Edmonton Oilers’ forward Evander Kane has fit in ever-so-nicely on and off the ice since his arrival in Oil Country. He’s played a combined 111 regular season and playoff games, scoring 54 goals in that time.
Off the ice, he’s been a model citizen, often seen helping out communities in and around Edmonton, formed relationships with people in need of support, and was also seen playing pick-up hockey in a local beer league.
Kane has emerged as a leader in Edmonton; however, the recurring injuries posed a constant challenge for him last season. Yet, with a fresh chapter ahead of him and the Edmonton Oilers as a whole, we’ve outlined three predictions for him for the 2023-24 season.
Kane Sets a Career-High in Games Played
Last season was a stormy ride for Kane as he was in and out of the lineup dealing with injuries. He had a gruesome incident last November when then-Tampa Bay Lightning forward Patrick Maroon skated over his wrist; however, he returned only ten weeks later, a month ahead of schedule.
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Last February he missed several games due to breaking his ribs, and he reportedly played through a fractured finger in the playoffs. All things considered, it was a challenging season for the physical forward.
In addition, last playoffs there wasn’t any doubt that he was playing hurt and it was noticeable that his shot had less power, recording only three goals in 12 games, whereas a year before, he led the entire playoffs with 13 goals.
Kane has yet to play a full season in Edmonton and his career-high is 75 games, but the prediction is he will put the season full of injuries behind him and remain healthy this season and set a career-high in games played at 76 games. That said, Kane is an important leader on the Oilers and his increased presence in the lineup is poised to enhance the team’s competitive energy throughout the season.
Kane Will Be the Fourth-Highest Goal Scorer on the Oilers
This will likely be general manager (GM) Ken Holland’s last season managing the team, but he deserves credit where it’s due, such as bringing in bonafide scoring wingers like Zach Hyman and Kane.
The Oilers have moved beyond the days of hoping players like Ty Rattie pan out in the top six and for Kane, it’s not a question of whether he can click with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl — it’s more of a matter of whether he’ll put up 30 goals or inch closer to 40.
It’s inevitable that he’ll play in the top six alongside one of the two superstar centermen, and he’ll likely be a leader on the team’s second-unit power play. That said, I doubt Kane will ever replicate his absurd 22 percent shooting percentage from the 2022 Playoffs, but my prediction for him this season is he’ll be fourth on the Oilers in goals scored, behind Draisaitl, Hyman and McDavid, with a 32-goal and 32 assist campaign, while leading the forward group in hits.
Kane Will Have a More Calculated Intensity in the Playoffs
Oilers’ fans love the 6-foot-2, 210-pound power forward not only for his goal-scoring ability, but also because of his physicality, aggression, and gamesmanship — especially in the playoffs.
He’s played 27 playoff games for the Oilers over the last two years and shown a knack for stirring the pot. During the 2022 Playoffs, he jousted with then-Calgary Flame Matthew Tkachuk and took him off his game. He also got under the skin of Los Angeles Kings’ players and their fans when he flashed seven fingers after an empty net goal to force a Game 7.
Last postseason he had an amusing altercation in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He blew a kiss to a fan in the stands after he pummeled forward Keegan Kolesar on the ground and said after the fact in a postgame interview, “When you want to f**k around, sometimes you’ve got to find out, so that’s what happened.”
Gamesmanship is a part of Kane’s style of play but my prediction for this season in the playoffs is that the power forward, and the Oilers as a whole, will embrace a more “business-like” approach. He’ll still hit, score and muck it up on ice, but there will be fewer extracurricular activities, such as blowing kisses to fans, with the focus being on on-ice play.
As a fan of hockey, I enjoy the extracurricular antics; however, for the Oilers, it was actually them who “found out” from the Golden Knights, when they defeated Edmonton in six games last playoffs. As a result, I feel the team will shift their focus to a more disciplined demeanour, with Kane, a leader on the team, setting an example for the rest to follow.
By all accounts, Kane is a unicorn in the NHL because of his combination of being a one-shot scorer who will also engage physically with some of the toughest players in the NHL. Additionally, it seems I went two for three on my Oilers’ offseason predictions; out of the three predictions listed for Kane this season, how many will hold true?
