The Edmonton Oilers and their head coach Kris Knoblauch are facing a tough situation with their team after losing experienced player Mattias Janmark due to a serious injury.
The news came out on Thursday just before an important game against the Los Angeles Kings. Everyone in the locker room is feeling the impact of this loss.
Right now, Edmonton is in third place in their division with a record of 28 wins, 23 losses, and 8 ties. They need every player they can get during this challenging time.
Knoblauch shared the harsh truth with the local press. He mentioned that the 33-year-old player is dealing with an ongoing injury that requires a lot of time off from playing.
It’s unclear when he will be back. Losing a reliable player like him just after the Olympic break is a tough blow for a team that hopes to compete.
Janmark tried to play through his discomfort on Wednesday night. However, he could only stay on the ice for 2 minutes and 30 seconds before he had to leave late in the first period.
The Oilers ended up losing 6-5 to the Anaheim Ducks in that game. Their defense completely fell apart during the final moments, and that’s not acceptable.
Edmonton Forward Out With Ongoing Injury
The Swedish player has been really important to the team’s bottom lines. He has been a reliable veteran during their recent playoff runs to the Stanley Cup Final.
Mattias Janmark out “long term” according to Kris Knoblauch.
“It’s a chronic injury that needs some rest.”— Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) February 27, 2026
This year, he hasn’t scored much, with only eight points in 43 games. But his real importance is in his good defensive skills and time spent on the penalty kill.
Janmark had missed the first month of the season due to an unknown injury, and it’s still not clear if this new problem is related to that earlier issue.
He currently has a fairly easy-to-handle salary cap charge of $1.45 million. Finding someone with his unique defensive talents in the market will cost a lot.
Because of this injury update, the Oilers might need to rethink their strategy as they approach the NHL trade deadline.
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