BLOG: Kane focused on getting back to ‘100 percent’ before return

EDMONTON, AB – It’s been a lengthy process getting the ‘Kane Train’ back on the tracks, but this recent maintenance is going to have massive long-term benefits for a player who’s never been one to fall short of maximizing everything he does to the best of his ability, whether that’s on the ice or off the ice.

That’s why, when forward Evander Kane was faced with prolonging his already lengthy rehab from off-season abdominal surgery in September with another procedure – this time to his knee – he had no issues with getting it done now to make sure he’s 100 percent healthy when the time comes for him to get back into the Oilers lineup.

Hopefully, if all goes well, that’ll track him toward a return before the end of Edmonton’s regular season.

“With regards to yesterday's surgery, to be honest, I'm not frustrated at all,” Kane said, speaking to the media over Zoom on Friday morning. “I'm actually really happy that we were able to fix that and get me to 100 percent so that when I do come back and play this year, I'm feeling 100 percent.

“I know it might put a pause for a couple of weeks on my current rehab process, but it won't be very long. I think the number that was out there was four to eight weeks, and that’s to get back to playing after a procedure like this. So, in terms of rehabbing and training and continuing to feel better, that break is going to be very short.”

The recovery process for Kane has been anything but short, with the fast and physical presence up front for the Blue & Orange having yet to even skate after spending the last four months taking the time needed to heal up from surgery back on Sept. 20 to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles.

Soon after his first surgery, the 33-year-old and the Oilers medical staff noticed another potential issue in his knee, and upon further evaluation, the decision was made to have another procedure done to remove whatever was bugging him – a process that will put his first recovery on hold for four to eight weeks to allow this one to heal up fully.

“I think we were doing a great job with resting and letting things heal with my abdominal surgery,” he said. “I think that was a big key, and it's helped me feel as good as I do today. One of the biggest reasons why is the work we were doing in the pool and some small exercises off the ice. Just letting the surgery do its thing and heal my body to the best of my ability, and that's why I feel so good today, which is really positive.

“It gives me something to look forward to, and this knee procedure was more of something that we could manage and get done so that it wouldn’t affect me when I did come back and then possibly have to miss the entire season. So it was great to get this cleaned up, and I plan to be 100 percent and ready to go at some point this season.”

Kane played the majority of the 2023-24 NHL season with a sports hernia, which began having a major impact on his ability to skate and play his demanding physical game as things progressed into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The winger played Games 1 & 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, but you could tell something wasn’t right as he stood leaning on the Oilers’ bench, resulting in him sitting out the final five games of the Final and finishing the year with 44 regular-season points (24G, 20) in 77 games and eight points (4G, 4A) in 20 post-season contests.

“I think when it comes to the injury and what it affected the most last year was skating through pain,” he said. “Every time you take a stride, you feel like you're tearing about four or five different things, so just walking around and being able to lift your leg off the ground six inches was a struggle last year.

Kane added: "It's never fun to not be playing and doing something that you've been doing for 16 years, so it's not easy to watch. At the same time, I think over the course of the summer, after having a devastating loss in the Stanley Cup Final last year and not being able to be a part of the end of the series, mentally, I was kind of prepared to take the time I needed to get my body back to 100 percent.

"That way, when I come back, I know I can be the player that everybody knows I am."

All of last season's recovery came after his scary incident two seasons ago in Tampa when his wrist was cut by the skate blade of former Oilers forward Pat Maroon, prompting emergency surgery and another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

On Thursday, when faced with the decision to undergo another surgery and extend his recovery, Kane had the knee procedure completed so that when he is able to get back to skating, there will be no debate about whether the decision’s being rushed. The winger plans to take a few more weeks to heal up from this recent surgery before getting back in the pool to continue his recovery from abdominal surgery.

“I could barely jog or run last year, so as I sit here today, I feel a thousand times better," he said. "I think skating will probably be the biggest indicator of how good I truly feel once I get back on the ice. As I sit here today, I feel that it’s going to go really well once I do get back on the ice.”

Then, hopefully, the opportunity to get back on the ice for Kane is close which will tell a lot about how close he is to getting back to contributing to Edmonton's push to get back to the Stanley Cup Final, where they have unfinished business after last season's Game 7 loss to the Panthers.

“I've dealt with injuries in the past. I've dealt with coming off the couch and joining a brand new team back in 2022, so I do have a little bit of experience with that,” he said. “At the same time, I think I'll be in a much better situation coming back this time, obviously feeling 100 percent healthy and in great shape and ready to rock.

“So whenever that time is, I'm looking forward to being a big contributor.”