By all accounts, the 2023-24 season was disastrous for Evander Kane. While he did score 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games for the team, good production, the majority of it came in October and November, where in 22 games, he scored 11 goals and 20 points. In the final 55 games of the season, he scored just 13 goals and 24 points. As the season progressed, Kane seemed less and less like himself, evident from his shot rate falling from 3.2 in that early stretch, to 2.7, and his hits per game falling from 4.3 to 2.8 to go along with his weaker offensive production.

Kane. 33, would reveal ahead of the playoffs he had been dealing with a sports hernia, and a week ago he underwent surgery to repair two of those, as well as four abdominal muscle tears. He was playing hurt, and as admirable as it was for the rugged winger to play through the pain, there’s an argument to be made he did more harm than good. He’s now slated to miss a significant part of the 2024-25 season as he recovers from his surgery and there’s a good chance he doesn’t even play during the regular season. And as much as there’s an argument for the fact that the Oilers won’t miss him, another highlights how he could be missed.

He is, after all, somewhat of a unicorn, with few power forwards who bring the mix of skills he does to the ice. Either way, there’s no denying Kane’s game isn’t what it once was, and his HockeyViz breakdowns haven’t been kind, with his impacts on the game being well below that of a fourth-liner, akin closer to an AHL player than an NHL one. Kane drove play offensively at a five percent rate below league average, defence at a seven percent rate below league average and work on the power play at a six percent rate below league average.

There was undeniable risk involved with the Oilers signing him to a four-year extension when they did after the 2021-22 season. Edmonton has options if they want to move on from him later in this season or next off-season, as a once full no-movement clause turns to a 16-team approved trade list on Feb. 28, 2025, one week before the NHL’s March 7th trade deadline.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.