Edmonton Oilers
Oilers Expect Two Key Returns During Five-Game Homestand
The Edmonton Oilers have been dealing with injuries, but expect to get two key pieces back, on this current homestand.
The Edmonton Oilers are getting healthier, and reinforcements could arrive soon. Will the Oilers get more players back as they take on the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night? Perhaps not. However, they expect to have both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jason Dickinson in the lineup at some point during the five-game homestand.
General manager Stan Bowman provided an injury update Monday ahead of the team’s five-game homestand, which begins Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild and wraps up Oct. 28 versus the Calgary Flames. Speaking with 880 CHED’s Bob Stauffer, Bowman said both Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson are expected to play at some point during the stretch.
“They’re both trending well, looking good, and we’d love to get them back,” Bowman said.
Nugent-Hopkins has yet to make his season debut. He looked healthy in the preseason, recording three assists in two games, but the exact nature of his injury hasn’t been disclosed. He was rotating at second-line centre in Monday’s practice with Zach Hyman and Kasperi Kapanen.
Hyman himself returned Saturday against the Utah Mammoth and scored his first goal of the season.
Dickinson’s issues have become a bit more concerning. That’s not necessarily because his ailments are serious, but because they’re happening more frequently than the Oilers would like. He’s been injured twice this season already. The Oilers hope to get him in the lineup for good.
The absences of Nugent-Hopkins and Dickinson have thinned Edmonton’s centre depth, particularly with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl skating together on the top line. Still, the team has thrived, sitting at 6-1-1 through eight games, one of the best starts in franchise history.
The news isn’t as promising for two others. Matt Savoie is still two to four weeks from returning, while Frederik Andersen is further away. “Freddy Andersen, he’s further away than Savoie. Don’t really have a timeline on him,” Bowman said.
Despite an injury-riddled October, the Oilers have climbed to the top of the NHL standings. With key players on the way back, Edmonton looks poised to become even more dangerous.
They’ll have their hands full with a solid Minnesota team, and then the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
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