Every team deals with injuries.
The Edmonton Oilers were very lucky in that area for the past few years, but the injury bag has caught up to them of late. While there's definitely an element of luck involved, it's not hard to see why so many key players have gone down over the past few weeks. After building the league's oldest roster over the offseason, the Oilers are reaping what they've sown.
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Let's start by taking a stroll through the Oilers' hospital ward. The injured list includes: Mattis Ekholm (34 years old), Evander Kane (33), John Klingberg (32), Zach Hyman (32), and Troy Stecher (30), while even Leon Draisaitl (29) and Connor McDavid (28) are pushing 30.
While there's more to it than age—Corey Perry (40) and Adam Henrique (34) are still kickin'—it's not hard to see a pattern. A huge part of age-related decline comes from increased injury risk, and the Oilers are learning that the hard way. Kane and Klingberg are both coming off major hip surgeries, while Ekholm and Hyman have both been leaned on for huge, punishing minutes over the past few years. That takes a toll.
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That brings us to the other component of this recent rash of injuries. The Oilers have played a lot of hockey over the past few years, with their 299 games since the start of 2021-22 second behind only the Panthers' 301. Wouldn't you know it, the Panthers are struggling with their own injuries: Matthew Tkachuk hasn't played since the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Aleksander Barkov only just returned to the lineup.
Combine the Oilers' aging lineup and their heavy workload with a little bit of bad luck, and this is what you get. This was a concern going into the season, and it's coming to fruition at the worst possible time. While the Oilers remain confident that almost everyone will be healthy for the start of the playoffs, you never know with injuries.
They had better hope everyone is back at something remaining full-strength, or else they'll learn their lesson too late.
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