Oilers Scratch Evander Kane After Embassaring Loss to Leafs

Now, the Edmonton Oilers have made a surprising call, as veteran forward Evander Kane has officially been a healthy scratch for their Sunday matchup against the Ottawa Senators.

In Bob Stauffer's post on X, he makes sure to mention that it's a simple maintenance day for the veteran Kane as the playoffs are approaching, but there could be much more to the story. This comes on the back of reports that Evander Kane was unhappy with his ice time and role for the Edmonton Oilers, so that certainly can't be discounted as a factor here.

The 32-year old came to Edmonton with plenty of baggage behind him, as it appeared they were one of the only teams in the league interested in bringing him in following the drama and the scandals that followed him during his time in San Jose. Beyond those reports of him being a locker room nuisance this season, Kane has been relatively drama free during his time in Edmonton, but with the arrival of Corey Perry and other players that are getting much more ice time in the top-six over him, it may be catching up to him.

The Oilers will now play the Senators before a day off which will see them travel to Winnipeg to battle the red-hot Jets, so the lineup in that matchup will certainly give us plenty of answers on what's going on behind the scenes in Edmonton.

Ultimately though, it may end up being a simple day off for Kane, who has played in 67 games this season, and with the Oilers looking to lock up second place in the Pacific Division, resting veteran players is something they may look to do over the course of the next month with the playoffs approaching.