The Florida Panthers have repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 2025. Florida took down Evander Kane and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night to claim the NHL's ultimate prize. Kane did not get to see the end of this game, however. He was ejected during the third period of Game 6.

Kane and his teammates were going through the motions, with Game 6 out of reach. After a whistle, the Oilers forward got into it with Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk. He took two slashes at Tkachuk unprompted. This resulted in his ejection from the game, and an early end to his season.

After the game, the Oilers and Panthers met at center ice for the traditional handshake line. However, one name was notably missing. The TNT broadcast noted that Kane did not partake in this handshake line. “Eddie O just said on TNT that Evander Kane didn't go through the handshake line,” The Hockey News reporter Mark Scheig noted on Tuesday night.

Oilers' Evander Kane does not like Panthers

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Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (91) boards Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) during the first period in game four of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
© Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

One thing became clear throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers and the Panthers do not like each other. Kane is certainly not exempt from this. He went after the team earlier in the series for what he perceived to be a lack of penalty calls against Florida.

“They seem to get away with it more than we do,” Kane said in a clip shared by TSN on June 10. “It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are. There seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.”

Kane and his Oilers have lost in the Final against the Panthers in the second year in a row. This time, however, he did slight Florida by not participating in the handshake line. He did get ejected, which is fair. However, he was expected to come back out and show respect. Let's see if this carries over to 2025-26 when the Oilers and Panthers inevitably meet again.