Evander Kane Just Added More Drama To The Oilers Conversation

Evander Kane's online clash with an Oilers reporter underscores ongoing tensions as teams weigh his on-ice talents against off-ice controversies.

Evander Kane was back in the middle of the conversation on Thursday, and this time it had nothing to do with goals, assists, or a highlight-reel hit.

The former Edmonton Oilers winger jumped on social media to react to a tweet about Dr. Anthony Fauci after a recent hearing in which he reportedly pleaded the fifth more than 100 times. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector didn’t like Kane’s response and called it selfish.

“Imagine, Evander Kane with a selfish take,”

Kane wasted no time firing back with a sharp reply of his own.

“Imagine, Mark Spector with a idiotic take. The drama of it all.

I would say more but you might start crying like you did when I gave you a talking to outside the locker room. Don’t tell me you forgot,”

The exchange adds another layer to Kane’s status as one of the more unpredictable names still sitting in free agency. The 35-year-old is currently a UFA after finishing out the four-year, $20.5 million contract extension he signed with the Oilers in 2022.

On the ice, Kane still produced last season. He put up 31 points, including 13 goals and 18 assists, in 71 games with the Vancouver Canucks.

There has been speculation about a possible return to Edmonton on a PTO or a one-year deal to help the Oilers’ forward depth. Thursday’s back-and-forth does not shut that door completely, but it also doesn’t help his case.

Kane still has enough game to matter at this stage of his career, even in his mid-30s. The bigger question is whether a team is willing to take on everything that comes with him.

As of August 7, none have. Still, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the veteran power forward eventually lands somewhere once training camps and the start of the 2026-27 season draw closer.

In Other News...

Tyler Benson Became An Oilers Reminder Fans Know Too Well

Tyler Benson once looked like the kind of homegrown forward Edmonton could build around, after a standout AHL season as a 20-year-old that set a scoring mark for Oilers prospects in the league this century. For a while, he seemed to fit the familiar prospect profile: skilled enough to keep pressure on the NHL door, young enough to still be trending up, and productive enough to give the organization reason to believe there was more coming.

But the next step never really came together, and Bensons path became another reminder of how hard it can be to turn AHL success into a lasting NHL role in Edmonton. Coaching changes and management turnover complicated the runway, while concerns about foot speed and the lack of a steady internal advocate left him without the sort of sustained opportunity that can matter for young players trying to stick. By the 2019-20 season, he had appeared in only seven NHL games, and the promise that once surrounded him had faded into one more what-if for fans who have seen this story before. [Read more 🡒]

Oilers Prospect Depth Is Starting To Take Shape In Bakersfield

The Bakersfield Condors have started to put some shape around their prospect group for next season, and the first move of the offseason was a modest but meaningful one. Forward Tucker Robertson signed a one-year AHL contract with the Oilers top farm club, giving Bakersfield an early addition after a wave of departures from last years roster.

Robertson, a 2022 draft pick of the Seattle Kraken, has already spent time in both the AHL and ECHL, but he has not yet cracked an NHL lineup. For a Condors team still sorting out its depth chart, the move hints at the kind of low-risk, developmental bet Bakersfield is willing to make while the rest of the roster takes shape. [Read more 🡒]