"Sore loser", "Don't think he was allowed": NHL fans debate ejected Evander Kane's absence from handshake line after Oilers' Game 6 loss

Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane was absent from the handshake line following their Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday.

The Oilers once again fell short in their bid to win the Cup, suffering a 5-1 defeat to the Panthers and losing the series 4-2. It marked the second consecutive year the Oilers had fallen to the Panthers at the final hurdle.

As players from both sides gathered at center ice to exchange handshakes in a show of sportsmanship, Evander Kane was conspicuously missing from the Oilers' lineup. Kane had been hit with a 10-minute misconduct penalty for delivering two slashes to Matthew Tkachuk late in the third period.

This prompted widespread debate among fans on X (formerly Twitter). One said:

"He’s a sore loser."

Another chimed in:

"Don’t think he was allowed."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"I personally would still be in the handshake line whether the rules permit or not, also based on the time of the game he was tossed. Conclusion: i’m a decent guy lol," a third fan wrote.

"Your just going to leave out the part where Tkachuk was saying slurs to him at the end of the game!? SMDH who would go shake after that!?" another user wrote.

"So are we talking about Paul Maurice who skipped it against Carolina because ‘it’s for the players’ not the coaches yet?" one opined.

"He was certainly ‘tough’ ( cough, cough) after whistles and late in games when the contest was basically over. Not much from Kane between whistles where the cup champ is decided," another chimed in.

Neither the Oilers nor Kane has explained why he did not participate in the postgame handshake.

Kane notched 12 points through six goals and as many assists in 21 playoff games.

Evander Kane's teammate Leon Draisaitl shares his thoughts after SCF loss

Leon Draisaitl shared his thoughts after the Edmonton Oilers' Game 6 loss. He stated that the main takeaway was the team's failure to win and that they must try again next year.

"The takeaway is that we didn’t win,” Draisaitl said via NHL. “Nobody cares. Like, nobody cares. We didn’t win, so try again next year.”

Draisaitl tied for first in the playoffs with 33 points. He will begin his eight-year, $112 million contract extension in the 2025-26 season.