Frederik Andersen and three Edmonton Oilers teammates will open training camp on the shelf next month.
The team announced Wednesday that Andersen, Mattias Janmark-Nylen, Alec Regula and Matthew Savoie won't be available while they recover from injuries.
Savoie and Andersen got hurt during offseason training sessions, according to the announcement. Janmark-Nylen and Regula's situations weren't detailed.
That's a rough way to kick off Mike Babcock's first training camp behind the Oilers bench. He was hired back in June, and now he's short four bodies before he's even run a single drill.
Andersen carries the heaviest weight here. He's 36, he's making $2,750,000 against the cap, and he was expected to anchor the crease again after posting a .874 save percentage across 35 appearances.
Losing him for camp, even if it's short-term, muddies the goaltending picture right when Babcock needs clarity most.
Savoie stings differently. The 22-year-old was building real momentum, five points over his last 10 games played, part of a 37-point season across 82 games.
Oilers blue line takes another hit before camp opens
Regula's absence adds to a defense corps that already took a beating last season. He went minus-16 over 29 games, and dipped to minus-9 across his last 10.
Camp battles for depth spots on the blue line just got a lot less crowded, and that's before anyone straps on the pads.
Janmark-Nylen, meanwhile, quietly chipped in eight points over 43 games last year. He's a depth piece Edmonton leans on for penalty kill minutes, and now he won't be around to compete for a bottom-six role early.
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The Oilers finished 41-30-11 with 93 points last season, good for 14th overall. They know what it looks like when injuries pile up at the wrong time. This is a preview, not a footnote, and how Babcock manages the workload once these four return will say plenty about his approach before puck ever drops for real.
Should the Oilers be worried about Frederik Andersen's health heading into the season?
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