Oilers recall Iiro Pakarinen (still on IR), return Anton Lander to AHL

The Edmonton Oilers have sent Anton Lander back to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. The corresponding transaction was recalling Iiro Pakarinen from the AHL, but Pakarinen remains on the Injured Reserve, meaning the Oilers are currently one body below the 23-man NHL roster limit. 

Lander played a solid game in the Oilers 5-1 loss last night to the Blackhawks. He logged just over 12 minutes of ice time, and manage a positive shot attempt differential. Pakarinen has yet to play this season, as he’s been sidelined all year with a lower body injury that has kept out of action for much longer than originally expected. 

This is somewhat of a curious roster transaction, as the Condors play tonight against the San Diego Gulls and then don’t play again until Friday. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Pakarinen remains on the IR and no other transaction to replace Lander in the lineup has been announced.

This is more than likely simply a paper transaction to save the Oilers some cap room on the season. In the NHL, Lander has a daily cap figure of $5,309, whereas in the AHL, he only coasts them virtually nothing ($201 per day) as a buried cap hit. This doesn’t seem like much, but the less the Oilers spend on the daily cap, the more flexibility they have come deadline time.