A season ago, when lead defenceman Oscar Klefbom went down with a broken finger on Dec. 11, it was the beginning of a slide that would cost everyone their jobs.
The Edmonton Oilers would go 6-12-0-3 in Klefbom’s absence, killing penalties at a 72.7 per cent clip. Edmonton picked up just 15 of a possible 42 points, the lack of blue-line depth was absolutely exposed. By the time Klefbom returned on Feb. 5, everything was over but for the firings.
On Thursday, it was announced that Adam Larsson had broken a bone in his leg blocking a shot in a season-opening 3-2 win over Vancouver. It’s a crippling, three-month loss at least, of a top four defenceman slated to spend the season on a shutdown pair with Darnell Nurse. The chances of him returning on the season’s second half and catching up to the pace of play are 50/50 at best.
So the question arises, are the Oilers better equipped to handle this loss in the 2019-20 season, than they were a season ago? Or are their already-slim playoff hopes dashed, even before Game 2 of head coach Dave Tippett’s first year at the helm?
"Disappointing. Frustrating that it happens in the first game of the year," Tippett said. "Everyone’s going to have injuries, and we talk about it all the time: Injuiries aren’t an excuse for not winning. Somebody else has to take that spot and get the job done."
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On a first period play that should have been blown down upon the Canucks entering the Oilers’ end with Loui Eriksson clearly offside, Larsson would block a Quinn Hughes shot. He lasted until about three minutes left in the game when, as Tippet said, "He just couldn’t go anymore."
No surgery is required, but Larsson was immediately placed on Long Term Injured Reserve. Via Twitter, Edmonton announced Larsson would miss six-to-eight weeks, but if he’s healthy enough to return from this injury by the first week of December it’d be as if the Oilers won the lottery.
"We’ve been talking about having a good start to the season," said Klefbom, "and we did. We played a solid game. We’re going to figure it out, but we’ll miss him for sure. He’s a very important player for us.
"He’s one of those tough guys that you really want on your team."
In a paper transaction, the Oilers demoted Ethan Bear and called up Evan Bouchard from AHL Bakersfield. The move was made to put more salary on Edmonton’s cap, a strategical move coupled with placing Larsson’s $4.167 salary on Long Term Injured Reserve.
In a perfect world, defenceman Joel Persson (shoulder injury) will be ready to play Saturday when Los Angeles comes to town, and Bouchard will not leave Bakersfield. If Persson can’t go, Bouchard will come up only until the Swede is ready, then return to the AHL to resume his apprenticeship.
We would declare that Persson is one reason why the Oilers are better equipped to handle an injury to a top four defenceman this season as opposed to last. But we’ve only seen him play pre-season games — he has never played an NHL regular season game. If he can play, that is an upgrade from when Klefbom went out last year.
The other player is Bear, whose camp earned him a spot next to Klefbom on Opening Night where he played a steady, NHL-caliber game. Those two right-shot defencemen will shelter the blow of losing Larsson, and although both would be considered swifter puck-movers than Larsson, neither can claim his defensive acumen.
"He’s talked about as that warrior on your team that guys look up to," said new goalie Mike Smith. "Anytime you have a guy who is willing to do whatever it takes in front of you to keep the puck out of the net, as a goaltender you love those players. He is one of those guys who’s willing to eat a puck to keep it out of our net, and that commitment level is contagious. It wears off on other players around him."
The Oilers should be able to survive this.
Now, if any other top four guy get hurt? That will be a different story.
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