Both Ekholm and Kapanen were absent from practice today, while John Klingberg took reps with Brett Kulak - seemingly ready to enter the lineup.
According to Coach Knoblauch, Mattias Ekholm and Kasperi Kapanen are dealing with an illness. John Klingberg still needs a check-in with medical staff, which could push his debut to next week.
The Oilers coach himself sounds a bit under the weather, so there's a chance an illness is going through the whole locker room at the moment. It may actually explain some subpar efforts against the Buffalo Sabres and Seattle Kraken.
Hopefully Ekholm and Kapanen will be able to get back into the lineup for tomorrow's game after taking today to rest, and hopefully no other player is affected.
While initial reports suggested that Klingberg could return for tomorrow's game against the Detroit Red Wings, it now seems like Saturday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs is the earliest he could play.
Klingberg had been skating for months with a junior team before joining the Oilers at practice for the last few weeks, so it's surprising to hear he still needs medical evaluations.
The Oilers playoff lineup is beginning to take shape with the new additions of Philp and Klingberg, and now the team will have some time to evaluate what other moves will be needed. Hopefully, management makes just the right moves to put the Oilers over the top.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 29 | 155 ANSWERS Coach Knoblauch updates condition of Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg return timeline Do you think Klingberg will play this week or next week? | ||
This week | 117 | 75.5 % |
Next week | 38 | 24.5 % |
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