Evander Kane still struggling after recent injury, lingering effects could impact his ability to play hockey
The Edmonton Oilers have certainly not played up to their full potential as of yet this season, whether it be, lacklustre defence, goaltending or missing a key forward in Evander Kane up front, things have not gone well.
On this week's 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek of Sportsnet provided an update on the forward. Take a look:
During Evander Kane's excellent After Hours segment on Nov. 19 with Scott Oake, the Oilers winger indicated he has yet to recover feeling in his thumb from the severed nerves suffered during the gruesome skate cut in Tampa Bay. I've followed up on that, and a couple of doctors indicated that is not unusual and not — at this point — a cause for concern. It can take a while for that to return. At this point, his timeline is unchanged.
Kane, 31, had 13 points including 5 goals and 8 assists in 14 games before the gruesome injury on November 8th.
I would be a little concerned about no feeling in my thumb, but this is largely good news for Kane, especially considering the severity of the injury.
Either way you look at it, Kane was lucky to skate away with only damage to some of the nerves in his hand. The way that played out, it could've been a whole lot worse. While this is considered somewhat normal it could prove to be problematic long-term.
Hopefully for Kane's sake the feeling returns, because without the ability to hold and grip his stick this could become a major issue if he looks to continue his NHL career.
Previously on Blade of steel