Evander Kane to return to Oilers lineup against Kraken, Kailer Yamamoto placed on LTIR

Evander Kane is back.

As had been speculated over the past couple of days, Kane will suit up for the Edmonton Oilers when they host the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. In a corresponding move, the Oilers will place Kailer Yamamoto on the Long-Term Injured Reserve, retroactive to January 11, according to Frank Seravalli.

It’ll be Kane’s first game since November 8 when he suffered a terrifying cut to his wrist in a game against the Lightning in Tampa Bay. Kane was rushed to Tampa General Hospital and ultimately underwent surgery in order to repair the damage to his wrist.

Following the surgery, the expectation was that Kane would need three-to-four months of recovery time before he would be ready to play again. Kane being back in mid-January is significantly quicker than expected, as even the most optimistic timeline for his return back when the injury happened was that he would join the team after the All-Star break in February.

Kane has appeared in 14 games for the Oilers this season and has five goals and 13 points. Last season, he scored 22 goals and 39 points over 43 games for the Oilers after signing with the team mid-season and he added 13 goals and 17 points in the playoffs.

In order for the Oilers to become salary cap compliant with Kane back on the roster, the team will move Kailer Yamamoto to the Long-Term Injured Reserve. While Yamamoto is on the LTIR, the Oilers won’t have to place one of their forwards with a salary cap hit of $1.25 million or higher on waivers. Such a move might be necessary when Yamamoto is ready to return, but that won’t be until after the All-Star break.

Yamamoto last played for the Oilers during their 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks last week but didn’t suit up for their games with the San Jose Sharks or Vegas Golden Knights. Through 31 games this season, Yamamoto has four goals and 12 points.