Kane reflects on Oilers debut: 'It's nice to contribute'

With a goal, three shots, four hits, and nearly 18 minutes to his name, it's safe to say Evander Kane had a significant impact in his Edmonton Oilers debut on Saturday night.

"It's nice to contribute on a new team coming in, you want to show what you can do," Kane said postgame. "Obviously, it was great to get the boys on the board early and everybody kind of took off after that."

Kane suited up alongside captain Connor McDavid on the top line and opened the scoring with a deflection goal 11:21 into the opening period against the Montreal Canadiens.

Saturday's game marked Kane's first since May 2021. He said he was relieved to be able to focus on hockey again after being the subject of multiple NHL investigations over recent months.

"When you get on the ice, you kind of put everything else to bed. Hopefully, that continues," Kane said. "It was great to be back out there."

Kane was suspended 21 games in October for violating the NHL/NHLPA's COVID-19 protocol after he allegedly used a fake vaccine card. His deal with the San Jose Sharks was then terminated for breach of contract.

Before he signed with Edmonton, Kane was investigated for allegedly crossing the U.S.-Canada border eight days after testing positive for COVID-19. The league determined there was insufficient evidence.

Despite a strong showing Saturday, Kane says he still has to work out some kinks on the ice.

"Obviously, there was some rust, timing issues, getting the legs going. All to be expected," he said. "It was a good first game, there's really not much more to say than that."

The win was Edmonton's fourth in a row. The Oilers return to action Monday versus the Ottawa Senators.

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