NHL Faces Growing Backlash as Evander Kane LTIR Update Fuels Edmonton Oilers Controversy

The NHL Stanley Cup Final is over, and the winners are still celebrating their hard-fought victory. However, as the upcoming season approaches, the NHL is focusing on a critical issue related to the potential misuse of the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) list. In a recent case, the league is reportedly investigating Evander Kane for continuing to play with the Oilers even on injured reserve, which has sparked backlash from fans. In the Panthers’ case, it was Matthew Tkachuk under scrutiny. But the issue is not just about certain players. It is about addressing bad practices and closing the loopholes that threaten the integrity of the game. 

According to The Hockey News, the NHL and NHLPA are currently in the early stages of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. Discussions increasingly focus on the urgent need to close the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) loophole, a point of contention since the 2005 introduction of the salary cap system.

So, here’s the deal. This rule is supposed to help teams when they lose a player to injury for a long time. It’s meant to give them some flexibility to sign someone else. But let’s be real, teams have figured out how to use it to their advantage. They load up on players before the playoffs, when there’s no salary cap, and ice a team that’s way over the limit. Some teams swear by it, while others are all like, “Hey, that’s not fair!” and claim it’s just a way to cheat the system.

However, the NHL is not looking too seriously at abolishing this practice. In a recent update, Frank Seravalli reported that deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the NHL is still contemplating asking the Oilers for more information on the usage of Evander Kane’s LTIR relief. Talking about it, Daly said. “I’ve held that as pending.” He also added, “I haven’t made any decisions yet with respect to how long I’m going to hold it pending.” This invited backlash on the NHL’s handling of the subject of misuse of the LTIR. 

Hockey fans took a jab at the NHL after Evander Kane’s evaluation

After coming across the latest LTIR update about Evander Kane, one fan couldn’t hold back his anger and simply said, “I don’t understand this league lol.” That reaction makes sense. Either you investigate when there’s doubt, or you don’t doubt at all. How do you even begin to contemplate making a decision to question something? There are plenty of examples where the NHL couldn’t do anything but remain quiet.

To elaborate, the 2015 Chicago Blackhawks exploited a loophole by placing injured Patrick Kane on injured reserve, freeing up $6.3 million in cap space. They signed depth players and won the Stanley Cup with Kane dominating the playoffs, all while running a payroll of $5 million over the cap. A clever move. Well, in another instance, the 2021 Tampa Bay Lightning faced a salary cap crunch after winning the Stanley Cup. To sign key player Anthony Cirelli, they placed Nikita Kucherov on injured reserve due to hip surgery, freeing up cap space. They also acquired contracts of injured players to create more room.

In a recent example, this season, Matthew Tkachuk’s situation highlighted the LTIR issue. Even after being on injured reserve, Tkachuk played in Game 1 of the playoffs after missing two months. He later revealed he’d suffered multiple injuries, including a torn adductor. The timing of his return raised questions about the use of an injured reserve in the NHL. In the playoffs, he scored three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup Final series. Because of such issues, hockey fans have again tried to chokehold the league, asking to make changes to the loophole. 

This anger was implied in another fan’s comment, which says, “Because why give an organization clarity going into the most important week of the offseason, right? Joke of a league sometimes.” Noticing a direct dig by the NHL toward Evander Kane only, fans also commented defending the Edmonton Oilers: “The league will absolutely find a way to punish the Oilers for something that had zero impact, and now he is gone.” Evander Kane was just traded to the Vancouver Canucks just a few hours ago. Zero impact: Well, the presence of Kane did as much as his absence.

One fan commented, “Should have done before the playoffs started, idiots.” While others expressed their anger, saying, “Just an absolute joke.” This mending and bending of rules at will with no set process is definitely striking the wrong chords with the fans, who now question the fairness of the league’s operating altogether. Let’s see if such a heavy backlash can change the rules of LTIR or misuse of it during the playoffs.