EDMONTON — The playoffs are just around the corner, and there are two things that are getting longer for Edmonton Oilers.
Their injury list, and the odds of them patching together a lineup that can win one round in the post-season, let alone four.
On a Friday night where Edmonton clinched a playoff berth with a 4-2 victory over San Jose — Connor McDavid had four assists and seven helpers in two games since returning — the Oilers started the night with 20 players and finished with 18.
Defenceman Mattias Ekholm made his return after missing seven games with an undisclosed malady (likely a core issue). He took two wobbly shifts, fell down twice, and looked like anything but the veteran Viking defender that he is before walking dejectedly down the tunnel, never to be seen again.
Later Zach Hyman left the game, for an Oilers team that was already missing top-six forwards Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Trent Frederic.
One of those two players — Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch wouldn’t say which — is in danger of not being ready for the playoffs.
Our guess? That would be Ekholm.
“Twice he fell in the first period, aggravated something, and just felt that it wasn’t best for him to return,” Knoblauch said.
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It’s been a recurring theme here: Player gets hurt. Player rehabs injury. Player returns, only to re-aggravate the same injury
Last week, Frederic played his first game as an Oiler — a full month after being acquired. Not three seconds into the game he re-injured his high ankle sprain. He hasn’t even practiced with the team since.
Draisaitl missed four games, played three, and has now missed four more games. Was it the same injury both times?
“I’m not going to comment on that,” he said Friday.
Ekholm exited the game after a grand total of three shifts and 1:52 of ice time. He does not look like a player who will be fit to help defend a Western Conference title when the playoffs open for these Oilers next weekend, likely in Los Angeles.
Frederic? I’ll bet you won’t see him until Round 2 — if there is one for this team.
Evander Kane? He hasn’t played in 10 months, and you can’t find anyone around this organization who thinks he’s going to be able to help before about the third round — if even then.
“We’ve just been very fortunate in the past about injuries, not losing guys,” Knoblauch said. “And now our luck has run out. We’ve been very unfortunate, just some freak accidents (after) feeling those players were ready to return.”
It’s been that kind of year in Edmonton, a team that hasn’t seen a run of ill health like this in years.
The farm team in Bakersfield is decimated, recently playing a game with eight of their skaters having been called up from the ECHL. Meanwhile up north, even general manager Stan Bowman is in a walking boot after a procedure on an Achilles tendon.
The Oilers GM acquired Frederic at the deadline and he’s given his new team seven minutes and 10 seconds of service. That, however, has been more the theme than the extreme for Bowman, who has done his shopping in the I.C.U. all season long — and it has not gone well.
Bowman brought defenceman John Klingberg in back on Jan. 17, an ageing defenceman coming back from a hip procedure. Bowman allotted him $1.75 million in cap space, and in return Klingberg has given the Oilers 11 games.
Klingberg is currently on long term injured reserve, reportedly has an infection, and hasn’t been seen around the team in weeks.
In lesser deals, the Oilers traded former first-rounder Xavier Bourgault for a consonant-challenged Finn named Roby Jarventie, who was coming off reconstructive knee surgery. He played two games in Bakersfield, and Jarventie’s next operation will be in Finland, where he has signed to play next season.
Then there’s defenceman Alec Regula, claimed off of waivers from Boston on Dec. 11 — while rehab’ing from an injury, of course. He has not played a single game this season.
Goalie Stuart Skinner (concussion) finally spent a game on the bench as a backup Thursday. Jake Walman is hurt and nowhere to be seen. Nugent-Hopkins is sick, they say.
We’re assuming he’ll be back shortly, but the way this team’s luck has been going, Nugent-Hopkins could be diagnosed with a bad case of the gout and be done for the season.
The good news is, the Oilers have clinched a playoff spot.
That is the only good news, however, on a team that’s being punished by bad luck and poor health, a wicked combination to take into the post-season.
