Edmonton Oilers: Matt Hendricks Injured in Win Over Ducks
Another one bites the dust for the Edmonton Oilers. Forward Matt Hendricks was injured in the Oilers 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday.
After being injured during the game, Hendricks left the ice and never returned to game action. Post-game, head coach Todd McLellan announced that Hendricks would be out “weeks” with a lower-body injury.
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What does this mean for Edmonton? Well, first off, they lost one of their alternate captains and leaders in the locker room. Not only that, they lost their fourth-line winger.
Thankfully, Edmonton has options. Anton Slepyshev is next on the depth chart when it comes to left wingers, and he can definitely slot in. However, the Oilers also have plenty of right wingers vying for a spot in the NHL.
Not only are Jesse Puljujarvi and Kris Versteeg hoping to start with the Oilers, but Tyler Pitlick is the dark horse for a spot. Nail Yakupov also has to step it up if he wants to stay on the ice and out of the press box.
Right now, Versteeg is most likely going to start with the Oilers, and he’s had a great tryout so far. Puljujarvi is also banking for an NHL spot and has the ability to start off in the major league.
Therefore, it all comes down to Pitlick and Slepyshev, both of who are making a huge push during camp. Even McLellan acknowledged their effort postgame.
“They played hard, competitive minutes… kept a lot of plays alive,” McLellan said of the two.
In my opinion, Pitlick should win the spot. Though Slepyshev is doing well, Pitlick is really making strides and showing what he is capable of. Slepyshev also started on the opening roster last year and did not impress after training camp.
Pitlick would provide a change and surely put in the effort. And in the end, if it doesn’t work, the Oilers can always call up someone else.
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