Edmonton Oilers confirm injury setbacks to 2 roster players before opening night
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie - Imagn Images
Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has essentially confirmed the team will enter the regular season without Jake Walman and Mattias Janmark in the lineup.
The Oilers took the ice for practice today just 3 days before their opener, with what appears to be their finalized lineup. Both Walman and Janmark were off the ice.
Oilers coach confirms Walman suffers setback, Janmark out longer than believed
Speaking to the media after practice, Knoblauch confirmed that both players had injuries beyond what was initially expected, and aren't likely to play in the season opener.
With Walman, yes it took a little longer than we thought. Janmark had an injury, we thought it'd be right away. We had it looked at, MRI, figured it was another type of injury in the same area. Which is good.
- Coach Knoblauch
- Coach Knoblauch
Walman's injury is a bit concerning after he was initially ruled as only day-to-day after a preseason game. Extending his timeline now without an exact date of return is very vague from the Oilers.
When asked further about their timelines for return, Knoblauch specified that Walman is questionable to play Game 1, while Janmark may miss up to 2 weeks.
In their absence, the Oilers will be able to insert quality depth players into the lineup. Alec Regula has impressed through the preseason, and has earned a spot in the top 4 next to Darnell Nurse to start the year.
On the fourth line, Ike Howard and David Tomasek were both taking reps in Janmark's place. Arguably, both those players are better than Janmark - who may be at risk of being waived once he's healthy.
At least the Oilers have got through the preseason mostly healthy, and ready to march back to their 3rd Cup Final.
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