Unvaccinated Josh Archibald granted exemption to join Oilers in U.S.

Josh Archibald will be able to join the Edmonton Oilers when they travel to Los Angeles.

According to Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED in Edmonton, Archibald, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, has been granted a medical exemption from his cardiologist that allows him to enter the United States without having to quarantine.

Archibald was one of two players to play in the NHL this season that wasn’t vaccinated, with Tyler Bertuzzi of the Detroit Red Wings being the other one. Archibald played exclusively at home for the Oilers as he would have had to quarantine upon crossing the Canada-U.S. border due to his vaccination status.

Over eight games for the Oilers, Archibald recorded one assist and logged 9:03 per game. He joined the team in February after missing the first five months of the season with myocarditis, a complication from when he contracted COVID-19.

During Game 3 of last year’s first-round series between the Oilers and Winnipeg Jets, Archibald threw a low hit on Jets defender Logan Stanley and was suspended for Game 4. The Oilers wound up getting swept by Winnipeg in four games.

Archibald has played in 11 playoff games in his NHL career. Seven have come with the Oilers and four came with the Pittsburgh Penguins during their 2016-17 Stanley Cup run.