It's worth mentioning, as the Edmonton Oilers have put together one of their best starts to a regular season in a long while, that the team on the ice is rather incomplete. The Oilers have injuries up and down their lineup of both the short and longterm varieties, which makes their early season success even more impressive. But as October winds onward, the injured players watching from the pressbox are (hopefully) approaching full health, and we'll see them on the ice soon enough.
It will be interesting to see what moves head coach Mike Babcock makes as his walking wounded become roster options, and those decisions aren't too far away. We've heard already that Zach Hyman is skating with the team once again, and he is always impactful when fully healthy. Let's take a look at his status, along with the rest of the Oilers' injuries.
Day-to-day players
Zach Hyman - Hyman, as mentioned, is already skating. He suffered an upper body injury in the team's final preseason games versus the Calgary Flames, and should in in the lineup by Tuesday night.
Jake Walman - Walman was a surprise scratch on Saturday evening, allowing newcomer Filip Hallander to enter the lineup. Word has it that Walman suffered a minor upper body injury and should be back soon.
Injured reserve players
Colton Dach - Dach's specific injury hasn't been reported, but he took a hit against the Vancouver Canucks, which might have played a role. His IR status means he won't be back on the ice until some time after Tuesday night. Colton, like his brother Kirby, has something of a tendency toward injury, so here's hoping Dach can stay healthy once he returns.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Nuge went on IR back on October 1st, and at the time, Babcock referenced an approximate two week timeline. That puts us a few days away from seeing 93 on the ice again. It's a long season, and Nugent-Hopkin's lower body injury should be given all the time it needs to heal. He's probably feeling less pressure given the team's strong results in spite of his absence.
Mattias Janmark - Janmark has been out for a long time, and as of today there is still no clear date when he'll return to play. He first surfaced on the injuryreport on March 2nd, missed all of training camp. He underwent surgery for a "chronic issue" and will need a fair amount of time to get up to National Hockey League speed and fitness when and if he does return.
Long-term injured reserve players
Frederik Andersen - There would be a lot more attention on this particular recovery timeline if the team was struggling between the pipes. Even the oft-maligned Tristan Jarry put together a pretty solid performance versus the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday evening. Andersen, like Nugent-Hopkins, should pace himself with a goal of full recovery before he pushes the injury. He left last spring's Stanley Cup Final with a knee injury, and there aren't really any joints a goaltender uses more often than the knee. Take your time Freddy!
Matt Savoie - Another injury that was announced on October 1st, Savoie's lower body injury recovery timeline was noted as around 8 weeks. We're barely 25% of the way through, so Savoie isn't one we should expect to see before December. His return will be interesting, because he performed well in the top 6 late last season during Leon Draisaitl's absence, but with a new head coach and teammates who will have had two months to ingratiate themselves with their new bench boss, Savoie might find maximizing his ice time an uphill battle.
Other notes: Alec Regula remains out until further notice, rounding out the injury report alongsideJames Stefan and Atro Leppänen.
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