Edmonton Oilers coach gives laundry list of injury updates
The Edmonton Oilers have yet to play a game with a fully healthy NHL roster this season.
It seems like whenever one player comes back into a lineup, another one draws out with an injury of some kind. To start the year, it was Zach Hyman on the shelf for the first month and a bit, and when he returned, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins went down with another.
With the team finally concluding a season-long seven-game road trip, the hope is that they are nearing the day when everybody is finally healthy enough to play. At the moment, a total of five players are on the IR, which includes premier guys like Nugent-Hopkins and defenceman Jake Walman.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch spent some time updating the condition and giving a timeline for each of those players after Monday morning’s practice at Rogers Place.
Here is what he said…
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
The longest-tenured Oilers player has missed the last eight games with an undisclosed injury. It seemingly came sometime during the 9-1 drubbing at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche earlier this month.
Knoblauch did not rule out RNH’s availability for Tuesday’s games against the Dallas Stars, calling him questionable.
“He’s questionable for tomorrow,” said Knoblauch. “Hope to get him in by this week.”
"Now we have to start gaining some traction, playing better hockey."
Coach Knoblauch shares his thoughts as the #Oilers prepare to host Dallas tomorrow night at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/AFyrhaKiwH
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 24, 2025
Nugent-Hopkins participated in practice and also met with the media after the skate. He wasn’t able to give a concrete answer on his status for tomorrow’s game. The advantage for him is that he wasn’t on that gruelling road trip and was able to stay in Edmonton and recover.
“Long trip for the guys, it was a little lonely for me and [Kasperi Kapanen] here for a while,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I don’t know if I’m going tomorrow or not. It’ll be a conversation; we’ll talk about it.
“If not tomorrow, then Saturday.”
"Nice to see the guys & get back out there with them."
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on returning to the ice with the team for #Oilers practice at @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/FlMWJYa2c1
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 24, 2025
If he doesn’t play against the Stars, it feels likely he will return on Saturday afternoon vs. the Seattle Kraken.
Jake Walman
Walman has been in and out of the lineup throughout the first two months of the season. He initially missed the first six games of the year after getting injured in the preseason.
He missed Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers after suffering an undisclosed injury vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning late last week. Walman did not practice with the team, and Knoblauch confirmed he will miss Tuesday’s game.
“Walman was not on the icee today, so he will not be playing tomorrow,” Knoblauch said.
While the Oilers have not revealed Walman’s exact injury, he did take a hit in the first period against Tampa that seemed to affect his legs. He then blocked a shot in the second period that hobbled him a bit. It’s safe to say it’s a lower-body injury for the 29-year-old.
No timeline was given for his return.
Kasperi Kapanen
Kapanen has been injured the longest of all the players currently on the Oilers’ IR.
The speedy Finn has missed the past 18 games since suffering from an undisclosed injury in mid-October. It was an injury that seemingly came in a 4-2 loss against the Detroit Red Wings. He is currently occupying a spot on the Oilers’ LTIR list.
He is back skating with the group, and it does appear a return is imminent.
“Kapanen is close, he won’t be playing tomorrow, possibly Saturday,” Knoblauch said.
Getting Kapanen’s speed and skill back into the bottom-six should help bring some energy to Edmonton’s game.
Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar
Finally, the last two injured players come in the form of depth guys Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar.
Both these players went down following a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres last week and have missed each of the last three games. As per usual, their injuries have not been revealed.
Lazar and Philp are set to miss at least a few more games, according to Knoblauch.
“They are [out] at least a week,” Knoblauch confirmed.
In the meantime, the hope is that rookie Connor Clattenburg can continue to play a limited role, while the return of RNH and Kapanen this week should help.