The Edmonton Oilers have placed winger Viktor Arvidsson on injured reserve.
Arvidsson has been out of the lineup since November 12th when he suffered his injury against the New York Islanders. He was expected to return much earlier, but the issues have continued to persist, so the Oilers have retroactively placed him on IR to create more roster space since he’s now been out for a long enough period of time.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that the team doesn’t expect Arvidsson to be available during either Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild or Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers.
Arvidsson hasn’t had the start that many were expecting from him when he signed with the Oilers, as he has just 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in 16 games on the year. Should he return next week, that pace would give him just 23 points on the year, which would be his lowest in a season with at least 60 games played.
With the new roster space brought on by Arvidsson’s IR placement, the Oilers have recalled winger Drake Caggiula and defenseman Josh Brown from their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Caggiula has already played two games with the Oilers, getting one assist in those games, along with 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points in 11 games in the AHL with the Condors. Brown has also played two games for the Oilers, going pointless in both, along with 2 assists in 12 games in the AHL with the Condors.
The Oilers will look to build off of Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators when they host the Wild on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST. Edmonton currently sits in fourth in the Pacific Division with a 10-8-2, good enough for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.
