The Oilers newest defenceman Alec Regula is currently on the NHL roster, but is dealing with an injury that will hold him out for quite some time according to a new report.
Alec Regula was claimed off waivers by the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week, and it's expected that he'll be able to serve as the team's new 7th defenceman.
However, it may be a while before he actually enters the lineup. Oilers writer Jim Matheson has said that Regula is still out indefinitely, and will require a conditioning stint before playing NHL games.
According to PuckPedia, Regula isn't counting towards the Oilers salary cap while still on the NHL roster, because he was injured prior to the start of the season and has not since been activated.
Oilers Defenceman Alec Regula Still Far From Making Debut with Edmonton
While with the Bruins organization last offseason, Regula underwent knee surgery and was initially ruled out until the start of training camp by Boston GM Don Sweeney.
It seems that Regula may have suffered a setback with his recovery, now that the season is creeping into the new year and he still hasn't played a game yet.
Hopefully Regula's not far from healthy, and is soon able to get that conditioning stint with the Bakersfield Condors started. Because it's a condition stint, he won't need to pass through waivers again.
While with the AHL's Providence Bruins last season, Regula scored 26 points in 55 games, along with an incredible +36 on ice rating.
The Edmonton Oilers scouting department reportedly believes that Regula can be a good player, and was worth jumping at the waiver claim. Only time will tell if he proves them right, but the expectations for him should just be a solid 7th defender.
Thankfully, Evan Bouchard was able to play today's game after a minor injury sustained against the Minnesota Wild. The next time an Oilers defender gets injured, instead of Josh Brown, hopefully it's Alec Regula as the next man up.
