Edmonton Oilers star winger Evander Kane is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a lacerated left wrist and could rejoin their lineup before the NHL All-Star break, GM Ken Holland told ESPN on Monday.
Kane hasn’t played since Nov. 11 after his left wrist was cut by the skate blade of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon. Kane was transported to a hospital and underwent a procedure that night, calling the incident “an extremely scary moment for me” and thanking “all the doctors and paramedics who rushed to help treat and repair my injury.”
Kane’s initial recovery time was pegged at 3-4 months.
“He’s ahead of schedule,” said Holland. “Three months was around Feb. 3. We were kind of hoping that if everything went well, he would return sometime in the month of February. Now [the range] is the end of January to the middle of February.”
Kane has been practicing with the Oilers and accompanied the team on its current west coast road trip. Holland said Kane is due to speak with doctors later this week, who could further clear him for physical contact.
“Even though he feels great to practice, the doctors like a certain period of time [for recovery] after surgery,” said Holland.
The Oilers play the Columbus Blue Jackets (Jan. 25) and Chicago Blackhawks (Jan. 28) at home before the NHL All-Star break. Holland said there’s a chance Kane could play in “the final two or three games” before the break or he could join the team right after the break when they play at the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 7 after a nine-day break for the team.
“We’ll see how he’s feeling. We’ll see how the team is doing. We’ll see what the doctors are telling him,” said Holland.
Kane, 31, had 13 points in 14 games for Edmonton before his injury, including five goals. He played on lines with both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Kane signed a four-year, $20.5 million contract extension with the Oilers in July 2022.