The Edmonton Oilers will play host to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and their offense is set for a major boost ahead of the important Western Conference showdown. The Oilers are expected to get star forward Evander Kane back from his lengthy injury absence after he sustained a gruesome cut on his arm back in November. The bloody injury has sidelined Kane for more than two months, but the veteran forward appears to be set to return on Tuesday, according to Frank Seravalli.

Via Seravalli on Twitter:

“Evander Kane is expected to return tonight for #Oilers, first game since suffering gruesome skate cut on Nov. 8. To be cap compliant, expect #Oilers to place Kailer Yamomoto on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 11. He would be eligible to return after #NHLAllStar break.”

The Oilers are anticipated to activate Kane from LTIR on Tuesday, and will likely place Kailer Yamomoto on LTIR in order to open up a roster spot and stay under the salary cap. As Seravalli indicates, Yamamoto could rejoin his Oilers teammates in early February after the NHL All-Star Break.

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Back on Nov. 8, Kane had his forearm skated on by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon in a completely accidental incident. Kane was gushing blood and immediately skated to the bench and into the locker room with a mortified expression on his face.

He underwent surgery to repair the injury and has been sidelined since, but should be back in the fold for the Oilers a bit over two months later. Prior to the major injury, Kane had featured in 14 games for the Oilers in 2022-23, registering 13 points including five goals. He had attempted 50 shots on goal and recorded 51 hits, making an impact in both zones.

The Oilers (24-18-3) sit five points behind the Kraken (26-13-4) in the Pacific Division, but will hope to gain some ground on their rivals with Evander Kane up and skating again.