Evander Kane Has Shocking Response When Asked About Healthy Scratch

Edmonton Oilers power forward Evander Kane was asked today how he felt about being healthy scratched against the Ottawa Senators. His response was revealing as he was clearly not happy about the decision.

Oilers scratch Kane in game against Ottawa Senators

The Oilers had a back-to-back over the weekend where they played the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. During the game against Toronto, Kane was seen arguing with Leon Draisaitl on the bench. The altercation appears to have lead to the team scratching Kane the following day, but head coach Kris Knoblauch claimed it was just a maintenance day. However, Kane's response today indicates that that might not be the entire truth.



While the words are damning in their own right, Kane's displeasure is much more obvious in the video. It seems as though he is biting his tongue, sending the message the team wants him to rather than saying how he really feels about the situation.



Even NHL insider Elliotte Friedman noted that no one is buying the team's reasoning for Kane's scratch.



Kane has had an up-and-down season with the Oilers this season. Overall, he's been quite solid, putting up 21 goals and 39 points in 67 games. The team certainly could have used that goal scoring ability in their loss to the Senators. Recently though, he's gotten less ice time and less scoring opportunities. He has just two assists in his last five games, both coming at inconsequential times. Furthermore, his ice time has seen a dramatic decline, dropping from 18-20 minutes per night to 14-16 minutes. Even Knoblauch admitted that he is being underused right now.


The Oilers play tonight against one of Kane's former teams in the Winnipeg Jets. We will have to see how the power forward does in his return to the lineup. Will he get more ice time, or will he make himself a scratch again?

Source OilersDaily: Oilers' Evander Kane has very short response when asked about scratch