The Edmonton Oilers placed forward Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve on Wednesday and expect him to miss at least three months after his wrist was cut by a skate blade during Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The gruesome scene occurred in the second period, when Kane fell down awkwardly along the boards after getting caught up with Lightning defenseman Philippe Myers. Tampa Bay forward Pat Maroon approached the tangled combatants in pursuit of the puck, with his momentum moving him into Kane as his skate accidentally sliced the left forearm or wrist area of the Oilers forward.
Kane was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent a procedure to repair a deep cut. On Wednesday morning, Kane issued a statement on social media, expressing gratitude for the quick and efficient care he received. Kane did not mention a timeline for his return but intends to be back on the ice when possible.
“Thank you all for the kind wishes and prayers from over the past several hours,” Kane wrote on Twitter. “Obviously last night was an extremely scary moment for me and I’m still in a little bit of shock.”
Kane has played heavy minutes for the Oilers, while putting up five goals and eight assists over 13 games this season. He is in the first year of a four-year, $20.5-million contract he inked in the summer after joining Edmonton mid-season last year.
In the meantime, the Oilers recalled both Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin from the AHL.
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