Oilers tried to low-ball Evander Kane.

The Edmonton Oilers may have done themselves a major disservice when it comes to retaining one of their most dynamic players from last season.

Just earlier today we reported on comments made by Evander Kane's agent, Dan Milstein, which appear to indicate that Kane is headed towards free agency, and now we have have a better indication of why that will be the case.

The news comes to us from a very unlikely insider, former National Hockey League referee Tim Peel, who is reporting that the Oilers tabled what I would consider a low-ball offer for Kane's services. According to Peel the Oilers only offered Kane a 4 year contract that would carry an average annual value and salary cap hit somewhere in the neighborhood of ~$4.5 million per season, and I simply don't believe that is close to what it will take to get Kane signed.

Not only is Evander Kane coming off a fairly impressive regular season, scoring 22 goals and adding 17 assists for 39 points over 43 games after being forced to sit out half the season, but he was even better in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Kane recorded 13 goals and added 4 assists for 17 points in the playoffs, and he managed to do it in just 15 playoff games.

There's no question that his playoff performance caught the attention of several general managers around the NHL, and I suspect that both Kane and his agent are confident he can get a better offer than the one Peel reports the Oilers have put forward.