Some big news broke for the Edmonton Oilers over the weekend. Josh Archibald had not been skating with the club due to feeling "not quite right" and under the weather. Further tests have shown that Archibald has been diagnosed with myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscles which restricts blood flow which weakens the rest of the body. Another Oilers player Alex Stalock has the same malady and it looks like Archibald will also be out for the long term.
Like Stalock, Archibald developed myocarditis as a result of COVID, which the player had over the summer. Josh Archibald was the one unvaccinated player on the Edmonton Oilers and his social media account spewed anti vaccine and COVID denying rhetoric. It is sad and unfortunate that this is the result of those consequences.
I do wish Archibald a full recovery and beyond hockey that the man is able to live a healthy long life. COVID is a serious illness and we are only starting to understand the long term ramifications it has. Unlike some have suggested, it doesn't matter if you live a healthy lifestyle; you can't just will your body to not be affected by it. These are elite athletes who have spent their lives training their bodies to peak performance and these type of diseases are still taking their toll.
On the cap side of things, Archibald will be moved to the LTIR, saving the Oilers 1.5 million from his cap hit. This should put the Oilers just a hair under 3 million in cap space by my estimate, around 2.8 million in space. While not a huge amount of space it should help the team closer to the trade deadline and provide a few more options when Holland is hopefully adding to this roster.
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In addition the Oilers have made a few more cuts to their roster. Filip Berglund, Ilya Konovalov, and Philip Broberg were sent down to the AHL. Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith were also sent down but they need to clear waivers first.
Again these should come as no surprise. I had hoped Marody might challenge for a spot but once again the player just doesn't seem to have the footspeed to play at an NHL level. Part of me hopes that he is claimed and finds a spot with another team because I just don't see it happening with Edmonton.
Broberg and Berglund both showed well and likely will spend plenty of time together in the AHL and continue to develop under the tutelage of Jay Woodcroft. I could see either of these players being a callup at some point this season.
Lastly Konovalov showed well, particularly in the game against the Jets where the Oilers iced a very weak lineup. While not a big man, the athleticism of Konovalov was on full display and right now the future looks bright for the goalie.
Edmonton now has 28 players remaining with four goalies, nine defensemen and fifteen forwards.