Reported Injuries To Nurse And Kane Could Pose Early Challenge For Oilers

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse and right winger Evander Kane reportedly could miss the opening of training camp.

Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk reported on Wednesday that both are on "the shelf due to injury." 

The immediate reaction to the report understandably concerns some fans. However, there is good news. 

“Nurse has been on the ice for informal skates and continues to heal up a lingering injury from the playoffs,” Gazzola said. “The projection is he will be good to go later in camp.”

When it comes to Kane, his injuries shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. There was talk all summer he might be headed for long-term injured reserve and could have off-season surgery.

But injuries this early in camp, regardless of how serious they are, are a bit of an eye-opener. 

The Oilers are stacked on offense and can potentially afford a short-term loss here or there. On the blueline, the team is not as deep.

Edmonton moved Cody Ceci to San Jose in a trade. Vincent Desharnais left in free agency when the Vancouver Canucks offered him more than the Oilers were willing to pay. Then, in one of the biggest storylines of the summer, Philip Broberg went to St. Louis in an unmatched offer sheet.

That leaves the Oilers a bit light, even if they have Ty Emberson, Troy Stecher and Josh Brown coming in as possible replacements. The Oilers might even give Travis Dermott a job off a PTO. All that said, nothing is a given, and none of these players are guaranteed to be regular NHLers this season.

Connor McDavid noted in a recent interview with Mark Spector that while nobody can win the Cup in the fall, it can put the team in a tough spot.

He referred to his slower start last season and wanted to avoid another one in 2024-25. As a team, he wants the Oilers to come out of the gate better than their abysmal record in 2023-24 that got then-coach Jay Woodcroft fired. 

News of injuries won't help matters. 

If Nurse misses any time, that leaves the Oilers down to just three proven NHL defenders – Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak. One has to wonder if Oilers GM Stan Bowman may decide to go after someone a bit more proven if Nurse will be out for a while. 

Putting Kane on LTIR isn't a license to sign anyone for up to his cap hit of $5.125 million. The team will need to keep that space available for when Kane is ready to return. But if the Oilers want to have a strong start, and they aren't confident their replacements can play top four minutes – the organization might need to make a move. 

That could mean adding someone like Mark Giordano on a PTO. He would know his role and fill in until he's asked to take on less responsibility. That could also mean making a deal to find a more consistent top-four player. Perhaps Cam Fowler is available out of Anaheim, but he has two years left on his contract worth $6.5 million per year.

The Oilers may not need to do anything. Perhaps Nurse's issue isn't serious at all, and the team is just taking precautions. But if things aren't quite right, him being out and Kane's potential LTIR stint could open the door to do something to ensure the Oilers get off to that quick start they see as critical to taking a Stanley Cup run. 

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.