The Edmonton Oilers will be without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for at least a week after suffering an undisclosed injury, head coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday.

And while Nugent-Hopkins will land on the injured reserve with what ails him, the team has activated Mattias Janmark, with the forward set to make his regular season debut Monday night. The Oilers also moved Kasperi Kapanen to the Long Term Injured Reserve.

The Oilers will be looking to bounce back against the Columbus Blue Jackets after getting embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche 9-1.

Nugent-Hopkins has remained relatively healthy over the last three years, playing in 78 games last year, 80 games in 2023-24 and 82 2022-23, enjoying some of his best offensive years scoring 75 goals and 220 points in those 240 games.  He had been off to a red-hot start offensively despite the Oilers’ struggles this season, racking up five goals and 16 points in 16 games.

Janmark, meanwhile, enters the Oilers lineup for the first time this season. Injured in the pre-season, he was only believed to be out for a week or two, a timeline that was pushed back after he suffered a setback. He appeared in 80 regular season games for the Oilers last season, scoring two goals and 18 points, adding another three goals and four points in 22 playoff games.

Lastly, Kapanen has been out of the lineup after being shaken up during an Oct. 19 game against the Detroit Red Wings. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said at the time Kapanen was expected to miss up to six weeks, lining up a potential return for late November or early December.

After Monday’s game against the Blue Jackets, the Oilers embark on a seven game Eastern seaboard road trip beginning Wednesday visiting the Philadelphia Flyers, the Blue Jackets again Thursday, and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.