According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Edmonton Oilers are off the hook for whatever it was the NHL was looking into regarding Evander Kane and the team’s use of LTIR last season.
Russo writes, “Bill Daly says the book has been closed on the NHL’s examination of the Oilers for Evander Kane’s LTIR situation last regular season/playoffs.”
Michael Russo explains the NHL has closed the book on any investigation into the Oilers and Evander Kane’s LTIR situation.
Back in June, NHL insider Frank Seravalli (then of Daily Faceoff) reported it was unclear what is motivating the extra time and resources being put into the investigation, but the NHL was looking at the Oilers and how they managed Kane’s LTIR situation.
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Kane, who missed the 2024-25 regular season due to two surgeries—one for abdominal and groin issues in September and another in January to remove a knee growth—returned in Game 2 of the Oilers’ first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings. The NHL reviewed whether Edmonton violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement by activating Kane in the postseason, when the salary cap does not apply.
While the Oilers provided all the requested medical documentation, the league could have still issued retroactive penalties. No team has been punished for LTIR usage under the cap era, though debate over playoff cap rules continues and there will be changes made to the way teams can use LTIR in the future.
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Kane was traded this summer to the Vancouver Canucks in a cap-clearing deal.
It’s unclear if the Oilers were ever worried about the investigation, but it’s no longer an issue for the organization.
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