An under-the-weather Edmonton Oilers head coach, Kris Knoblauch, spoke after practice today and said there's a bug going through the team that will potentially impact the final couple of preseason games.
Knoblauch said he was among those who weren't feeling well, but also noted that David Tomasek and Noah Philp weren't on the ice Tuesday because they, too, weren't feeling well. Knoblauch wasn't sure who else might get hit with the bug, but expected others might. As a result, the team is calling up reinforcements from the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL as the Oilers go out on the road to finish their preseason matchups, one against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, the other against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
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Both Philp and Tomasek might be well enough to play and will travel with the team, but the Oilers are taking no chances.
This is going to make it difficult to assess which players remain with a legitimate shot of making the team on opening night. Bubble players who might have been otherwise sent down or reassigned will remain with the team.
When asked which players will play on the final two games, Knoblauch paused, then essentially said, "All of them."
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Forward Max Jones remains out of the lineup and will not play versus Seattle. He is a possibility on Friday in Vancouver.
What Is The Latest On Jake Walman?
I asked Knoblauch about the status of Jake Walman, who isn't sick, but is dealing with a day-to-day injury. He noted that Walman likely won't play either of the two remaining preseason games, but the coach did confirm that Walman is still trending toward being ready for opening night.
As for his contract status, it was reported this week that the two sides are still talking, but negotiations have taken a bit of a step back as Walman's camp and the Oilers haven't been able to finalize a fair annual average salary on a long-term deal. The Oilers are open to six years, while Walman's camp might see that as a minimum length. Edmonton has to be somewhat cautious about how long they extend Walman for, given that an eight-year extension would take him into his late 30s.
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