The Edmonton Oilers are expected to place forward Tyler Benson on the long-term injured reserve, Oilersnation’s Jason Gregor confirmed to me Wednesday.
According to Gregor, Benson is believed to have suffered a lower-body injury that could be serious enough to keep him out of the lineup for at least 24 days — the minimum requirement to be placed on the reserve. It would also mean that Benson would be required to miss 10 games.
Assuming that the Oilers place him there on Oct. 9, a day before rosters are due to be set, or on Oct. 10 before rosters are set at 3 p.m. MST, Benson would be eligible to return after the team’s Nov. 1 game against the Nashville Predators.
It’s truly unfortunate for Benson, who came into camp motivated and actually had a solid preseason. He was a guy who could’ve made the team as a fourth liner, or as an extra forward.
Now, it looks like he’ll have some rehabbing ahead of him and the potential for a stint in the minor leagues before a potential NHL return.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

#NATIONVACATION TO LAS VEGAS

  • When: On Thursday, January 12th, we’re jumping on a flight at the Edmonton International Airport and making our way to Vegas. On Sunday evening, we’ll fly back from Vegas to Edmonton. So the dates that you need to block off for this trip are January 12th to 15th.
  • Where we’re staying: After landing in LV, we’ll jump on the free shuttle and make our way to the Park MGM before settling in for a good night’s sleep. 😉
  • What you get: Your roundtrip flight, hotel, shuttle, viewing party (Friday night), game entry — we got seats this time (Saturday night), and exclusive entry into our pre-trip ‘get to know everyone’ event.
  • How Much: The total cost for the trip, flight, hotel, and entry to the game is $1499 per person (based on double occupancy)
  • Tickets: Ready to dive in? Click this link.