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Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided an update on his host of injured players Wednesday, noting that all of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Mattias Ekholm are now considered day-to-day and should return to the lineup ahead of the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, per Tom Gazzola of Edmonton Sports Talk.
For McDavid, the Oilers captain has been sidelined since mid-March due to a lower-body ailment, a stretch that has seen him miss the past eight games. Despite the extended absence, the five-time Art Ross Trophy winner and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy recipient remains second in Oilers scoring with 90 points cou nting 26 goals and 64 assists coming in 63 games this season.
Also up front, Draisaitl has continued to battle an undisclosed injury in recent weeks. After missing four games through late March, the 29-year-old German-born forward returned for three games before exiting midway through the third contest. Draisaitl did not return and has since missed the two subsequent games. On the season, Draisaitl sits third in the Art Ross Trophy race with 106 points, behind only Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, while his 52 goals rank tops leaguewide, eight ahead of second-placed William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Like Draisaitl, Ekholm has missed no shortage of game action in recent weeks. Following a six-game absence due to an illness, the veteran defenseman returned for four games before suffering an undisclosed injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the past six games. Skating in his second full season with the Oilers, the 34-year-old Swedish-born rearguard has made 64 appearances in 2024-25 in which he has collected nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points.
With five games remaining in their regular-season schedule, the Oilers sit third place in the Pacific Division with a 44-28-5 record and four points shy of the second-placed Los Angeles Kings.
More must-reads:
- Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl says winning Selke Trophy ‘almost more important’ than other individual awards
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Oregon Ducks Falling Behind in Quarterback Recruiting Battle?
The Oregon Ducks have competition when it comes to recruiting class of 2027 quarterback Dane Weber. Weber recently visited the Kansas Jayhawks, who are moving into a position to be a front runner. Kansas in Lead for Dane Weber Following Visit? Dane Weber spoke to On3 following his visit to Lawrence, Kansas. It appears that the Jayhawks find themselves as the leading school to receive his commitment at this time. “After the visit there, they’re extremely high for me just based off the relationships I have,” Weber said. “To be able to see their offense and go more in-depth with coach (offensive coordinator Jim Lebowski) and how I’d fit in…They definitely moved up after the visit.” Kansas recently renovated their football stadium and Weber found himself impressed as he watched the Jayhawks win their 2025 home opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs by a final score of 31-7. “The new stadium and everybody around it, the atmosphere was insane,” Weber said. “We showed up, I was there a couple hours early to do the pre-visit stuff and the tailgating before, the city around it, even the inside is beautiful. It’s super loud, you can barely here half the time so I love it for sure. The Kansas Jayhawks football program has gone under a but if a resurgence in recent years. From 2009 through 2021, the Jayhawks did not qualify for any type of postseason play. That changed in 2022, Lance Leipold's second season. They broke the streak and qualified for the Liberty Bowl. Kansas went right back to a bowl game in 2023 before missing out on a third consecutive appearance in 2024 by a single win. Weber to Visit Oregon Ducks Weber will visit the Oregon Ducks this upcoming weekend when they face the Montana State Bobcats on Saturday, Aug. 30 at Autzen Stadium. This will be the Ducks first game of the 2025 season. “We’ll see what happens when I go to Oregon this weekend if that shakes up things a little bit,” Weber said. From the sound of Weber, Kansas seems to have a big advantage in this early stage of the 2027 recruiting process. This means the Ducks will have to wow Weber as soon as he steps foot on campus. Dane Weber Player Profile Dane Weber is a 6-2, 210 pound quarterback out of Temecula, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 21 quarterback in the class of 2027 per 247Sports Composite. Weber is coming off a season with Chaparral High School in 2024 where in 11 games he threw for 2,660 yards and 27 touchdowns while rushing for another 834 yards and 11 touchdowns. Will Weber end up being a Duck one day?
Steelers May Immediately Pursue One Of Aaron Rodgers' Former Targets To Boost Offense
Giants to waive fan favorite QB
The Giants’ trio of new quarterbacks has pushed Tommy DeVito off the roster. New York is moving on, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. DeVito has made 12 appearances and eight starts across the past two seasons, but the Giants’ actions this offseason led to the expectation he would wind up on the wrong side of the roster bubble. New York added Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency before selecting Jaxson Dart in the first round of the draft. Each of those three signal-callers will be on the team’s 53-man roster, Dianna Russini of The Athletic confirms. DeVito’s showings during his regular season appearances as well as New York’s preseason finale last Thursday could make him an attractive option on the waiver wire. Teams will be able to put in a claim through Wednesday, the first day in which practice squads will be formed. If DeVito, 27, passes through waivers, he will become a free agent. As NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes, DeVito was the subject of trade talks in recent days. Winston has also been the target of a potential deal, but the Giants are prepared to move forward with the former No. 1 pick in a depth capacity. Wilson will handle starting duties to begin the year with Dart looming as a potential replacement depending on how the early portion of the campaign shakes out. This time of year often brings about shuffling at the QB position, and it will be interesting to see how strong DeVito’s market turns out to be. The Raiders found themselves in need of an addition, but their vacancy was filled with the Kenny Pickett trade. The Patriots, meanwhile, have only two passers in the organization at the moment. New England thus represents a candidate for a waiver claim or a free agent push in the event DeVito hits the market.
Steelers nearly completed trade with Saints before making roster move
The Pittsburgh Steelers had to begin to determine the final roster for the 2025 season after the team played its final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. This is always a tough time of year for all 32 organizations across the NFL, as difficult roster decisions need to be made. One of those that the Steelers had to make came at punter, as the franchise had to decide between Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman for the starting job. On Monday, Pittsburgh made the move to release Johnston, which meant that Waitman had won the starting punting job in Pittsburgh. This was a bit of a surprise as it felt like most fans believed Johnston would win the job, but the two had a stark difference in what they were being paid. Waitman made significantly less, and the production from the two players was not all that different. Before releasing Johnston, Pittsburgh seemed to shop their punters around the league as the franchise looked to trade one of them. According to Adam Schefter, a deal almost got done with the New Orleans Saints. Fans wanted to see the organization find a way to move its extra specialists for additional draft capital. The Steelers probably felt comfortable starting either Johnston or Waitman at punter, so whichever one could bring in more value in a trade was going to be dealt. A trade didn't materialize, and Johnston was released. Had Pittsburgh and New Orleans come to an agreement on a deal, it is hard to imagine the Steelers would have been able to bring in anything higher than a sixth or seventh round pick for the punter. However, all draft capital is good. Both Waitman and Johnston are good enough to be starters in the NFL, but no team carries two punters. The Steelers were able to save money by releasing Johnston, and Waitman is due roughly $2 million less than the former Steeler. Play certainly factored into the decision to release Johnston, but it seems like it was mainly a business decision as Pittsburgh was able to create some more flexibility against the cap. Waitman filled in for Johnston after the punter suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, and played well throughout the rest of the year.
Vikings–Panthers Adam Thielen talks face cutdown-day clock: Is a deal coming?
The NFL's 53-man roster deadline arrives at 3 p.m. CT Tuesday and logic says the Minnesota Vikings would like to know where they stand on Adam Thielen before cutting any wide receivers currently on the roster, who might otherwise make the team if a deal for Thielen can't be completed. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Vikings and Carolina Panthers have "tried to work out a trade" that would bring Thielen back to Minnesota, "but the two sides continue to struggle to agree on compensation." Schefter adds that Thielen "would like to return to Minnesota," where he played nine seasons after growing up in Detroit Lakes, Minn. and then starred at Division II Minnesota State University in Mankato before making it with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Insiders, including Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer, have reported that Carolina is seekings a legitimate Day 3 draft pick for Thielen, whose $6.25 million base salary in 2025 will also have to be sorted out. Will the Vikings pick up the entire tab or ask Carolina to eat some of his salary? Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Vikings On SI newsletter Amid the negotiations, the Vikings have been wheeling and dealing. They've stockpiled late-round draft picks by trading defensive tackle Harrison Phillips to the Jets, quarterback Sam Howell to the Eagles, and cornerback Mehki Blackmon to the Colts. Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah now has a cupboard full of picks for the 2026 draft. 1st round 2nd round 3rd round 3rd round (projected comp pick for Sam Darnold) 4th round (projected comp pick for Daniel Jones) 5th round 5th round (from the Eagles) 5th round (projected comp pick for Cam Robinson) 6th round (from the Colts) 7th round 7th round (from the Texans Adding a wide receiver of their liking before Tuesday's 3 p.m. roster deadline would be ideal. As it stands now, the only wide receivers guaranteed to make the team are Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and perhaps rookie Tai Felton. That leaves the fates of Lucky Jackson, Tim Jones, Jeshaun Jones, Myles Price (who has flashed as a kick and punt returner), Thayer Thomas and Dontae Fleming up in the air. Without adding a receiver before the cutdown deadline, the last wide receiver to make the 53-man roster would likely be on the roster on borrowed time until Minnesota adds a more proven name. What if the Vikings can't find a solution for Thielen? According to Alec Lewis of The Athletic, a couple of names worth monitoring could be Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Robert Woods, who might not make the 53-man roster, and Odell Beckham Jr., who is a free agent. Both have experience in Kevin O'Connell's offense and would be somewhat seamless additions to help fill the void while Nailor is out with a hand injury and Addison is serving a three-game suspension to begin the season. More from Vikings On SI
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