Injuries Galore: How injuries have impacted the Edmonton Oilers this year

The Oilers record since the start of their team “injury bug”

Heading into the game against the Winnipeg Jets on March 20, the Oilers were without their season best player in Leon Draisaitl—who before his recent injury, was having one of the best seasons of his career. The Oilers are currently 5–4–1 in their last ten games, which I think is pretty solid considering all the injuries that they have been dealing with.

March 20: 4–3 OT loss versus the Winnipeg Jets

March 22: 5–4 win versus the Seattle Kraken

March 26: 4–3 loss versus the Dallas Stars

March 27: 6–1 loss against the Seattle Kraken

March 29: 3–2 OT win versus the Calgary Flames

April 1: 3–2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights

April 3: 3–2 win against the San Jose Sharks

April 5: 3–0 loss against the L.A. Kings

April 7: 3–2 loss against the Anaheim Ducks

April 9: 4–3 win versus the St. Louis Blues (Connor McDavid was announced back in the lineup)

What implications have the injuries had during the Oilers season?

Not having their core and top players in the lineup, have had some pretty big implications for the Oilers. The biggest aspect that I have noticed is that the Oilers are a lot weaker without these important players, that mean the world to their group.

The Oilers are a team that when they are at full health, can pretty easily score four or more goals per game. They have arguably the two best players in the world right now in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, and also have what some would consider the best top-six in the league.

Without that top-six, and a few other players that are listed as injured above, the Oilers end up with a pretty big hole that they are forced to try and fill. With injured players this close to the playoffs, a big worry of mine is that these players have missed too many games, and will end up getting placed back into the lineup rusty. The good thing is, that the majority of these skaters listed out for the Oilers, have been able to join the team at morning practices to help them get their game confidence back and also get them back involved with the team dynamics and systems.

What the timing of these injuries means for the Oilers

Like I have mentioned above, the timing of these Oilers injuries haven’t done the team any favours, especially considering that the biggest part of their season is only four games away. In my professional opinion, the most important games are the games that are played down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Teams are able to run with different lineups and try and develop some player chemistry, that will help their team make a deep run in the post season. I’m sure this is something that the Oilers and their fans are wishing that they could implement into their game right now.

One thing that some people need to consider and not be upset about, is that the injuries and the players listed out, may be helping the Oilers in a big way. Although there are injuries (that being quite evident right now) the team is able to rest these players, let them heal, and get them back to 100% or as close to as possible. With a long 82-game season, rest is huge for these players with their most important games coming up. It helps their mental state and helps their bodies feel better than ever.

So, with only four games remaining and the playoffs only days away, let’s see how long these players will remain out for the Oilers, and if they will just decide to sit them for the rest of the season.

One thing is for certain, healthy Oilers are the best Oilers!