The Edmonton Oilers will have an extremely important salary cap decision with Evander Kane's return from injury, and new reports from an NHL Insider suggest Kane will return after the regular season.

"Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane underwent successful knee surgery on Thursday in Edmonton," the Oilers statement read. "It is expected that he will require four to eight weeks of recovery time.

The NHL trade deadline is quickly approaching and the Oilers are bound to be busy, but Evander Kane's health may impact their plans.

If Evander Kane misses the rest of the regular season — as seems increasingly likely given his recent knee surgery and the complexity of coming back from his initial abdominal surgery — the Edmonton Oilers will be in the hunt for a rugged forward or two.

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers have issued the following statement and update regarding the status of forward Evander Kane. Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane underwent successful knee surgery on Thursday in Edmonton. It is expected that he will require four to eight weeks of recovery time.

The Edmonton Oilers may face an investigation from the NHL if Evander Kane is unable to return until the playoffs, but insider Frank Seravalli believes the Oilers should be safe from anything being found.

Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman is cautiously optimistic about Evander Kane’s potential return but is preparing for two distinct scenarios based on Kane’s recovery timeline.

EDMONTON -- Evander Kane said he expects to be completely healthy and is eyeing a return to the Edmonton Oilers before the end of the season after having arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday.

Let’s take it as a given for a moment that Edmonton Oilers power forward Evander Kane will not be healthy to play until the 2025 playoffs, which will free up $5.1 million in cap space for the Oilers at the trade deadline.