Evander Kane always believed he’d play another NHL game.
On Wednesday, he will.
The bruising 33-year-old winger will be in the lineup when his Edmonton Oilers face the L.A. Kings in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series at 10 p.m. ET.
Kane has not played since June 10 of last year when Edmonton lost 4-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.
Ten months later, the forward said there’s a “night and day” difference in his health.
“I was always very confident that I’d be back playing,” Kane said after Edmonton’s morning skate on Wednesday. “Obviously I was unsure when that was going to happen. But looking forward to tonight.”
Over the past year, Kane had surgeries to repair both abductors, two hernias, two abdominal tears and a knee injury.
Returning to game shape has been a long process.
“I was prepared for, obviously, missing a good chunk of time with the injury I had, the surgery I had. So that wasn’t unexpected,” he said. “But it’s nice to feel strong, nice to feel healthy. And I’m looking forward to getting on the ice.”
Kane was on a line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman at Wednesday’s morning skate and will replace Jeff Skinner in Edmonton’s lineup.
“He’ll be talking, he’ll be chatting, bringing some energy,” Nugent-Hopkins said of his new linemate. “And I know he’ll be excited to get out there tonight, so be nice to have him on the wing.”
Edmonton will also make a change on defence for Wednesday’s game as John Klingberg returns to the lineup.
The 32-year-old Swedish blueliner has played just 11 games since signing with the Oilers as a free agent in mid-January. He’s registered one goal and three assists for the team, and last appeared in Edmonton’s 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on March 27.
“He’s been out for several weeks right now, but a guy that’s had a long NHL career, a lot of playoff games,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Especially if we’re trailing in a game, he can give us some offence, but all-around situations, our six [defencemen] to be playing a little bit more.”
Klingberg played 63 playoff games over five post-seasons with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, contributing eight goals and 39 points.
Kane had four goals and eight points in 20 post-season appearances for the Oilers last year before he was shut down due to the abdominal injury.
Knoblauch believes it will take some time for the veteran forward to return to his full game, but said Kane looks better now than he did playing against the Panthers.
“He’s skating better, he’s moving better, his agility, all that stuff. He’s more explosive,” Knoblauch said.
“It’s very difficult for a player to come back after a long stretch, but I think Evander has a little bit of an X factor. Obviously, he’s going to be physical, but he can still shoot a puck and can score. So that’s two very important things to do in the playoffs right now. And hopefully there’s not too much rust.”
Asked what the emotions were like ahead of his return, Kane said he felt “pretty mellow.”
“It probably helps that we’ve played this team four years in a row [in the playoffs],” he added. “So, it feels like any other game, playing the Kings in this barn. I enjoy it. It’s a fun atmosphere to play in.
“There might be a little nervousness, but nothing that’s going to impact my game in a negative fashion.”
