The Edmonton Oilers have been under the NHL’s scope for their handling of Evander Kane’s injury prior to the start of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, after Connor McDavid and company learned about the trade of their teammate to the Vancouver Canucks, they found out that doesn’t mean the franchise is off the league’s hook.
What a whirlwind it’s been for the Oilers in the last couple of weeks. After falling to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s only been downhill for McDavid and Edmonton. Kane’s departure is significant, but fans are expecting more changes throughout the summer.
However, simultaneously to their deep playoff run, the NHL started an investigation on the Oilers. Now, Edmonton decided to ship Kane away to Vancouver.
In a move that was essentially a means of opening up cap space, McDavid and the rest of the team witnessed the departure of a high-profile personality in the locker room. Regardless, the trade has no implications in the ongoing investigation.
Evander Kane #91 of the Edmonton Oilers warms up before a game against the before the game against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on June 02, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
“The trade of Evander Kane to the Canucks today will have no impact on the NHL’s ongoing investigation into the Oilers’ use of LTIR space for Kane last season,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated, via ESPN.
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Moreover, the Canucks won’t have any connection whatsoever to the league’s verdict on the Oilers. Unless the NHL concludes Kane played a role and sanctions the forward, Vancouver shouldn’t receive any penalty for their trade.
Why are the Oilers being investigated?
The NHL is looking into Edmonton’s use of the long-term injured reserve on Evander Kane, who didn’t appear in a single game during the past regular season. Kane had undergone surgery in September to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles.
Later on, Kane underwent another surgery to remove a congenital tumor-like growth in his knee in January. The 33-year-old returned for Game 2 of the second round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers competes in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 03, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida.
The league’s decision caused much outrage in Edmonton, as fans and media pointed at other teams who took advantage of the ‘dead salary cap’ provided by the LTIR. In fact, the Oilers didn’t spend the money saved by Kane’s LTIR designation until just hours before the trade deadline.
Rare procedure
It remains unclear what was it that caught the league’s eye and called for further review. According to Daily Faceoff, which first reported the investigation, “there is the potential for retroactive punishment if the league finds the spirit of the CBA was violated.“
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It should be kept in mind that no team in the salary cap era has been punished for using LTIR—not Tampa Bay with Kucherov in 2021, nor Vegas with Mark Stone in 2023, nor Florida with Matthew Tkachuk this past season. All three teams hoisted the Cup immediately afterwards.
