The Oilers are in a strong position health-wise as the calendar turns to November, but here’s the latest news on the couple of injuries they do have.
Injuries have already been a bigger story than the Edmonton Oilers would have wanted in this young season. Mattias Ekholm, Markus Niemeläinen and Connor McDavid have all had ailments which impacted the roster in different ways.
Fortunately for the fans, the injury situation is now looking a lot better, especially after McDavid returned for the Heritage Classic on Sunday. However, there’s still some injuries to provide updates on:
Mattias Janmark
Mattias Janmark proved to be a useful, two-way player in the bottom-six last season for the Oilers. The same can’t be said so far in 2023-24, with him scoreless in his first seven games and just overall having little impact on the ice.
In keeping with the 30-year-old’s tough start to this campaign, he was forced to miss Sunday’s game versus the Flames with a shoulder injury. On the positive side he’s only listed as day-to-day, so his return is imminent.
Of course, when Janmark does return, he needs to get back to performing more like the player who has been a regular 20+ point scorer since entering the NHL in 2015-16. If nothing else at least he’ll be motivated, with him set to become a unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season.
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Ryan Fanti
There isn’t much more we can add at this stage, when it comes to an update in respect of Ryan Fanti’s injury. At the time of writing, he’s still listed as month-to-month with a hip injury.
Fanti has been dealing with his hip issue ever since arriving for training camp. Overall though, his absence has little impact on how this season will pan out for the Oilers.
However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t anything at stake for the 24-year-old goalie on an individual level. He needs to get back between the pipes sooner than later, specifically due to being set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Overall, while the Oilers are extremely healthy, just one injury would put them in a tough position. As things stand, their tight salary cap situation already means they are unable to carry the full complement of 21 skaters on the roster.