Kasperi Kapanen has been through it. Three months away from the lineup. A re-aggravation right when he thought he was ready to return. Days where just showing up to the rink felt like dragging himself through quicksand.
"It feels like three years, to be honest," Kapanen said when asked if it really felt like three months. "It's been a while, and it's nice to be back in the locker room with the guys and chit-chatting, and obviously be on the ice and competing. So just a lot of positive things right now."
What should stand out is his willingness to talk about what injured players rarely discuss publicly: the mental toll.
Injuries in hockey get reduced to timelines and injury reports. Lower-body injury. Week-to-week. Day-to-day. We track when players leave the lineup and celebrate when they return, but what happens in between gets glossed over. The physical recovery is measurable—strength tests, skating drills, medical clearance. The mental side? That's harder to quantify and even harder to talk about.
Kapanen didn't shy away from it.
"It's never fun to be out of the lineup, and obviously, hurting it in practice is very frustrating. But I think mentally, probably the hardest, is not being on the ice and then not going on the road with the team, and (being away from) the life that you're used to throughout the year," he explained. "But now, if there's ever a time to be hurt, my wife's pregnant, so I've been trying to help her out as much as I can. So I guess it's kind of a blessing in disguise."
Isaac Howard Discusses AHL Stint And Development
Isaac Howard is back with the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers">Edmonton Oilers</a>. Six weeks in Bakersfield, and now he's got another shot.
That silver lining helps, but it doesn't erase the reality of what he went through. Kapanen got specific about the low points, and his honesty is rare in a sport where players are conditioned to stay stoic.
"It's just trying to stay patient and trying to be somewhat okay with the situation that the body does take time to heal. I feel like I've gone to some pretty dark places—some days throughout the injury where just coming to the rink and going through the motions knowing that you're not even close to coming back is hard," Kapanen said. "But adversity makes people stronger, and it made me stronger. So hopefully the leg will be good for Tuesday."
Dark places aren't typical hockey-speak. But it's real, and more players deal with it than we realize. The routine gets stripped away. You're not travelling with the team. You're not in the lineup. You're not doing the thing you've built your entire life around. You're just rehabbing, waiting, hoping your body cooperates.
Knoblauch Reflects On All-Rookie Line
After watching Matt Savoie, Isaac Howard, and Quinn Hutson skate together for the first time, Kris Knoblauch had a pretty clear read on what happened. The line played about 10 minutes. There was good stuff. There was bad stuff. But mostly? It was positive.
And then there's the re-aggravation. Kapanen was close—so close—to returning when it happened again. It was a nothing play. His leg caught in the ice, twisted, and the frustration boiled over.
"It was literally the last play that practice too. And it was a nothing play. I think my leg got caught in the ice again, and it kind of twisted it. And I saw the video afterwards (of getting off the ice), and I felt bad for my reaction, but that's the frustration and disappointment of being that close to coming back to the lineup and then getting set back," Kapanen said. "So I regret doing that, but that's just how I felt on the inside. Maybe a drama queen, based on that video, but that was just my initial reaction."
He's joking about being a drama queen, but still. He knew how it looked. He knew it wasn't his best moment. But he also wasn't going to pretend he didn't feel what he felt.
NHL Rumors: Oilers' Andrew Mangiapane Linked To Rival
Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane is generating interest from one of Edmonton's division rivals.
Players are expected to handle injuries stoically, to be team-first, to stay positive. And most do, publicly at least. But behind the scenes, it's lonely. It's frustrating. Some days, it's dark.
Kapanen's openness matters because it reminds us that players are human. The injury timelines we read about represent real struggles that don't show up in the box score. He's back now, ready to compete again, and hopefully stronger for it.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.