The Edmonton Oilers could be down one forward against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
As the team took to Rogers Place ice for a full practice this morning, just about everybody was accounted for except for Viktor Arvidsson, who did not skate with the team. After practice, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch met with the media, where he confirmed that the Swede was battling something and could miss tomorrow night’s game as a result.
“It was a maintenance day, he’s 50/50 for tomorrow,” Knoblauch told reporters. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but nothing that’s going to last very long.”
Viktor Arvidsson is “50/50” to play tomorrow as he is battling some sort of undisclosed injury. #Oillers HC Knoblauch confirmed that it isn’t serious… if he can’t go the team will decide whether to call somebody up or to go with an 11/7 formation.
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) November 13, 2024
The good news for the Oilers is that Arvidsson does not appear to have a serious injury. This was a worry when the team signed Arvidsson over the summer, as he was coming off a 2023-24 season that saw him appear in just 18 regular-season games due to a back injury.
Knoblauch did not confirm the type of injury that Arvidsson was dealing with. As a result of his absence, the Oilers did not run a full lineup at practice, with Arvidsson’s usual spot beside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin being left vacant.
If Arvidsson is not ready in time for tomorrow’s game, Knoblauch says a decision will have to be made to either recall a forward from the AHL or to run with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
“I haven’t decided that,” Knoblauch said. “I’m gonna talk to [Oilers GM] Stan [Bowman] and we’ll decide. I’m comfortable calling somebody up and having the 12 forwards, or we can definitely go 11 and seven; that’s something we’ve talked about heading into the season, doing a little bit more than we did last year.”
At the top of the recall list should be Noah Philp, who has already gotten three NHL games under his belt this season and looked comfortable at the top level. However, considering it’s a top-six winger who could be out, there is also a faint possibility that a player like Matt Savoie could be an option.
We’ll have to wait and see what the Oilers decide to do over the next day or so.