Welcome to Oilersnation’s top 15 stories of the year, where we count down the most-read stories you, the reader, clicked on in 2024.
Number 11 dove into some rumours from the NHL draft floor that the Edmonton Oilers had reportedly asked Evander Kane to waive his no-movement clause.
The Oilers were busy at the 2024 draft, trading up to draft Sam O’Reilly in the first round, while selecting six others by the end of seven rounds. And when the dust began to settle on Day 2, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped an interesting piece of news.
Here’s some of what I wrote in the article:
And while other teams were wheeling and dealing with some big trades shaking out, there were rumours that the Oilers had asked winger Evander Kane to waive their no-movement clause, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.But as of now, Friedman says, they are just rumours.“There were rumours they had asked Evander Kane to waive his no-move clause, but as of Saturday, that had not occurred,” he said on the 32 Thoughtspodcast. “That’s another one to keep in mind.“We’ll see if that becomes a thing at all, but as of Saturday, it had not happened.”Kane, 32, joined the Oilers partway through the 2021-22 season as a free agent, signing a deal through the remainder of that season. He was electric for the team that year, scoring 22 goals and 39 points in 43 regular season games, adding another 13 goals and 17 points in the playoffs that season — a goal total that led all playoff performers.That offseason, Kane signed a four-year contract paying him a $5.125-million per year, carrying a full no-movement clause that is in place through Feb. 28, 2025, just ahead of next year’s trade deadline.The last two seasons have seen Kane struggle with injury. In the 2022-23 season, he played in 41 games scoring 16 goals and 28 points, but suffered a gruesome wrist injury. Not long after his return from that, he suffered a rib injury that hampered him throughout the remainder of the season.
Nothing else shook out about these reports, as months later, word came out that Kane needed significant surgery to fix his abductors on both hips, two torn lower abdominal muscles and two sports hernias.
Kane remains on the Long-Term Injured Reserve, and the most recent reports suggest he remains out until March “at the absolute earliest.”
Top 15 articles of 2024
- No. 15: Corey Perry, Evander Kane exchange words on the bench
- No. 14: Oilersnation pranks fans by saying Ken Holland signed extension
- No. 13: Adding Corey Perry “changes the outlook” of Oilers’ trade deadline, could “open the door” for Jack Campbell move
- No. 12: ‘I wouldn’t have gone out there for a million dollars’: Connor McDavid talks about declining to accept Conn Smythe
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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