landed a big-name winger or additional help on the blue line.
The Oilers theoretically could have had a healthy Kane and another top player, making them even more of a favorite than they already are. Instead, there are questions about how ready Kane will be and if he’s not at his best, how big a loss that is for the Oilers.
Why Did Evander Kane Talk So Freely About the Injury?
Typically, players and teams don’t reveal details of injuries as the playoffs begin or are underway. But, Kane was freely and openly talking about his issues with the media, letting everyone know this could be a huge blow to the Oilers’ quest to go deep in the playoffs. Was Kane looking for sympathy? Did he need an excuse for his less productive season? Maybe he wasn’t worried the other team could target a sports hernia injury, so what would be the harm in talking about it?
It all seems incredibly strange.
As is, the Oilers still aren’t sure if they have Kane for Game 1. Head coach Kris Knoblauch sounded confident Kane would be ready to go. Kane didn’t seem as confident when talking to the media and when asked the question directly. Dylan Holloway is gearing up and taking reps like he’s getting the nod, but a healthy Kane would be the Oilers’ preference, especially in a physical series against the Kings.
Related: 3 Bold Predictions for Kings & Oilers Round 1 Series
The hope here is that Kane is over-selling the issue. We certainly don’t want to discount the severity of a sports hernia injury, but maybe Kane is just talking about it this openly because he’s not that worried. He said he wanted to rest for a week to see how he’d feel, but most who know the injury well don’t say a week’s worth of rest will do anything. This is something that requires surgery. It’s a surgery that would have only kept Kane out for around a month.
Missed Opportunity for the Oilers?
This will be a story that doesn’t go away quickly if Kane doesn’t play or isn’t useful in the postseason. It will be spoken about as a missed opportunity and blamed on both the winger and the GM for not planning more efficiently and doing what other GMs around the NHL have done repeatedly.
Maybe Kane didn’t think he needed the rest until it was too late. Regardless, the Oilers didn’t need him in January and February. They need him now.