Evander Kane's wish may cause Edmonton Oilers to make major trade

Evander Kane is gearing up for a return to play, but his desire to join the lineup in the regular season may force the Edmonton Oilers to trade him.

Kane has missed the entire season so far with multiple injuries and surgeries, creating a very complex return timeline, and this will complicate the Oilers trade-deadline plans with his $5.125M coming off LTIR.

Evander Kane likely to play in the regular season may force Oilers to trade him

According to a new update from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, it's personally important to Kane that he returns before the playoffs to get back up to speed. However, his no-trade clause also expires today.

"Evander Kane's full no-trade expires Friday night. He and the Oilers are navigating his return, and whether or not he will play during the regular season. I think that's very important to Kane - getting runway to prove he can be a factor in the playoffs. Remember, he missed the last five games of the Stanley Cup Final."

Whenever Kane receives his medical clearance from the Oilers doctors, the team will be forced to take him off LTIR — and it will give them close to 0 cap space to make a trade deadline move.

Kane is reportedly skating and was close to 60% pace a few weeks ago. It's very possible he could return in the last two weeks of the season, and the Oilers won't be able to trade for anyone.

If the Oilers want to add a defenseman or goaltending then, they'll have to move a player with salary off their roster — and Evander Kane is a prime candidate.

When he's at his best, Kane is a great power forward who can lead the Oilers in hits and provide secondary scoring at a clip of 20 goals a season. However, coming off a full year injury at 33 years old to join the playoffs, there's a risk in playing him.