Oilers' Evander Kane diagnosed with sports hernia

Oilers winger Evander Kane’s up-and-down regular season ended on a low note, missing the final three games with an undisclosed injury. Meeting with reporters ahead of Monday's Game 1 against the Kings, he told reporters he was diagnosed with a sports hernia but will likely return to play (via Sportsnet’s Gene Principe).

Sports hernias don’t always require immediate surgery. In less severe cases, rest and cortisone injections may relieve pain and restore range of motion in the groin area, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s a playable injury for now, but surgery could be on the table for Kane this summer if it doesn’t fully heal with other treatments throughout the postseason.

Kane, 32, is in the second season of a four-year, $20.5M contract. He hasn’t been as advertised, playing at a 50-point pace over the life of the deal after producing at a 60-point pace or better in each of the previous four seasons. This season was his healthiest as an Oiler, playing in 77 games, but his 44 points and poor relative possession numbers led to him averaging 16:47 per game, his lowest usage since his rookie season.

He’s seen his usage dwindle down the stretch, playing less than 10 minutes in a game against the Flames a few weeks back and being scratched against the Senators in late March. The Oilers’ secondary scoring has been buoyed by the emergence of Warren Foegele, who had a career-high 20 goals and 41 points with far superior possession metrics to Kane. He’ll likely slot in on Edmonton’s second line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ regardless of Kane’s availability. If he can go, it would presumably be in a third-line role with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry.

Kane is still a more offensively consistent player than other bottom-six options like youngster Dylan Holloway, who’s been limited to six goals and nine points in 38 games this year. If he can recapture even some of his form from the 2022 postseason when he had 13 goals and 17 points in only 15 games, he could be key in canceling out a balanced L.A. forward lineup.