Kasperi Kapanen left for the locker room after taking a slip in Sunday's game versus the St. Louis Blues. On what looked like an innocent enough play, Kapanen lost an edge and went crashing into the boards, a scary sight considering he had just come back from another injury. 

When he didn't return to the game and with more than one lower-body ailment this season, immediate concern was that another injury could keep him out for some time. 

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The Oilers delivered some good news on that front after Sunday's 5-0 win. 

“He won’t return immediately, but it won’t be long-term like his last injury,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch.

While not ideal, given the Oilers are currently shorthanded, this could have been much worse. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal added, "Kapanen will miss some time but not as bad as his two knee issues earlier."

As Matheson points out, Kapanen's injury leaves the Oilers with only 11 forwards, with Leon Draisaitl back in Germany attending to a family illness. There is no date for Leon’s return, though the team said it would be about a week. 

In the short term, the Oilers could go with seven defensemen and 11 forwards as they take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Because the Oilers are running with three goalies, there is no cap room for forward recall. 

The timing is brutal news for the Oilers and Kapanen, who had shown flashes of ability before, but was really starting to produce. He had seven points in seven games since his return and looked to have finally figured out how to use his tools in a top-six role. He was productive and consistent.

The Oilers will miss him. He’s big, fast, skilled, and capable of playing with the star players, even though he's not seen as a star himself. 

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