Evander Kane had successful abdominal surgery last Friday. He will be out at least five to six months according to the Edmonton Oilers. “Recovery from the procedure is expected to take a minimum of five to six months. His rehabilitation will take place in Edmonton under the supervision of the club’s medical staff,” said the Oilers release.

Kane has battled injuries the past two seasons. It started with a gruesome wrist injury in Tampa Bay, when Patrick Maroon accidentally sliced open Kane’s exposed wrist. Then he had a shoulder issue later in the season, and last year he dealt with a variety of abdominal injuries all season, but only missed five games.

Kane will leave a huge hole in the Oilers’ forward group.

Despite battling injuries, Kane was still fourth on the Oilers with 24 goals. The additions of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson will cover off Kane’s goal production, however, his physicality, aggression and prick-on-the-ice attitude won’t be replaced. And those are important on-ice traits that the Oilers don’t have a lot of.

Winning teams require players with different skill sets and personalities. The Oilers have elite players in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. They have other top-line forwards and defencemen. But this team doesn’t have a lot of physical forwards.

Kane led the Oilers with 230 hits at 5×5. The next highest forward in 5×5 hits was McDavid with 100, followed by Dylan Holloway (87) and Warren Foegele (80). Holloway is in St. Louis, while Foegele is in LA. It isn’t just is hits they will miss. Kane played the fourth most 5×5 minutes among forwards at 1,108. He was tied for fourth in 5×5 goals with 15, and he did that while not being 100% healthy for much of the season.

Kane is the rare mix of skill and toughness. He isn’t intimated. He never backs down from a scrum. He is always yapping and his on-ice arrogance makes his teammates feel comfortable. All that will be done this season.

Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins,  Mattias Janmark, Connor Brown, Arvidsson and Skinner combined for 224 hits last season. The six of them didn’t deliver as many hits as Kane, and they don’t possess his overall physicality and aggression. Connor Brown will play more than last year, but he had 28 hits 5×5. He is a tenacious forechecker, but he doesn’t intimidate the opposition physically. Same with Mattias Janmark.

Arvidsson and Hyman are relentless on pucks, and Arvidsson can get under players’ skins. Both are very good players, but none of them play like Kane.

I’m not saying Kane is irreplaceable, just that the Oilers don’t have a forward who brings those elements, and while I still expect Edmonton to compete for the Pacific Division title as well as first in the Western Conference, losing Kane for at least five to six months isn’t ideal.

If you look at the Oilers’ top-eight leaders in hits at 5×5 last season, only three remain. Kane (250), Vincent Desharnais (109), Holloway, Foegele and Cody Ceci (74) won’t be on the roster (at least for 5-6 months in Kane’s case). Ty Emberson is physical, as is Josh Brown, so those two will fill the physical void of Desharnais and Ceci, but replacing Kane will be difficult.

Vasily Podkolzin is the most aggressive forward in the Oilers’ top-10 forwards. He likes to hit. He had 71 hits at 5×5 in only 19 games last year. He is a good skater. He’s aggressive. I don’t believe he has the verbal intimidation of Kane, but he is their best option to replace Kane’s physicality and aggression.

But will he play enough? It is great to have a physical, likes-to-hit winger in your bottom six, but Kane played 1,108 minutes at 5×5, fourth most on the team. Kane played up and down the lineup.

He played 321 minutes with Draisaitl, 100 minutes with McDavid, and 48 minutes with both of them, while he logged 244 minutes with RNH and 194 with Hyman. Much of his time was with the Oilers’ best players, because he’s skilled enough to play with them. And he brings a different element to their lines.

Podkolzin did skate with Leon Draisaitl last night, and on his first shift Draisaitl fed him for a great chance, but he couldn’t finish. Kane is a very good finisher. Even with his injury issues the past few seasons, Kane was tied for 39th among forwards in the NHL (minimum 2,400 minutes played) with a 1.02 G/60.

It would be unfair to expect Podkolzin to replace Kane’s complete game, but at bare minimum they are hoping he can fill some of the physicality void. I don’t see any other forwards who will do it. Some reading this might suggest hits or his physical demeanour don’t matter, but I politely, and strongly, disagree.

Kane is never intimidated on the ice. He’s cocky (in a good way) and it rubs off on teammates. He can bring them into the fight at times, or he can give them courage as he is always willing to engage. With him gone Darnell Nurse will need to be more involved emotionally, physically and even verbally at times. When the other team barks, it is good to have someone who will bark back, orally or physically. Kane did that, and his presence will be missed.

It won’t derail the team, but if I’m Stan Bowman, I’d be looking for someone with skill and some edge to their game to add before the trade deadline.