Several Oilers stars not available due to injury

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Liam McCormick
December 13, 2023 (6:30 PM)

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At practice today, the Edmonton Oilers and head coach Kris Knoblauch revealed several new wrinkles into their lineup. Most notably, stars Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard were absent from practice while dealing with an injury.

These two players were later confirmed to be missing practice as maintenance days, but that still affects the Oilers as their play could be diminished due to nagging injuries. Hopefully, both Kane and Bouchard are well enough to play close to their full capabilities, and can heal well enough through maintenance days to not miss full games.

Additionally, coach Knoblauch continued an experiment which he debuted during last night's game against the Blackhawks. Leon Draisaitl continued to practice with Warren Foegele and Mattias Janmark as linemates, leaving Ryan McLeod as the centre between Evander Kane and Connor Brown. This is a bold move, and spreads out the Oilers' elite talent across three lines.

With that being said, extra ice time needs to be found for Draisaitl - as playing exclusively third line minutes would be a waste. Perhaps, Knoblauch is looking to even out ice times across all lines, and reduce reliance on the Oilers generational stars.

Now winners of their last eight straight games, hopefully Knoblauch's changes and maintenance days for the stars can continue pushing the team towards success, and keep up their recent incredible pace.