There’s no more important battle at Edmonton Oilers training camp than earning the spot next to Darnell Nurse on the second pair of the blue line. Ty Emberson is the early leader but has some complications to work around.

Darnell Nurse was skating with a new defense partner at the first on-ice training camp session for the Edmonton Oilers.

When asked at the opening of camp on Thursday how serious his injuries were from last season and the playoffs, Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse refused to get into details with the media.

Oilers forward Evander Kane will miss training camp and the start of the regular season following surgery for an unspecified injury, GM Stan Bowman said.

Kane will miss the start of the Oilers season Oilers forward Evander Kane will undergo surgery in the next few days to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles.