Kane healthy, thriving on line with Perry, Draisaitl for Oilers

EDMONTON -- Evander Kane had been a one-man wrecking crew for the Edmonton Oilers before Corey Perry showed up to be his partner-in-agitation.

The two Oilers forwards each have unique ways to get under the skin of opponents and have created their own version of a dynamic duo with Edmonton preparing to face the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN).

“He’s a guy that’s played a long, long time and is obviously a great player in this league, and is easy to play with,” Kane said of Perry. “I think there is a little more room for one another when there are two guys at the net. It can create some confusion around the net.”

Kane, in his third season with the Oilers, played his 900th NHL game in a 4-0 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 10. The 32-year-old has 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) in 49 games and scored his eighth career hat trick in the League and fifth with Edmonton in a 5-3 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 9.

He is playing some of his best hockey of the season coming out of the break for NHL All-Star Weekend; Kane was put on a line with Perry and center Leon Draisaitl, and the three have developed instant chemistry. In five games since the break, the three have combined for 12 points (eight goals, four assists) for the Oilers (31-18-1), with Kane scoring four goals.

Edmonton is 2-3-0 since the break following its 16-game winning streak from Dec. 21-Jan. 27, tied for the second-longest in NHL history.

“I think after the break," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said, "I loved how he was skating, moving up the ice, creating a lot of chances off the rush, with whoever the centerman has been, Leon mostly. There have been some slip passes and he’s been able to take that puck to the net. So obviously he’s getting the nice pass but he’s generating some speed to get there.

"Once he gets a little momentum, nobody is going to get in his way to take that away because he’s so strong. He’s been doing a lot of good things.”

Signed by Edmonton on Jan. 27, 2022 after his contract was terminated by the San Jose Sharks for “breach of his NHL standard player contract and for violation of the AHL COVID-19 protocols,” Kane averaged nearly a point a game, with 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 43 games. He helped the Oilers reach the 2022 Western Conference Final, where they were swept in the best-of-7 series by the Colorado Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Kane signed a four-year, $20.5-million contract ($5.125 average annual value) on July 13, 2022 before having 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists) in 41 games last season, missing 31 games with a lacerated wrist after being inadvertently stepped on by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Pat Maroon during a game on Nov. 8, 2022.

This season, Kane has been hampered by a lingering lower-body injury, which limited him to a bottom-six role prior to the All-Star break.

“I’m feeling a little better,” Kane said. “It was nice to have a little bit of a break and I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.”

With Perry, Kane found a linemate as adept at getting opponents off their game as he is. The two work well off each other and provide Draisaitl with talented options on each wing.

“I think there are definitely fewer guys than when I came into the League that play like that,” Kane said. “I think you’re seeing how invaluable it can be, especially playing on teams that are trying to make deep playoff runs. It’s great to have Perry here.”

Perry signed a one-year $775,000 contract with Edmonton on Jan. 22. The 38-year-old forward had been with the Chicago Blackhawks but had his contract terminated after an internal investigation determined he had “engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks’ internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments.”

In his introductory media availability with the Oilers, the 38-year-old took responsibility for having his contract terminated and said he worked with mental health professionals to help him get back on the ice.

Perry scored his first goal as an Oiler in a 6-3 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

“I think those guys can bring an emotional element to the game, bring physicality to the game and kind of drag our guys into the fight every now and then, which is a great thing,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “You’re not going to have it every night and sometimes you need that emotional stuff to get yourself going. Those are two of our very best at doing that, playing physical and playing a hard game. I thought they’ve been good.”

A veteran of 19 NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Blackhawks, Perry said he's becoming accustomed to his new surroundings. He will be playing his seventh game with Edmonton when it visits Dallas.

“It’s been good," Perry said, "obviously being here before the (All-Star) break helped and then joining the guys after the break and going on the road and spending time with the guys, it definitely helps. It’s starting to feel like home and that kind of thing.”

A four-time NHL All-Star (2008, 2011, 2012, 2016), Perry won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007, the Hart Trophy as the League’s Most Valuable Player in 2011 and went to three consecutive Cup Finals with the Stars (2020), Canadiens (2021) and Lightning (2022).

Having found comfort with the Oilers, and a linemate with similar attributes in Kane, Perry hopes to go to another Final with Edmonton this season.

“I’ve played with him at World Championships before," Perry said, "so I kind of understood his game and obviously watched him throughout the years. You get to see what type of player people are.

“I think we complement each other pretty well. One of us is probably going to be at the net, around the net or in the corner doing something, and so obviously our centerman [Draisaitl] is pretty world class too. It definitely helps.”

The Oilers hope Perry can become a piece of a championship puzzle after being eliminated by the Cup champion the past two seasons; Edmonton lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round in 2023.

“They’re both intense players, they know how to play the game within the game,” Draisaitl said. “Those are always guys that you hate to play against, but you love having on your own team. We’re very fortunate we have two of them.”