EDMONTON — While the parents are away, the kids will play.
The Edmonton Oilers Rookie Camp began yesterday. Fitness testing and physicals was on the agenda on Wednesday, with a few players meeting with the media. Today they have their first on-ice practice before participating in the Young Stars Classic.
There hasn’t been an official announcement however, it’s safe to assume that the main camp will open up on Monday. With that being said, two prominent Oilers might miss the beginning of training camp.
View the original article to see embedded media.
According to a report on Twitter from Tom Gazzola, both Evander Kane and Darnell Nurse are starting camp, “on the shelf due to injury.” It’s not entirely surprising that Kane won’t be ready for the start of camp, but Nurse not being ready is a recent development.
As Gazzola outlines in his report, “Nurse has been on the ice for informal skates and continues to heal up a lingering injury from the playoffs. The projection is he will be good to go later in camp.”
Lingering injuries from the playoffs is an unfortunate reality. Especially for a team that made it all the way to Game seven of the Stanley Cup Final.
That being said, it’s a good sign that Nurse has been skating with the team. This feels similar to Mattias Ekholm last training camp. Ekholm ended up missing the first game of the season because of a non-serious injury. He was skating with his teammates in training camp, similar to Nurse this year.
Time will tell to see if these players are ready to go for opening day. That being said, if they miss the first few games of the season, it’s not the end of the Oilers playoff hopes.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews or any other updates on the Oilers.
Related: Sam Gagner Joins New Team in Eastern Conference
Related: Promising Former Oiler Signs With New Team
Related: Wife of Former Oilers Forward Ending Marriage
Source Agencies