Follow @SMaloughney Edmonton Oilers fans barely had time to enjoy their first win of the season against the Canucks before receiving the news that Adam Larsson had a fractured fibula from blocking a shot, and would be out of the lineup for the next six to eight weeks.
The Nurse and Larsson pairing struggled for most of the game, and now knowing that Larsson was playing through most of the game on a broken foot, it's easy to understand why. It's a huge blow, both for the team as well as the player who was hoping to improve on what was his worst season in the NHL last season. The right side was a weak spot for Edmonton before this injury occurred... this clearly doesn't improve things.
A trade at this point in the season seems unlikely, meaning the options will have to be internal. There was some confusion yesterday, as a couple of roster moves left fans scratching their heads.
After announcing that Larsson was to be placed on the LTIR, the team also sent Ethan Bear down, while at the same time recalling Evan Bouchard. This was purely a paper transaction move and I will let PuckPedia explain it better than I can:
With Larsson injured, replacing Bouchard w/ Bear on Roster increases #Oilers LTIR Pool.
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) October 3, 2019
Now #Oilers $90K under Cap - gives LTIR Pool of $4,076,898 (Larsson's $4.167M less $90K cap Space).
Before moves, were $263K < Cap, LTIR Pool would have been $3.9Mhttps://t.co/yC72vfAUSy pic.twitter.com/8lFLm2uZb5
This was purely a paper transaction for cap purposes and I expect Ethan Bear to be in the lineup once again when the Oilers face the Kings on Saturday.
In the meantime, Tippett now needs to juggling his defense pairings and find some solid footing for the next month and a half. Likely the easiest option is to move Kris Russell back onto the right side to play with Darnell Nurse. Having those two together is not a long term recipe for success as they were constantly negative CF when together last season, but the two are familiar with each other and Tippett probably gives in to veteran experience.
Tippett has also suggested it is possible that Joel Persson could be ready for the game on Saturday, and has returned to practicing with the team. The Kings, quite simply, are not a strong team and if Persson is ready to go, Tippett should pair he and Nurse together to start the game. Persson impressed through training camp by being a steady player who can make the smart play under pressure which could pair well with Darnell's more aggressive play. The dual puck moving option of Bear and Klefbom has been strong in the early stages. It would be massively beneficial for the Oilers if they could enlist the skills of two strong puck moving pairings.
Next game the Oilers should roll out these pairings:
Klefbom-Bear Nurse-Persson Russell-Benning