The Edmonton Oilers are limping into the playoffs with an injury list that reads like a who’s who of NHL stars.
Connor McDavid hasn’t played in eight games. Leon Draisaitl has missed the last two. And that’s just the beginning of Edmonton’s problems.
Their starting goalie, Stuart Skinner, has been out for six games. Key defensemen John Klingberg and Mattias Ekholm are sidelined. Now Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is hurt too.
It’s gotten so bad that $42.2 million worth of talent is sitting in the press box instead of on the ice.
But there’s good news for Oilers fans. Head coach Kris Knoblauch expects everyone back before the playoffs start.
"We should have everybody return before the end of the season," Knoblauch said Wednesday. He thinks McDavid and Draisaitl could be back within a week – just in time for the final games on Monday and April 16.
The timing couldn’t be better. While the Oilers haven’t officially locked up their playoff spot yet, they’re sitting pretty with a six-point cushion in the Pacific Division.
For now, though, they’re patching holes with rookies. Noah Philp is stepping in as fourth-line center, while Olivier Rodrigue backs up in goal. Young defenseman Ty Emberson, still hunting for his first NHL goal after 71 games, rounds out the emergency crew.
The makeshift lineup faces a tough test Wednesday against a St. Louis Blues team that just saw their 12-game winning streak end. After that, they’ll get a breather against struggling San Jose before finishing the season against some serious competition – the top-ranked Winnipeg Jets and playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings.
It’s not ideal timing for an injury crisis, but if Knoblauch is right about his stars returning soon, the Oilers might just weather this storm perfectly for a playoff push.
