Oilers place another forward on IR, share major update on Zach Hyman return date

Oilers coach Knoblauch has mentioned Kapanen could miss a significant amount of time after a misplay against the Detroit Red Wings last week. Now it's been made official by their latest roster move.

The Oilers have now officially announced Kapanen will be placed on Injured Reserve.

This will free up a roster spot for the Oilers, but won't give them immediate cap relief like an LTIR roster move would.

Still, the open roster spot is valuable to the Oilers who currently have a logjam of talent at forward and defence. Kapanen's injury opening up this spot could delay a potential trade.

Coach Knoblauch also confirmed that Zach Hyman is positively trending towards making his return to the lineup on November 1st, the first day he's eligible to be taken off LTIR.

Hyman has still been recovering from the injury he sustained against the Dallas Stars in the playoffs last year, which required a complex surgery and lengthy rehabilitation process. He's now fully skating in practices, and looks to be ramping up to full speed before playing his first game.

Getting Hyman back will be a m much needed boost to the Oilers top six forward group, and could help them shake off another slow start to the regular season.