NHL Rumors: Oilers' Forward Returning From Injury Way Ahead of Schedule

The Edmonton Oilers have been without Evander Kane since early November when he suffered a wrist injury at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Oilers have now played 31 games without him, but according to former referee Tim Peel, Kane will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken in a huge game.

The Kraken have won eight games in a row and recently beat the Oilers. After suffering a loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers have bounced back with three consecutive wins and 17 goals for in those games. They have relied on some depth players to step up and lately, they have done more than asked of them.

Kane had five goals and 13 points in 14 games before his injury and should slot right back in the top-six. This is going to cause some hard decisions for Ken Holland and Jay Woodcroft as Kane's cap hit of $5.125 also counts towards the cap again. Before he was injured, the Oilers were only able to carry 21 men on the roster and have since been rolling with 23.

The Oilers have also been using 11 forwards and seven defencemen lately, and winning. This has been a regular implementation of the lineup since Woodcroft took over as head coach last season and it has been successful for the most part. With Kane back and a number of depth players playing well, it'll be tough to continue to do.