Oilers winger Evander Kane frustrated with his coach in Edmonton

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Mike Armenti
October 23, 2023 (10:47)

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Don't look now, but the Edmonton Oilers are 1-3-1 to begin the 2023-24 season, and it's clear that frustration is starting mount. One player who has not been nearly good enough is Evander Kane, who has been fighting it to start the year to the tune of just 1 point in 5 games.

Kane, feeling that frustration, dropped the gloves and helmets for an old-fashioned fight with Brenden Dillon on Saturday night. Both would land some good shits before it ended.

During the intermission, Kane was asked about his mindset going into the fight. Kane, being the loud personality that he is, fessed up and admitted that he has been unhappy with his ice time and chose to drop the mitts and spend some time in the penalty box instead.

The 1-3-1 start is not something the Oilers have enjoyed and it's going to be even tougher to dig themselves out of an early hole without the likes of Connor McDavid, who suffered an upper-body injury during Saturday's 3-2 OT loss to Winnipeg.

As far as Kane's individual frustration with his ice time, the veteran winger will need to make the most of the ice time he's given to avoid having it remain low or decrease any more than it already is. It's up to each individual player to produce in the minutes they're given. Nothing in this league is for free. If he can increase his productivity, his ice time will increase in kind.