When teams have big-money players stashed on long-term injured reserve for significant portions of the season, it’s become commonplace for the NHL to direct additional scrutiny toward their medical records to ensure they’re not circumventing the salary cap. It’s become a hot-button issue in recent years with star players missing most or all of the regular season with injuries, only to return at the beginning of the playoffs when the upper limit is no longer in effect.
In every case in recent memory, the league has been satisfied with the documentation they’ve received, and those inquiries have been closed during the postseason. However, that isn’t the case with the Oilers and winger Evander Kane, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes. The league’s investigation on that matter is still ongoing, and the potential remains for the Oilers to have a retroactive penalty if they conclude Edmonton violated the CBA.
It’s not clear what aspect of Kane’s LTIR usage the league isn’t satisfied with. He didn’t return immediately as the playoffs started – he was only cleared for Game 2 of the first round against the Kings, not Game 1, and didn’t receive an AHL conditioning stint leading up to his return. Edmonton also didn’t dip into the cap flexibility that Kane’s LTIR placement afforded them until the trade deadline, when team doctors confirmed he wouldn’t be cleared to play before the end of the regular season.
Speculatively, the issue could be the nature and timing of the second surgery Kane underwent. The power winger played through a sports hernia at the tail end of last season and finally ended up undergoing a wide-ranging procedure that repaired multiple hip and abdominal muscles in September 2024. Waiting until training camp to undergo the procedure was already eye-raising, but it only carried a four-month timeline that would have had him back in the lineup before the trade deadline anyway.
Then, Kane underwent an unrelated surgery on his knee in January, pausing his rehab from his earlier surgery and effectively ending his regular season. The team didn’t disclose details on the procedure at a time. Yesterday, Seravalli reported the surgery removed a “congenital tumor-like growth.” With the knee issue being present for his entire life and career, the league could be questioning why the Oilers chose that specific window to have Kane undergo surgery, particularly so late in his recovery from another procedure.
NHL should fine the Canadian health care system. Those wait times are rediculous!
Well, at least he didn’t go bankrupt…from the medical bills.
So, after Patrick Kane and Kucherov and Mark Stone and Mark Stone again, Tkachuk, etc…
They guy they find suspicious is Evander Kane. K.
Everyone (except pedants) knows the LTIR loophole is gamed. When random fans can guess with precise accuracy exacty when an “injured” player will return…MONTHS in advance…
The problem is that Gary and Bill have gotten old and fat and lazy and it’s time for them to go.
Their rule has taken an MLB style turn in recent years, where they are happy to let imbalances linger if they believe those imbalances serve the leagues’interests…even if it undermines the overall product and the game itself.
The tax loophole could be easily closed but Gary is happy to use it as a welfare system for weaker markets with less or little hockey history and fanbase.
The college loophole could be fixed (and it better be since every decent player will now be going to NCAA for the NIL) but they’ve gone multiple CBA’s without doing so.
The league’s job is to create a level playing field for it’s team to compete fairly and then get out of the way. They are failing miserably. They are no longer even trying.
LTIR loophole is gamed. Could it be closed? Sure. Will it? Questionable. In some regards, I feel the league allows it because playoff contending teams are typically in such a cap crunch & want them to be strong going into the playoffs. However, I think the injuries is where the league needs to look into because all injuries vary to various degrees & are not on equal level.
Your tax loophole argument is hot garbage, sorry to say on every level. For starters, you claim it’s a “welfare system for weaker markets with less or little hockey history and fanbase.” LOL! You do know there is only 6 markets (Tampa, Dallas, Sunrise, Nashville, Vegas, & Seattle) that have that so called “tax loophole” & several of them are some of the strongest markets in the NHL today by far. If the tax loophole was such a “benefit” then a team like Seattle would be doing far better which isn’t the case. The “tax loophole” is only beneficial to a small extent if the organization is having success & players want to go there which isn’t the case for all & will consistently change over time. I could point out other details on the tax loophole argument but the loophole thing is a weak point on various levels.
As for the college loophole, now there is a problem as too many drafted players from the NCAA are refusing to go with the team that drafted them primarily because of the NIL playing into that equation. What is the point of the draft if a player from the NCAA can just eventually predict where he’ll sign or not. That’s truly ridiculous & bad for the league.
“I like Tampa” would have been shorter.
I don’t expect you to mind the tax or LTIR loopholes.
How is a state’s tax rate a ‘loophole’ and why would there need to be anything done about it? Certain cities have appeal to players for various reasons, I don’t see anyone complaining about closing the good weather or strong school system ‘loopholes’ some cities may have.
@66 – Really dude? That’s how you’re going to approach the conversation?…You just made your stance all the weaker. I was being objective in the matter but obviously you’re not.
The tax loophole is overstated. Plus a player only gets the tax breaks for home games. The road games are paid based on the tax rules of the city the game is played.
Well, you objectively favored your team…that is true.
Upton Sinclair can explain why you’ll never agree.
I cannot speak of the other teams being a “strong market”, but I can speak of Florida/Sunrise. I live within 5 miles of the arena and I spent several years, up until last year, working for the team in a front office, non-hockey capacity.
It has been a very difficult go of it, up until they put a team in the Cup finals three consecutive years. The seasons before that were extraordinarily difficult in terms of building a fan base and promoting hockey in this area. They struggled to fill the seats, and often the fans in the building were transplants or travelers rooting on the opposition. (A notion not lost on players, front office, etc. it infuriated them)
I can tell you from people who still work there that the team being a winning one with a terrific coaching staff, and having a beautiful new practice facility, has been vey important for them in terms of getting players to commit to staying here long term.
But the tax situation has helped immensely, especially with the cap situation stagnant for quite a few years. It has been a huge selling point, especially with the newer players they have added. Just my two cents, but I have been told it is a significant selling point for players in the market place, and has moved several of these teams in the “destination” category for players.
I’m not saying that’s wrong, just stating it has had a significant impact in the organization that I know and worked for. Not sure they could have pulled this off without the added leverage in terms of being a tax free state.
I realize that it’s just a part of the equation but it has really helped.
I think most of those complaining are coming from a disingenuous argument. The teams we are mostly talking about are good because they drafted and traded well. They are well run franchises. The tax “loophole “ is mostly evened out by the off ice opportunities available to players in all of the Canadian markets and most of the big markets in the US. These same opportunities are not there in the smaller non traditional jockey markets. No one is mentioning these loophole advantages for the larger markets in attracting players
All factored in when drafted of course…
No I think the well run franchises draft players they like because of a multitude of reasons. Not just because they have the desired traits or skills but because of their makeup , characteristics, and desire. The well run franchises take advantage from their top draft picks because they provide the environment to develop fully. That is also why players are also more likely to resign when they experience success as a result of that environment regardless of tax advantages.
The off ice opportunities apply to the elite, superstar players. A vast majority of NHL players are not seeing any difference making money in off the ice endeavors no matter where they play.
The true top tier players, yes.
99% of the league? No.
That’s odd a Stan Bowman led team trying to evade the rules. That’s so weird……. I can’t even imagine it.
That’s right cause no other GM on any other team in the NHL has ever tried to evade the rules using LTIR….
Other teams use LTIR. But what they don’t do( As far as I know) Is spread surgeries around or seemingly make up reasons for surgery as they go along or spread them out for their own advantage.
If they want to stop this cap circumvention then leave the cap intact during the playoffs. I know it’s not that simple but they could find a way if they wanted to but seemingly they don’t.
Colin Campbell has made sure Florida & previously Vegas, Tampa didn’t get same treatment…
When Vegas and Tamba Bay does it : 😺
When Edmonton does it : 😾
And when Pierre Dorion mishandles paperwork he gets the death penalty
Just here to listen to oilers fans do what they do best and cry