Oilers' Evander Kane reveals unheard-of details of his knee injury and "guinea pig"-like correction surgery

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane spoke candidly about his knee injury, the unusual circumstances surrounding it, and the experimental surgery he underwent.

On Monday, Kane revealed that about 10 days after undergoing abdominal surgery last September, he began experiencing issues with his knee as it felt painful when standing up straight.

“I didn’t think much of it. But then it started happening more regularly, and it became a little painful. We got an MRI and there was a bit of a mass—benign—that was wrapped around my ACL and PCL.” Kane said on Monday.

“We were able to get that removed, which was great. Haven’t felt that issue come up again, and I’m feeling good."

Kane described it as a procedure that had never been done before - repairing both sides of the knee simultaneously.

“They’ve never done both sides at the same time with the type of procedure I’ve had. Kind of a guinea pig in that sense." Kane remarked, as doctors tried the unproven dual repair approach.

The 33-year-old power forward last played in the 2023-24 season. He appeared in 77 regular-season and 20 playoff games for the Oilers that year.

The Oilers have not ruled out Kane potentially returning for the start of the 2024-25 playoffs.

Evander Kane cautious about his return

Evander Kane has been rehabbing and skating for months. He is determined to ensure that there are no further setbacks that could jeopardize his progress.

Kane expressed his excitement about the progress he has made, stating,

"I'm really excited to get going here as soon as we get to 100 percent, which should be pretty soon." Evander Kane said.

When asked what he still needs to do to be fully cleared to play, Kane chose not to go into specifics.

"One of the things I want to make sure of is that I don't end up back on an operating table again. That's why I wanted to go through that in the summer...to go through this rehab year. And I'm really happy with how everything's gone with my recovery and I'm feeling really good on the ice.

The Oilers still have one game left in the regular season, with the San Jose Sharks. They currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division with 99 points.