The Edmonton Oilers will be without two key forwards for at least the next 5-8 days, as head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed Monday after practice that neither Zach Hyman nor Viktor Arvidsson will suit up this weekend. This was an unfortunate revelation for the coach to make, given that the Oilers don’t play until Friday when they face the Utah Hockey Club before travelling to Colorado to take on the Avalanche on Sunday.

Making matters worse, Kris Knoblauch didn’t offer much clarity on what’s ailing the pair, simply stating that fans shouldn’t expect them in the lineup for either matchup. For Hyman, his mysterious injury has kept him sidelined since the Oilers’ win against Ottawa on November 19 when he left the game in the second intermission. Listed as having an “undisclosed injury,” the veteran winger’s absence has left a noticeable hole in the Oilers’ top six, power play, and penalty-killing unit.

As for Arvidsson, his lower-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since November 12, when he last played against the New York Islanders. Initially considered day-to-day, the timeline for his return seems to have stretched beyond what was originally hoped for. If you remember, Kris Knoblauch labelled Arvidsson as a 50-50 chance to play against the Nashville Predators 11 days ago, but the winger has yet to see any game action since. Clearly, my understanding of day-to-day does not match the organization’s definition these days.

With both Hyman and Arvidsson unavailable, the Oilers will once again need to rely on depth scoring and contributions from across the lineup if they’re going to turn Saturday’s win over the Rangers into another winning streak. While Knoblauch has stressed a “next-man-up” mentality, there’s no question the team is missing the consistent offence and experience these two bring to the ice. What’s most bothersome about the situation, however, is that the short-term timelines for both players seem to be meaningless, and we still don’t have any real idea of when they’ll actually be back.

As Edmonton heads into a tough stretch of games, getting through it without two of their most veteran forwards will be no small task. Fans will be hoping for updates as the week wears on, but for now, patience will be key as the Oilers navigate yet another test of their depth. Needless to say, this was not the news that any of us were looking for when it came to Hyman and Arvidsson, and knowing that both players are already ruled out of next weekend’s games doesn’t help much either. As always, we wait…

In 20 games played so far, Zach Hyman has three goals and five assists for eight points while averaging 19:11 in TOI. Meanwhile, Viktor Arvidsson has produced two goals and three assists in 15:41 of TOI through 16 games played.

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