Evander Kane is expected to be out for three to four months. What does that mean for the Edmonton Oilers?

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Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane is expected to be out for three to four months. With Kane (and his cap hitting him) in the long-term injury reserve, the Oilers recalled American forwards Matthias Janmark and Crim his Costin from his hockey league Bakersfield.

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my view

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1. First, the obvious. Kane’s injury was a pretty frightening moment in Tuesday night’s game, and all Oilers fans wish him the best of luck. He’s seriously injured and will need a lot of time to recover. There will be time

No Oilers winger has played as evenly as Kane this year, and when it comes to chipping on Grade A shots and misses on Grade A shots, he’s second only to Zach Hyman for any winger on the team. had the second best plus or minus than who got off to a bright start.

2. Kane is not doing well in hockey this year, but I miss him. His arrival last season was a turning point for the Oilers as Jay Woodcroft took over as coach. Oil came out of a team that had to put together Conor McDavid and Leon Drysitel on equal strength, one led by McDavid and the other led by Drysitel2 It promoted goalscoring that could be relied on one line and mounted solid attacking play. Suddenly, between Kane, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jesse Purjujärvi and Kyler Yamamoto, the Oilers have enough top-notch wingers to go around both McDavid and Drysitel on their own lines. I got the

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3. Under former coach Dave Tippett in 44 games last season, without Kane in the lineup for most games, Edmonton recorded 455 Grade A shots and surrendered 442, +13 .

But in 52 total games, 38 games this year and 14 last year, Woodcroft’s Oilers shot 588 Grade A shots and gave up just 466 (+122).

This works well for 10.3, 10.0 Grade A shots per game under Tippett and 11.3, 9.0 Grade A shots per game under Woodcroft. I think a lot of this significant improvement is due to having his two top lines of high performance.

What’s wrong with the Oilers this year? Their PKs are killing them, giving up much higher Grade A shots and goals than they did last year.

4. Kane has scored 5 goals and 13 points in 14 games for the Oilers this year. He’s played so-so hockey, but not great. But replacing those points won’t be easy, and the Oilers won’t find a replacement for the toughness and swagger he brings to the lineup. Kane is an intimidating player and a force on the ice. That part of his game will be missed more than anything else.

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5. One player’s presence means more opportunities for others. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins looked strong and confident in his line with McDavid, so expect to see more of that. Jesse Puljujarvi had a great match with McD in his RNH vs. Tampa, so we’ll see more in the short term. His second line, built around Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl, also makes sense. Given that both players are good at protecting the puck, they should be able to start a long run of possession with a successful o-zone puck. But who goes with those two? Kayler Yamamoto? Dylan Holloway? Warren Fogel? Ryan McLeod? The Oilers have these four obvious options for him, but with McLeod performing well at his third-row center, the best bet is likely to leave him there. Yamamoto has struggled in a top-line role this year. It comes down to Vogel or Holloway, teaming up with Drysitel on one side and McLeod on the other. Of course, given how mixed modern lines tend to be in the modern NHL, I suspect many combinations will be tried.

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6. In Bakersfield’s farm team, the Oilers have a number of wingers (Xavier Bourgault, Carter Savoie, Raphael Lavoie) who could eventually be candidates to play alongside McDavid and Draisaitl. by injury or inexperience. Kostin and Janmark are energy players and 4th line representatives. With them leaving Bake, there’s more ice time turning around for prospective forwards in the organization. It is possible to go to Benson.

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