Edmonton forward Evander Kane could make his season debut in the Western Conference first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday.
Kane, 33, has not played since Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on June 10 against the eventual champion Florida Panthers, who won in seven games. He had surgery on Sept. 20 to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles. He also had arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 9.
The Oilers trail the Kings 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.
“Kane is a possibility of coming back, whether that’s for Game 2, Game 3 or Game 4. But it should be soon,” Knoblauch said.
The coach said Kane has not been cleared by doctors but he expects to see him play at some point in the series — though targeting Game 2 “is a little premature.”
“I think Evander looks better today than he did in the (Cup) Final series against Florida,” Knoblauch said. “He’s skating better, he’s moving better, his agility, all that stuff. He looks more explosive. Yeah, it’s very difficult for a player to come back after a long stretch (out), but I think Evander has a little bit of an X-factor.”
Kane, recorded 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 77 games during the regular season in 2023-24 and eight points (four goals, four assists) in 20 playoff games.
He has totaled 617 points (326 goals, 291 assists) in 930 career regular-season games with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise (2009-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-21) and Oilers. He was selected by the Thrashers with the fourth overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Knoblauch also said that defenseman John Klingberg (lower-body injury) is “very close” to returning to the lineup after missing the last 10 games of the regular season and the 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1 on Monday.
“Yes, he definitely can be a player for us coming in Game 2,” Knoblauch said. “Whether we make that decision tomorrow, but I would say we will see him at some point in the series.”
Klingberg, 32, signed as a free agent with Edmonton on Jan. 17. He has not played since March 27 in a 6-1 loss to the host Seattle Kraken. Klingberg has one goal, three assists, eight penalty minutes, 13 blocks and five hits in 11 games this season.
He has 416 career points (82 goals, 334 assists) with 263 penalty minutes, 761 blocks and 434 hits in 644 regular-season games for the Dallas Stars (2014-22), Anaheim Ducks (2022-23), Minnesota Wild (2023), Toronto Maple Leafs (2023-24) and Oilers.
