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Oilers make controversial lineup change on Sunday.
 

Oilers make controversial lineup change on Sunday.

The Edmonton Oilers are sitting one of their top forwards ahead of a clash with the Ottawa Senators.

Jonathan Larivee

After suffering a tough loss at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers are making significant changes to their lineup.

According to multiple reports, it appears as though Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has made the decision to put one of his top forwards on the sidelines this evening. That forward will be Evander Kane, who has been on something of a goal scoring drought as of late.

Coming in for Kane this evening will be veteran forward Derek Ryan.

The Oilers are officially calling this a maintenance day for Kane but not everyone seems to be buying that, and it may very well be that Knoblauch is sending a message to his players after an early thumping from the aforementioned Leafs on Saturday night.

Kane was also seen engaging in heated exchanges on the bench with some of his teammates, including star forward Leon Draisaitl, and you have to wonder if that behavior may not have contributed to today's decision. It definitely looked as though things got pretty intense between the men involved.

Regardless of the reason, Kane will be out of the lineup and that is certainly a controversial choice on the part of the Oilers head coach.