Hey look, good injury news! This season has flat out been a nightmare for the Edmonton Oilers when it comes to players suffering key injuries. Connor McDavid has missed seven weeks now with his broken collarbone, while Benoit Pouliot is at two weeks and Nail Yakupov is approaching a month out of the lineup.
Rob Klinkhammer has missed an extended period of time while Justin Schultz missed a chunk of games earlier in the season. It hasn’t been pretty for the boys in Orange and Blue so far this season when it comes to injuries. It appears the team has dodged the latest bullet, however.
Oscar Klefbom left Edmonton’s 7-5 victory over the Rangers on Friday night and apparently hurt his hand. After the game, multiple reporters mentioned that he had broken a finger and that it could be “more than a one or two game issue”, which would have been a huge blow.
GM Peter Chiarelli cleared things up yesterday after practice in Boston.
@EdmontonOilers: “It’s not major. He may join us at some point (on the road trip).” Chiarelli with a quick update on @Klefbom93, who left Friday’s game
This, this is a very good bit of news for the Edmonton Oilers.
Klefbom has been the team’s best defender as of late. He’s settled down defensively after a tough start and he’s been sound for the last month and a half. His ability to calm things down is quite impressive, and he’s doing it against some very tough opponents.
He’s mobile and a perfect fit for Todd McLellan’s system, while he’s also an exceptional puck mover. I truly believe that Klefbom is the most comfortable Oiler with the puck, he doesn’t panic and almost always gets the pass to where it needs to go. He’s been key in terms of moving the puck in the right direction for this dynamic group of forwards.
Klefbom had a strong 2014-15 campaign, he was one of the few bright spots in a very dark season. This year, after a tough start, he’s really built on that and has solidified himself as a top-four defender in the NHL. I truly believe that about Klefbom, he could play on any team’s top-four in this league.
The Oilers going without their best defender is a really big blow. Not having Klefbom will force Todd McLellan to change some things around and possibly change how he uses Justin Schultz. Who he puts in the lineup to replace him is also up for debate currently.
That said, Klefbom may only miss the four games on this road trip, in fact Chiarelli left it open that he could return during the trip. If Klefbom only misses two games, which is possible, then the Oilers can consider themselves lucky.
If this team wants to have success, then they’ll need Klefbom in the lineup on a nightly basis. Not losing him long-term like some other key contributors is a very, very welcomed change of pace for this organization.
Now, let’s see who steps up in the meantime.
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