"NHL hates Canadian teams": Hockey fans enraged as league reportedly continues its investigation on Oilers' LTIR usage of Evander Kane 

Hockey fans are outraged as the NHL reportedly continues its investigation into the Edmonton Oilers' long-term injury reserve (LTIR) usage of forward Evander Kane.

This comes after the Oilers' disappointing loss in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the league might need additional details to verify whether the Oilers fully followed the rules laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Kane was sidelined for the entire regular season. He returned to action in Game 2 of the Oilers' first-round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

Fans soon expressed their anger on social media, with one fan writing:

"NHL hates Canadian teams,"

Another fan said:

The NHL hates the Oilers. Any other narrative is bullshit pushed by rivals in McRebuilds.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"LMAO the NHL truly hates Edmonton. They let all these other teams get away with everything, but they're still going to investigate us," one fan added. "In game 6, the Oilers iced a team with salaries totaling $73.3 million. Florida was $93.4 million. Retention and LTIR excluded," another fan wrote. "Because they are a hockey market. They’d never do this to the DEI hockey cities of Florida, Tampa, and Vegas," a fan commented. "Just stop watching, vote with your wallet. Without Canadian viewership, the NHL is cooked," one fan added.

The investigation stems from Evander Kane's season-long LTIR stint due to multiple injuries. Kane had major surgery last September to repair two hernias and torn hip and abdominal muscles — an operation expected to sideline him until late March.

However, a second surgery on Jan. 9 to remove a tumor-like growth in his knee delayed his recovery further, forcing a 7-8 week rehab pause.

He resumed skating with the Oilers in late February after the 4 Nations Face-Off break and cleared during Round 1 of the playoffs.

It remains to be seen what the NHL's investigation concludes.

Frank Seravalli "unclear" on what NHL found of Evander Kane's LTIR

According to Frank Seravalli, it remains "unclear" what exactly the NHL has found issues in their investigation into Evander Kane's long-term injury status. The insider wrote via DailyFaceoff.com:

"So far, sources said the Oilers have complied with all the NHL’s requests for information and medical opinions, as is typical with any LTIR return scenario for the playoffs, which are scrutinized by the league. “It remains unclear what exactly the NHL may have found issue with as they continue to examine the circumstances," he added.

With Evander Kane heading into the final year of his contract, his future in Edmonton is up in the air. Seravalli pointed out that if the league hands down any punishment, it could have a major impact on the Oilers' cap space with key players due for extensions this summer.

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Edited by Veer Badani