Oilers “Not Worried” About Unexpected Injury News, Cite Great Opportunity

“We’re not worried about this,” said Stan Bowman in a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The Edmonton Oilers GM was referring to the news that four players are injured and will miss training camp, with two players, Matt Savoie and Frederik Andersen, likely out until October or later.

He added, “This is part of the sport, and we’ll work our way through it. And there’s an opportunity, probably, for someone else to get a better look than they may otherwise would have.”

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Bowman also said he understands why fans are worried, but cautioned them against thinking the sky is falling. “No, it’s not great when guys are hurt. But internally, we’re not nearly as concerned or nervous about it as the fans or the media.”

Savoie was projected to be in the team’s top six among their forward group. He was coming off a breakout season and this was a key year in terms of his development as the team and the player will eventually want to settle on a contract extension. Andersen, meanwhile, was one of many key free agency signings. He’ll be part of the three-goalie system the Oilers intend to run, and he’s the most experienced.

Savoie’s injury, which is rumored to be knee-related (but not confirmed), was due to something during off-ice training. “Matt, I don’t want to put a timeline on it, but it’s not like he’s going to miss half a season or anything like that. It’s going to be much less than that. Probably around the training camp, we’ll have a better timeline on things.” He repeated, “He is going to miss some time, but it’s nothing that we’re concerned about.”

Andersen’s situation might be a tad more concerning. “Matt’s going to miss less time than Freddie. Also, Freddie’s older. So we’re probably not going to be pushing the envelope, trying to probably give him enough time,” Bowman said. He added, “He’s been playing through a lot of pain. Honestly, he knows he played too long with it last year, waiting to see if he could stick it out. He’s dealing with a lot, and he’s not ready to start the season. It is what it is.”

This Becomes An Opportunity for Other Players

With the news, it’s time for players to step up. Ike Howard and Quinn Hutson will be among the forwards Edmonton will give a look to. Josh Samanski, who is already projected to get a regular role, may get a bigger one. Then you’ve got maybe unknown guys that are a little bit older, like Eduards Tralmaks (29) and Aku Raty (25),” Bowman said. “Those guys are not young guys, but they’re accomplished American League players who were always going to get a look. Now, maybe they’ll get a different look.”

In goal, it will be up to Tristan Jarry to find his game and for Devon Levi to take the next step.

Outside of what the organization already has, Spector writes, “Bowman will keep his eyes open in that market, and with ample cap space, he’ll also take calls as camps progress across the league, and perhaps a younger player pushes an older one out of a job.” There could be a spot for an unsigned UFA, or for someone to come in on a PTO. Maybe even a former player like Curtis Lazar could get back into the mix.

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