Evander Kane had knee surgery Thursday, with an expected recovery time of 4-8 weeks.
The procedure was unrelated to abdominal surgery the Edmonton Oilers forward had in September, but he will need to pause his rehabilitation schedule in order for his knee to recover.
The 33-year-old has not played this season following surgery Sept. 20 to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles, all of which stemmed from his playing through a sports hernia last season, when he had 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 77 regular-season games and eight points (four goals, four assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
At the conclusion of last season, Kane said he took time to assess his injuries and decide on the best course of action going forward. He said the decision to have surgery came after consulting a number of doctors and players who had dealt with similar issues.
“I think everybody agreed we wanted to see how things looked after we took some time off to see if anything settled down and if anything could be rehabbed,” he said Sept. 22. “I know there were some people that believed we could possibly get better through rehab and that ended up not being the case, and then you start your due diligence process in trying to find the best surgeons out there to do what they do and hearing from them.
“For me, that was very important because it was a big undertaking and injury and for me something that I want to get fixed once, fixed correctly, and continue my playing career.”
Selected by the Atlanta Thrashers with the No. 4 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kane has 617 points (326 goals, 291 assists) in 930 regular-season games with the Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Oilers, and 43 points (26 goals, 17 assists) in 76 playoff games.
