Friedman: There ‘will be a market’ for Oilers’ Evander Kane this offseason

Friedman stated that the Oilers considered the possibility of moving the 33-year-old at the trade deadline, but his status on long-term injured reserve limited the team’s options.

He also mentioned Kane’s status as a father whose family recently welcomed another child into the world, which could affect whether he moves or stays in Edmonton.

“He just had another child, so we’ll see how he and the Oilers feel about all this. … I say that because not everybody’s always interested in moving once their family expands, but we’ll see.”

Kane has one more year on his four-year contract that he signed with the Oilers in July 2022. The deal carries an AAV of $5.125 million, with a modified no-trade clause until the end of the contract. Kane is subject to submit a 16-team no-trade list.

The Vancouver native controversially joined Edmonton in the middle of the 2021-22 season, but has found a career resurrection with the franchise. After scoring an impressive 39 points in 43 games during that year, Kane was a big-time player in the Oilers’ path to the Western Conference Final, scoring 13 goals and 17 points in 15 games.

His numbers dipped over the next couple of seasons, with injuries limiting him to just 41 games during the 2022-23 campaign. Yet, he has been a crucial presence come playoff time, playing a key role in Edmonton making it to the Stanley Cup Final last year.

Even though he didn’t play a single game during the 2024-25 regular season while recovering from multiple surgeries, Kane returned in time for the playoffs and made a huge impact, scoring 12 points in 20 games. Ultimately, Edmonton lost to the Florida Panthers for a second year in a row, this time in six games.