Connor McDavid and Co. threw everything at the Florida Panthers, including a kitchen sink. Yet, it didn’t matter if they earned power plays or played 6-on-5; the Cats read them like a book. “Nobody quit, nobody threw the towel in. They’re just a heck of a team, you know?” Connor McDavid lamented. However, if you thought losing back-to-back finals was enough misery for the Canadian team, you’d be wrong.
That’s because NHL insider Frank Seravalli’s sources tell him that the NHL will continue to investigate the Oilers even after their season has ended. “Sources: #NHL plans to continue to examine the #Oilers,” the Daily Faceoff writer posted on X. So what’s the tea, you ask? Well, it all has to do with how Edmonton’s management used their Long-term Injury Reserve funds ahead of the playoffs.
Turns out, the NHL will investigate the Oilers for how they used their LTIR cap relief they earned after Evander Kane didn’t play in the entire regular season. “The NHL may require more information to satisfy itself that the #Oilers complied with the CBA,” added the NHL Insider. So what exactly triggered the league’s reaction a day after the Oilers’ brutal loss to the Florida Panthers?
Well, things remained quiet in Alberta until the trade deadline neared. However, as the deadline neared, the Edmonton Oilers decided to use the cap relief they earned from Evander Kane’s absence to sign Jake Walman and Trent Frederic. This didn’t really ruffle any feathers, either, as it’s normal for teams to make some last-minute trades ahead of the deadline.
Sources: #NHL plans to continue to examine the #Oilers usage of LTIR salary cap relief for forward Evander Kane.
The NHL may require more information to satisfy itself that the #Oilers complied with the CBA.
Details:https://t.co/b4eWPlFvwl
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 18, 2025
What triggered the NHL’s response was when Kane returned to the fold in Game 2 of the playoffs. The Oilers’ defenseman, who earned a penalty against the Florida Panthers in the last two minutes of Game 6, underwent hip surgery to repair two torn adductor muscles. Yet, his healing didn’t go as planned, and the 33-year-old underwent knee surgery again in January.
This delayed his return beyond the trade deadline, and so the Oilers went ahead with the trades. However, since salaries don’t apply during the playoffs, the NHL has made it clear they’ll require further clarity that Kane’s playoff return didn’t violate the “spirit of the CBA,” as per Frank Seravalli. If it did, then the league may look into “retroactive punishment” for Edmonton. And that’s angered fans.
Fans point fingers at the champions Florida Panthers
While Evander Kane becoming a regular part of the Oilers’ lineup during the playoffs after sitting the entire regular season out raised the NHL’s eyebrows, the fans didn’t see the issue. Yet, since the NHL won’t let it rest, the fans called the league out because they believe the league is showing bias. And which team did they put in the crosshairs? The Florida Panthers.
“In game 6, the Oilers iced a team with salaries totaling $73.3 million. Florida was $93.4 million. Retention and LTIR excluded. Yeah, so the Oilers are the problem,” one fan commented, highlighting the disparity in the roster values. But that was only the tip of the iceberg of their argument. One fan directly referenced Matthew Tkachuk’s statement on a podcast.
“What the f—? Tkachuk LITERALLY joked on Spittin’ Chiclets a few weeks ago about how he joked with Seth Jones that he should thank him for being there since he only got there by him being on LTIR. F— off, Bettman,” the angry fan commented. Meanwhile, the others were even more direct, picking up on the Florida Panthers’ alternate captain’s injury.
“So my question is, #19 in Florida played hurt in playoffs but couldn’t play throughout the year for them to get Marchand and Jones. Okay, thanks NHL, keep doing great work,” the NHL fan wrote in his sarcastic jibe. While Matthew Tkachuck didn’t sit out the entire year like Kane, his season was in jeopardy after sustaining serious injuries during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Credits: Instagram/Edmonton Oilers
In fact, the 28-year-old also admitted that he didn’t even know he could play in the 2025 playoffs. “I’m very lucky and fortunate that I’ve got great trainers and doctors, and they somehow got me healthy enough to play,” Tkachuk said right after winning his second Stanley Cup. During his absence, the Panthers also made deadline trades, signing Brad Marchand and Seth Jones.
Naturally, Oilers fans are fuming that there’s no news of the NHL investigating the Florida Panthers after Tkachuk returned to play from Game 1 of Round 1 against Tampa. Others even said the Cats used Aaron Ekblad’s 20-game suspension to bolster the cap limit. “FLA abused that and PED suspension cap and won a cup. No investigation? C’mon man, we’re already dead. Stop,” expressed another fan.
However, others argued that Ekblad’s suspension didn’t befit the Cats cap. That’s because, despite the suspension giving the Cats a $7.5 million cap relief, it came after the trade deadline, so it ultimately didn’t matter. However, others still argued about the Panthers putting Matthew Tkachuk into LTIR at the start of March 2025.
“Out of all the egregious cap circumvention that has taken place, THIS is the one they are going to investigate? That’s wild. Look across to the other bench and Florida blatantly taking advantage of a suspension to get Jones and Marchand,” argued another fan. Something else that’s surprising about the NHL scrutinizing the Oilers is not just the Florida Panthers’ comparison.
Other teams have done something similar in the past. The Tampa Bay Lightning pulled off something similar during the 2020-2021 season with Nikita Kucherov when they put the 2019 Hart Trophy winner in LTIR. This move, coupled with similar LTIR contracts for Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson, gave the Lightning huge cap relief.
“Sometimes the stars align for you,” GM Julien BriseBois said, defending the team’s LTIR move in 2021. Then again, the NHL did investigate when the Vegas Golden Knights did something similar after the team put Mark Stone on LTIR, solving their salary cap woes. Yet, that’s your take on the whole Oilers situation? Tell us in the comments.
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