Oilers’ Evander Kane to undergo surgery, miss start of NHL season

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane will undergo surgery and will be sidelined until the start of the regular season, general manager Stan Bowman announced Wednesday.

“He’ll be out for a while,” Bowman said, without giving details of the surgery. “I don’t want to speculate on that. I think our doctors will be able to better assess that, but he’ll be out for a while.”

“He will not be available for training camp and the start of the season. I do not want to comment on medical issues. We will ask our doctors to comment on that, but he will have surgery.”

Kane, 33, scored 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games last regular season, and in 20 playoff games he had four goals and eight points.

Kane scored 326 goals and 617 points in 930 regular-season games with Atlanta/Winnipeg, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Oilers.

Hoffman Posts 23-Point Season

In other team news, striker Mike Hoffman has signed a professional trial contract.

The 34-year-old from Kitchener, Ontario, scored 10 goals and 13 assists in 66 games for the San Jose Sharks last season.

Drafted in the fifth round by Ottawa in 2009, he spent seven seasons with the Ottawa club before stops in Florida, St. Louis and Montreal.

Hoffman scored 228 goals and 487 points in 745 regular season appearances and 259 goals and 11 points in 33 playoff appearances.

Hedman replaces Stamkos as Lightning captain

Tampa Bay Lightning select Victor Hedman captain as the training camp is open, so powerful defender, successor to Steven Stamkos.

Entering his 16th season in Tampa, Hedman was considered the obvious choice for the Cs after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left for Nashville.

“Victor is a pillar of the team who is highly respected by his teammates, coaches and peers throughout the NHL,” said general manager Julien BriseBois. “Victor epitomizes what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity.”

The 33-year-old from Sweden played a key role in the Lightning’s Cup wins in 2020 and 2021, including being named playoff MVP in the former.

Hedman also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting in five other seasons. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains.

Foligno proud to be Chicago captain

Nick Foligno took over as Chicago’s leader before playing his first game with the team.

This was just the beginning.

Foligno became the 35th captain in franchise history on Wednesday, a move announced by the organization on the eve of the first official training camp practice.

“I don’t take this lightly,” Foligno said to the team after his three children presented him with a new jersey with the letter C on the front. “I’m excited about where we’re going. I already love this group.”

Chicago played without a captain last season after the franchise decided to move on from three-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Toews. Toews had been captain since 2008.

Foligno, who turns 37 on Oct. 31, quickly became one of the team’s most popular players after being acquired in a trade with Boston in June 2023. He was one of Chicago’s alternate captains in his first year with the team.

Stars’ Robertson has cyst removed from foot

Dallas Stars leading scorer Jason Robertson will miss most of training camp but is expected to be ready for the start of the season after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his foot.

General manager Jim Nill announced Wednesday that Robertson had the cyst removed July 30. Robertson will be with the team during camp but just returned to skating on his own after six weeks without putting any weight on his foot.

“He won’t be skating with the main team because we’re going to limit his activity and monitor his foot to make sure everything is healing properly,” Nill said. “The plan is to maybe get a little more action toward the end of camp. … Right now it’s just the healing process.”

Dallas, which has reached the Western Conference finals in each of the last two seasons, begins training camp Thursday. The season opener is Oct. 10 in Nashville.

Robertson, 25, was the Stars’ leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, playing in all 164 regular-season games, and was second in scoring in each of the previous two seasons. He scored 29 goals last season and had a team-high 51 assists.

Capitals’ Oshie slowed by back problem

Washington Capitals forward TJ Oshie is expected to be on the reserve list this season due to chronic back problems.

The team announced Wednesday that Oshie would be listed as injured at the start of training camp after passing a medical. He and the Capitals left the door open for a possible return, even if it is unlikely.

“I have used the offseason to investigate and seek long-term solutions to my injury,” Oshie said in a statement. “I remain committed to the process and am working and doing everything in my power to regain full health. In the meantime, I will continue to help and support my teammates and the organization in any way I can.”

Oshie, 37, said in late April that he hopes to continue playing, but only if he and doctors can find a permanent solution to his back that keeps him in and out of the lineup. Injuries, though not limited to his back, limited Oshie to 52 of 82 games last season, 58 in 2022-23 and 44 in ’21-22.

Oshie is in the final year of his contract, and the Capitals will receive LTIR relief for Oshie’s $5.75 million salary cap hit, similar to the one for center Nicklas Backstrom, who sat out early last season with a nagging hip injury.

The club had considered the possibility of cutting Oshie during the offseason, acquiring winger Andrew Mangiapane from Calgary and making several moves aimed at rebuilding the roster following the New York Rangers’ first-round win.