The Edmonton Oilers still haven’t played at full strength this season, and it appears they may have to wait until after Christmas to have a chance.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returned to the Edmonton lineup over the weekend, but not before more players went down with injuries. Jack Roslovic, who has been one of the Oilers’ better offensive players this season, blocked a shot against the Dallas Stars that will sideline him for a while. Meanwhile, Kasperi Kapanen was looking to be on track for a return before suffering a setback at practice last week.

According to Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor, both players are likely to be out for the next three weeks, with a return after Christmas most likely.

“Walman won’t play tomorrow. Later in week is goal,” Gregor shared on social media. “Roslovic and Kapanen might get in a game before Christmas break, but most likely they return after, so another 3+ weeks for both.”

Walman won’t play tomorrow. Later in week is goal.
Roslovic and Kapanen might get in a game before Christmas break, but most likely they return after, so another 3+ weeks for both.

— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) December 1, 2025

Roslovic has been red-hot over the past few weeks. The 28-year-old is third in team scoring with 10 goals and 18 points through 23 games this season. Only Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have more goals on this team than the Ohio native.

On the other hand, Kapanen has not had much of a chance to make an impact with Edmonton this season. The speedy Finn only got six games in before going down with an injury. He showed off his frustration after getting re-injured in practice, slamming sticks onto the ice at Rogers Place as he headed to the locker room.

The Oilers have also been without defenceman Jake Walman for the past three games. His injury was not as serious as Roslovic’s or Kapanen’s, and Gregor reported a return to the lineup could come later this week.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch ruled out Walman for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

Saturday’s 4-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken was the most convincing victory this Oilers team has had in over a month. Even with the injuries, the time is now for this team to finally start digging out of the hole they’ve dug so far this season.