There is no doubt that forward Evander Kane has had a positive impact on the Edmonton Oilers ever since he signed for the remainder of 2021-22 as an unrestricted free agent after the San Jose Sharks voided and bought out his contract.
But many insiders and pundits make it clear that it will be a challenge for the Oilers to hold on to him. Cap Friendly indicates that Edmonton has a projected $74.3 million invested in 15 active roster players next season. With limited cap space, it is believe GM Ken Holland will need to pull some moves to re-sign Kane for a longer tenure.
Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News mentions that “placing permanently sidelined Oscar Klefbom on long-term injury reserve would provide some extra wiggle room.” But he maintains it will remain tough for Edmonton to make it work.
Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal fears that the Oilers will have to make some hard decisions about younger players such as Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto, both set to become restricted free agents this summer. Holland might be forced to decide whether they’ve shown enough to invest in for the long term. He could also offer one or both a short-term bridge deals to make the numbers work for Kane.
On top of that, Leavins’ colleague, Jim Matheson, believes the Oilers will be among the clubs pursuing Ville Husso if the St. Louis Blues netminder tests this summer’s open market, while letting go of backup Mikko Koskinen in July.
Numbers need to add up. And to make the equation more complicated: the Oilers also don’t have control over another factor that will play with Kane’s future. It could also depend upon the outcome of the grievance he filed against the Sharks for terminating his contract. If an arbitrator orders the Sharks to pay the remaining $19 million owed to Kane, he could be open to a more affordable deal to remain in Edmonton especially if captain Connor McDavid, with whom he found great chemistry, asks him to stay.
