Evander Kane was injured late in the 2nd period in the Oilers game against the Tampa Lightning on Tuesday night and is expected to miss 3-4 months. Say what you will about Evander Kane, but the fact is the Edmonton Oilers are going to miss him dearly. Since he joined the team in January of this year, Kane has been the Oilers highest producing winger, and now the team will need some to step up in a big way.
Luckily for the Oilers, they have a lot of forward depth and players capable of playing at the NHL level. On Wednesday morning, the team called up Mattias Janmark and the newly acquired Klim Kostin. Neither of these players will be able to replace the production of Evander Kane. Still, throughout his career, Janmark has proven to be a solid bottom of the lineup player who will produce great defensive results and chip in on the score sheet every so often as well.
So, who will replace Evander Kane? My answer to that is nobody. Kane is a dying breed; few remaining players live to agitate and produce offense well in that gritty, not-so-fun areas. For a solution, I offer you a more balanced offense. The Oilers getting consistent offensive production from all four lines will make these 3-4 months cruise by. I would suggest that the better question is, who will score? The answer is simple, the guys who have been a little unlucky so far. Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi have contributed to winning games but have little to show on the scoresheet. The duo has a combined 1 goal and four assists so far this season, and to say that is a little disappointing would be underselling it. With increased roles, both Yamamoto and Puljujarvi are bound to break out of their respective scoring slumps. Another player I am keen on seeing produce more with a larger role is Ryan Mcleod, who has all the tools to be a good player in the league and is about to have his best chance yet to prove his value to the team.
Overall, the Oilers should be ok despite the injury to Evander Kane. They have the tools to replace them, they just need to shake off some rust first, and I, for one, am looking forward to watching some of these players perform in larger roles. Maybe it’s the opportunity some of them need to take the next step.
