Evander Kane will make his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; FDSNW, MAX, TBS, SN, TVAS, CBC).
The forward has not played since Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on June 10, because of a sports hernia and knee injury. He had surgery Sept. 20 to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles, and then arthroscopic knee surgery Jan. 9.
“It’s been obviously a long time since I last played a game, and it’s nice to get in and get an opportunity to contribute,” Kane said after the morning skate Wednesday. “I was always very confident that I would be back to play. I was unsure when that was going to happen, and I’m looking forward to tonight.”
Kane had eight points (four goals, four assists) in 20 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Cup Final last season, including three points (two goals, one assist) in a five-game win against the Kings in the first round. He had 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 77 regular-season games in 2023-24.
“Definitely one attribute that he’ll be bringing us is the physicality,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He’s healthy. He’ll be able to finish checks, play his kind of game and shoot the puck. There’s no hesitation there; he can shoot the puck as well as he’s always been.
“It’ll be the other things -- him moving his feet and getting that speed, and his hands being quick -- we certainly feel there’ll be some rust, but there will be some things, attributes, that he’ll bring our team throughout the playoffs and continue to build on that.”
Kane will play on a line with center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and right wing Zach Hyman. The Oilers trail 1-0 in the best-of-7 series after a 6-5 loss here Monday.
“Obviously, he brings good energy out there,” Nugent-Hopkins said of Kane. “We know what type of player he is, and we’re excited to have him back. We know he’s excited, we just have to get those first (shifts) out of the way and try to help him out as much as possible.”
Kane was hampered by the sports hernia for the majority of last season and played through discomfort into the playoffs until he was no longer able to contribute.
“It’s night and day from the last time you saw me in a playoff game to tonight,” Kane said. “Hopefully it looks that way, so we’ll see.”
Kane is in his fourth season with Edmonton. He signed a one-year contract as a free agent Jan. 27, 2022, after his contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks.
He had 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) and was plus-25 in 43 regular-season games for the Oilers in 2021-22 and 17 points (13 goals, four assists) in 17 playoff games, helping them reach the Western Conference Final, where they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Kane signed a four-year, $20.5-million contract ($5.13 million average annual value) on July 22, 2022. He had 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists) in 41 regular-season games in 2022-23 and five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games.
“I was prepared for missing a good chunk of time with the injury I had, and the surgery I had, that wasn’t unexpected,” Kane said. “It’s nice to feel strong, it’s nice to feel healthy and I’m looking forward to get on the ice.”
In three previous playoff meetings against Los Angeles, all won by Edmonton, Kane has 16 points (four goal, 12 assists) in 18 games. He had two goals and an assist in Game 6 of their first-round series in 2022, helping the Oilers tie the series 3-3. Edmonton went on to win the series in seven games. The Oilers eliminated the Kings in six games in 2023, and five games last season.
“It probably helps that we’ve played this team four years in a row, so it feels like any other game,” Kane said. “Playing the Kings in this barn, I enjoy it. It’s a fun atmosphere to play in. There might be a little nervousness, but nothing that’s going to impact my game in a negative fashion.”
John Klingberg will also play in Game 2; the defenseman missed the final 10 games of the regular season for Edmonton and Game 1 because of a lower-body injury. He hasn’t played since March 27.
Klingberg had four points (one goal, three assists) in 11 regular-season games while averaging 17:15 of ice time. He signed a one-year contract with the Oilers on Jan. 17.
