The Edmonton Oilers have placed center Ryan McLeod and winger Kailer Yamamoto on injured reserve.
Yamamoto’s placement is retroactive to November 8th, the last time he’s gotten into NHL action. Yamamoto has missed the last three weeks with an injury that has yet to be disclosed.
McLeod will also be added to IR after missing practice on Sunday. Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft had said McLeod was dealing with bumps and bruises after Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers, but it appears the injury is worse than that.
While Yamamoto has struggled to produce at the NHL level throughout his career, it might be at a new level this season. Before his injury, he had yet to score a goal and had just three assists in 13 games with the Oilers this season.
McLeod has faired a little bit better than Yamamoto, with three goals, five assists, and eight points in 21 games this season. He looks to be on pace to improve on his rookie season, where he had nine goals, 12 assists, and 21 points in 71 games. He’s also proven to be a solid defensive center in the early going of his career.
As a result, the Oilers have called up winger Tyler Benson from his conditioning stint in the AHL, where he had two assists in three games with the Bakersfield Condors. He hasn’t played an NHL game yet this season, and had just one goal, one assist, and two points in 29 games last season for the Oilers.
The Oilers have also recalled winger James Hamblin from the AHL to help fill in for the recent injuries, and if he plays, it will be his NHL debut. He has three goals, six assists, and nine points in 15 games in the AHL with the Condors so far this season.
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