NHL Rumors: Elliotte Friedman claims Oilers, $20,500,000 forward were "scrutinized" by NHL for LTIR usage

The Edmonton Oilers played without Evander Kane in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. He missed the game due to hip and knee injuries. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes there might be another reason.

He said the NHL looked into how teams used LTIR late in the season. The Oilers and Kane may have been part of that review. Friedman shared this on Sportsnet during the second intermission on Monday. He said the NHL asked teams for details on why certain players missed Game 82.

"You know, one of the things we've talked about a little bit on the podcast, but I've heard the NHL really scrutinized a number of teams about their LTIR use late in the regular season, and they wanted detailed explanations of why some players couldn't play game 82 and then could be ready for game one of the playoffs. I think Kane was one of those players."

Friedman thinks Kane was one of those cases, and that could be why he did not play Game 1.

Evander Kane did not play during the 2024–25 regular season. He had surgeries on his hip and knee. He is now close to returning, according to head coach Kris Knoblauch. The coach said Kane might be available for Game 2. Kane also missed Saturday’s optional skate.

Kane is signed to a four-year, $20.5 million contract with the Oilers. The NHL suspected Edmonton to have using Kane's LTIR status to manage their salary cap. LTIR lets teams replace the cap space of injured players.

Edmonton Oilers lost to LA Kings in Evander Kane's absence in Game 1

The Edmonton Oilers lost Game 1 by a score of 6-5. The Kings took a 4-0 lead before McDavid's camp made a comeback with four goals in the third period. McDavid had one goal and three assists in the loss. Draisaitl, Perry, and Hyman also scored for Edmonton.

Edmonton forward Adam Henrique talked about the comeback and loss after being down four goals.

“From our group in here, the pushback was fantastic and expected,” Henrique said, via NHL.com. “It’s tough, obviously, giving up the one right after tying it up.”

Evander Kane’s return is still possible for the Oilers as they hope to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday.