Evander Kane Healthy Scratch After Dispute With Leon Draisaitl

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch stated that winger Evander Kane would be a healthy scratch ahead of tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators. The reason he gave for the decision is a bit suspicious though.

Evander Kane given maintenance day against Ottawa Senators

According to Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, Kane will not be playing in tonight's game against the Ottawa Senators. He claims that the winger needs a maintenance day, implying that the team was planning on giving him today off anyways.





The coach reiterated that this move would be in the team's best interests 'in the long run.' It is not unusual to see teams rest star players late in the season ahead of the playoffs, but this usually comes in the last few days after the playoff order has been determined. It is still very early for this kind of move.



Many fans are now speculating that the move came as a result of an incident that occurred during the Oilers' 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. It appeared as though Leon Draisaitl was barking at Kane for something that happened on the previous shift as the two players argued about it on the bench.


Notably, Kane has been playing some of his worst hockey of the season lately. He has just two assists in his last five games and he's seen a steady drop in his ice time. Furthermore, Kane has reportedly been causing problems in the Oilers' locker room. This should come as no surprise as Kane has a long history of causing problems with his former teams.


The stretch run should be telling regarding how the Oilers feel about Kane. It should be interesting to see how the team uses him heading into the playoffs.