Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane set to return tonight vs. Seattle Kraken

The Edmonton Oilers will have Evander Kane injected back into their lineup tonight against the Seattle Kraken, according to Daily Faceoff President Frank Seravalli. 

Kane suffered a horrific and gruesome wrist cut injury back on Nov. 8 in a freak accident that saw Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon step on Kane’s wrist after he fell to the ice. Kane was rushed to the hospital and has missed the last 31 games. He will provide a major boost to the Oilers’ forward group. He notched 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 games this season. 

Kane made his Oilers debut last season and he scored 22 goals in 43 games before adding another 13 goals in 15 playoff games as the Oilers made their run to the Western Conference Finals. In September, General Manager Ken Holland announced that the Oilers and Kane had reached an agreement on a four-year, $20,500,000 contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.125 million. 

Due to the cap hit, the Oilers are being forced to make some moves. On Jan. 16, they reassigned defenseman Markus Niemelainen to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Bakersfield Condors. The Oilers will need to be cap compliant and they will be placing forward Kailer Yamamoto on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) which is retroactive to Jan. 11. As Seravalli reported, Yamamoto will be eligible to return after the NHL All-Star break. The 24-year-old has dealt with injuries that have sidelined him already this season. In 31 games Yamamoto has registered 12 points. 

The Oilers have a record of 24-18-3 and sit fourth in the Pacific Division with 51 points.