Oilers' Evander Kane to have surgery, miss start of NHL season

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane will undergo surgery and will be sidelined into the start of the regular season, general manager Stan Bowman announced Wednesday.

"He's going to be out for a while," Bowman said without revealing the specific nature of the surgery. "I don't want to speculate on that. I think our doctors will be able to give you a better handle on that, but he's not going to be here for a while.

"He is not going to be available for training camp and  the beginning of the season. I don't want to speak on the medical part. We'll get our doctors to comment on that, but he is going to be having surgery."

Kane, 33, recorded 24 goals and 44 points in 77 games last regular season while adding four goals and eight points in 20 playoff games.

Kane has 326 goals and 617 points in 930 regular-season games with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Oilers.

Hoffman coming off 23-point season

In other team news, forward Mike Hoffman has signed a professional tryout.

The 34-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., had 10 goals and 13 assists in 66 games with the San Jose Sharks last season.

Drafted in the fifth round by Ottawa in 2009, he spent seven seasons with Ottawa before stopping in Florida, St. Louis and Montreal.

Hoffman has 228 goals and 487 in 745 regular-season appearances 259 and 11 goals and 20 points over 33 playoff outings.

Hedman succeeds Stamkos as Lightning captain

The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Victor Hedman captain as training camp opened, making the big defenceman the successor to Steven Stamkos.

Entering his 16th season with Tampa, Hedman was considered the obvious choice to get the "C" after the Lightning did not re-sign Stamkos and their longtime captain left to join Nashville.

"Victor is a cornerstone player that is extremely well respected by his teammates, coaches and peers across the NHL," general manager Julien BriseBois said. "Victor embodies what it means to be a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and is more than ready for this exciting opportunity."

The 33-year-old from Sweden was a key contributor in the Lightning hoisting the Cup back to back in 2020 and '21, including playoff MVP honours on the first of those championship runs.

Hedman also took home the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2018 and finished in the top three in voting five other seasons. Defenceman Ryan McDonagh and MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov will serve as alternate captains.

Foligno proud to be Chicago captain

Nick Foligno took on a leadership role for Chicago before playing his first game for the team.

That was only the beginning.

Foligno became the 35th captain in franchise history on Wednesday. The move was announced by the organization on the eve of its first official practice of training camp.

"I don't take this lightly," Foligno said when he addressed the team after his three children presented him with his new jersey, with a C on the front. "I'm excited about where we're heading. I love the group already."

Chicago played without a captain last season after the franchise decided to move on from Jonathan Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup winner. Toews had been the captain since 2008.

Foligno, who turns 37 on Oct. 31, quickly became one of the team's most popular players after he was acquired in a June 2023 trade with Boston. He was one of Chicago's alternate captains in his first year with the team.

Stars' Robertson has cyst removed from foot

Dallas Stars top scorer Jason Robertson will miss most of training camp but is expected to be ready for the start of the season after surgery to remove a cyst from his foot.

General manager Jim Nill said Wednesday that Robertson had the cyst removed July 30. Robertson will be with the team during camp, but just resumed skating on his own after six weeks of not being able to put weight on his foot.

"He will not skate with the main team just because of we're going to restrict his activity and monitor his foot to make sure everything is healed properly," Nill said. "The plan is maybe late in camp to get a little bit more action. ... It's just really a healing process now."

Dallas, which made it to the Western Conference final each of the last two seasons, opens training camp Thursday. The season opener is Oct. 10 at Nashville.

Robertson, 25, was the Stars' top scorer each of the past two seasons while playing in all 164 regular-season games and was the second-leading scorer in each of their two seasons before that. He had 29 goals and a team-high 51 assists last season.

Capitals' Oshie slowed by back issues

Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie is expected to go on long-term injured reserve this season because of chronic back problems.

The team announced Wednesday that Oshie will be listed as injured at the start of training camp after undergoing his medical exam. He and the Capitals left the door open for a possible return, even though it may be unlikely.

"I have used the off-season to explore and pursue long-term solutions for my injury," Oshie said in a statement. "I remain committed to the process and am working and doing my best to regain total health. In the meantime, I will continue to help and support my teammates and the organization in any way I can."

Oshie, 37, said in late April he hoped to continue playing but only if he and doctors could find a permanent solution with his back that would keep him from being in and out of the lineup. Injuries, though not just to his back, limited Oshie to 52 of 82 games last season, 58 in 2022-23 and 44 in '21-22.

Oshie is in the last year of his contract, and the Capitals will get LTIR relief for Oshie's $5.75 million US salary cap hit, just as they are with centre Nicklas Backstrom, who stepped away early last season because of a nagging hip injury.

The front office planned this past off-season for the possibility of not having Oshie, acquiring winger Andrew Mangiapane from Calgary among several moves to revamp the roster following a first-round sweep at the hands of the New York Rangers.