After hearing for weeks that Evander Kane was destined to miss the start of the season, we finally heard from the man himself about what’s been happening, the injuries he’s battling, and the next steps in his recovery.

Even though we heard from Stan Bowman earlier in the day that Kane will be out, I found it fascinating to hear EK91 describe the situation in his own words. Never shy about telling the truth, Kane gave a pretty intense description of the injuries he’s been battling over the last few months.

“I’m having a lot done,” said Kane. “Both abductors on each hip, two torn lower abdominal muscles and two hernias.”

Did anybody else just grab their insides? Can’t only be me, right? Either way, when asked about waiting for surgery instead of going under the knife when the season ended, Kane clarified the timeline and process that led to the decision.

“We all agreed to see how things looked after we took some time off (after the season) and if things could improve via rehab. We tried that, and unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. The next step was to find the best possible surgeon. There was some confusion on how we would fix this. Some doctors had different opinions. We have sorted it out and will now have surgery,” explained Kane.

While Kane wouldn’t give a timeline on when he’s expecting to return to the Oilers’ lineup, he is hopeful that he won’t miss the entire season. According to Jason Gregor, Kane added how helpful it was for him to speak with multiple doctors to see if they would have different opinions. Kane says he also spoke to some fellow NHLers about their experiences and specifically mentioned Sean Monahan as someone who was a great resource for him.

“The way we always handle it with our players, at the end of the day, it’s their body, it’s their decision to make,” said Stan Bowman when asked about Kane requiring surgery. “They can listen to the recommendation of doctors, but they have to get to the point where in their mind this is definitely what I want to do. It was recently where we reached that point with Evander, and he can probably explain his though process on that.”

The 4th overall pick from 2009 has spent the last three seasons with the Oilers, signing a one-year contract in the middle of the 2021-22 season before extending as a free agent later that summer. In 161 games played with the Oilers, Kane has scored 62 goals and 49 assists. Across 15 seasons, where he made stops with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks, Kane has appeared in 930 games, scoring 326 goals and 291 assists for 617 points. He has also scored 43 points in 76 playoff games.

Kane has two more years on his contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season.

Oilersnation is rollin’ out the next Oilersnation Vacation to Denver, Colorado, from November 29th to December 3rd, 2024. Flights, hotels, Edmonton vs. Colorado hockey tickets, and, oh yeah, we’re tossin’ in Broncos vs. Browns football tickets too. But that’s not all—exclusive tailgates, parties, and pretty much the whole nine yards are all included. And the best part? You get to hang with the Oilersnation crew and a bunch of beauties who know how to have a good time. So lock in your spot, pack your bags, and get ready for a trip you’ll be talking about all season long. Head over to nationgear.ca for more details and to check out our available flight and non-flight booking options.