Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers announced Evander Kane is expected to miss 3-4 months after he was cut on the wrist by a skate blade in a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

Kane addressed the situation Wednesday morning and said he was "on the mend," thanking the medical personnel who acted quickly to treat his injury:

The 31-year-old got knocked to the ice by Lightning defenseman Philippe Myers in the second period. Lightning forward Pat Maroon skated past and inadvertently caught his wrist.

Kane got to his feet and immediately skated toward his bench.

"It's scary, certainly scary," Oilers teammate Connor McDavid told reporters. "I think you could feel the energy in the entire rink kind of just get sucked out. We're thinking about him. We're hearing he's doing OK, but that's obviously initial."

Kane has made 14 appearances for Edmonton this year. With five goals and eight assists, he's fifth on the team in points (13). His absence will force somebody to step up alongside Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman on the Oilers' second line.

To account for Kane's shift to long-term injured reserve, Edmonton called up Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin from the Bakersfield Condors, its AHL affiliate.

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane was transported to the hospital and will undergo a procedure after suffering a "deep cut" to his wrist during Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, per NHL on TNT.

Kane suffered the injury during the second period when Patrick Maroon's skate caught his wrist while trying to get up following a hit along the boards.

On Wednesday morning, Kane posted an update, saying he would be back on the ice in the near future:

Entering Tuesday's game, he had tallied five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 13 games this season.

The 31-year-old is in his second season with the Oilers and agreed to a four-year, $20.5 million deal with the franchise in July. He's under contract through the 2025-26 season.

Kane began his NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization in 2009 when he was selected fourth overall in the NHL draft. He spent six seasons with the franchise before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres, where he spent two-and-a-half seasons before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks.

The Vancouver native put together some of the best seasons of his career in San Jose, tallying 87 goals and 79 points for 166 points in 212 games across three-and-a-half seasons.

However, Kane's tenure with the Sharks came to an ugly end when he was suspended for 21 games in October 2021 for submitting a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. After he finished his suspension, the team sent him to the American Hockey League, and the remainder of his seven-year, $49 million contract was terminated in January for violating the league's COVID-19 protocols.

Kane was in the fourth year of that deal and was due $19 million for the last three years of the contract. In September, he and the Sharks reached a settlement on the grievance the NHL Players' Association filed last season on his behalf in regards to his contract termination.

After his tenure with the Sharks came to an end, Kane signed a one-year deal with the Oilers for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. In 43 games last season, he tallied 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 points.

Kane has been mostly durable over his 14-year career, appearing in at least 63 games in nine seasons. The Oilers will hope his latest injury doesn't sideline him for too long as they need his offensive production alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

The Edmonton Oilers were one of the best teams in the NHL during the 2021-22 season. However, they couldn't get past the Western Conference Final, where they got swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

Heading into the 2022-23 campaign, the Oilers remain strong. They have two of the best offensive players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and they have plenty of other talented standouts on their team.

But Edmonton's roster isn't set. And even though the team is currently over the salary cap (per CapFriendly), it could still make moves, potentially even ones to clear a bit of space so it can make a late free-agent signing or two.

If the Oilers do that, they should target experienced players who can help them reach the next level and make a Stanley Cup run. At least two players who fit that bill still remain on the free-agent market as well: defenseman P.K. Subban and right wing Phil Kessel.

According to Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal, the Oilers "continue to be linked to" both Subban and Kessel. And although both have landed large paydays in the past, Leavins noted that both are likely to want to join a team that can win now, which describes Edmonton.

Subban has played 13 NHL seasons, but he's never won a Stanley Cup. The 33-year-old spent seven years with the Montreal Canadiens and three with the Nashville Predators before playing the past three seasons for the New Jersey Devils.

Considering the Devils have been in rebuild mode (and continue to be), Subban may have interest in signing with a contender ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Kessel has also been with a rebuilding team, having spent the past three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes. However, the 34-year-old, who is a 16-year NHL veteran, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, as he won back-to-back titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Both of these veterans can still contribute to a team, too. Subban had five goals and 17 assists while playing 77 games for the Devils last season. Kessel is coming off a year in which he had eight goals and 44 assists while playing all 82 games for the Coyotes.

The Oilers should be looking to add a player like Subban or Kessel, and maybe even both. They have plenty of young stars, plus a lot of their core is entering their prime. So they're currently in a clear window of Cup contention.

Edmonton needs to capitalize and build the best possible roster for next season. Adding Subban and/or Kessel would provide the leadership and experience necessary to make a championship run.

Of course, it all comes down to the finances. If either Subban or Kessel are seeking too large of a salary, the Oilers shouldn't be willing to pay any amount to land them (and they won't be able to, either). But that seems a bit unlikely, so perhaps one (or both) of these veterans will soon end up in Edmonton.

If the Edmonton Oilers are unable to re-sign Evander Kane this summer, they have a pretty solid backup plan.

Edmonton is interested in free-agent forward Claude Giroux, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, who wrote that the Oilers "have internally discussed the merits of trying to sign" him.

Giroux is coming off an eight-year, $66.2 million deal that had an annual cap hit of $8.275 million. It's unclear what type of deal he's looking for this summer, but the Oilers should be able to make him an intriguing offer with $7.1 million in cap space, per CapFriendly.

The 34-year-old began the 2021-22 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Florida Panthers at the March deadline in exchange for Owen Tippett, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick.

In 75 regular-season games, Giroux tallied 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points. Just three of those goals came in his 18-game stint in Florida, though he added three goals and five assists for eight points in 10 playoff games with the Panthers.

LeBrun reported that the Panthers and Giroux are interested in striking a deal for him to return to South Florida, but the team has just $3 million in cap space this summer, per CapFriendly, which likely isn't enough to retain the veteran forward.

In addition, the Panthers have a number of other free agents to sign this summer, including Ben Chiarot and Mason Marchment.

That said, Giroux can play both center and left wing, which makes him one of the more intriguing free agents on the market. The Oilers could opt to put him on the top line alongside Connor McDavid or the second line alongside Leon Draisaitl.

In addition, Edmonton could opt to use Giroux as its third-line center, which would give the team an incredible amount of depth down the middle of the ice.

Giroux spent the first 14 and a half seasons of his career in Philadelphia, which selected him in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft. He earned one All-Star selection and tallied 291 goals and 609 assists for 900 points in 1,000 games with the franchise.

The Flyers ultimately decided to trade Giroux because he wanted an opportunity to win a Stanley Cup, and that likely wasn't going to be possible in Philadelphia as the franchise is in a retooling period.

In addition to the Oilers, LeBrun listed the Senators as a "team to watch" for Giroux because he and his family spend their summers in Ottawa, However, he noted "the allure of wanting to win a Cup ASAP would be the sticking point on that one even though it’s a young and talented team that’s on the rise. But maybe the Sens' pitch, if Ottawa decides to dive in on Giroux, wins him over."

Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has won the 2021-22 Hart Trophy as the player viewed to be the most valuable to his team, it was announced Tuesday. He beat out Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the honor.

This marks Matthews' first Hart Trophy victory, and he is the first Maple Leaf to win the award since Ted Kennedy in 1954-55. He was also nominated for the award during the 2020-21 campaign but came in second behind McDavid.

Matthews had a dominant season for the Maple Leafs, scoring a career-high 60 goals and 46 assists for 106 points in 73 games. It was his third consecutive season with at least 40 goals, and he has never scored less than 34 goals in each of his six seasons.

The 24-year-old's efforts helped Toronto finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 54-21-7 record. The team's 54 wins and 115 points were the most in franchise history.

The Maple Leafs selected Matthews first overall in the 2016 NHL draft, and he has been one of the best forwards in the league since. He has tallied 259 goals and 198 assists for 457 points in 407 games.

In addition to winning the Hart Trophy, he won the 2021-22 Rocket Richard Trophy as the league's top goal scorer and the Ted Lindsay Award. He also won the Rocket Richard during the 2020-21 season and won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie during the 2016-17 season.

Matthews signed a five-year, $58.2 million deal with the Maple Leafs in 2019 and will be a free agent after the 2023-24 season. Based on the way he's been playing, he'll be in for a massive extension worth more than the $11.6 million annually he makes now.