{"id":391475,"date":"2026-01-05T07:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T07:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/391475\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T07:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T07:14:21","slug":"help-us-with-some-energy-oilers-head-coach-welcomes-return-of-rugged-forward-kasperi-kapanen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/391475\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Help us with some energy’: Oilers head coach welcomes return of rugged forward Kasperi Kapanen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kasperi Kapanen skated on right-wing with Leon Draisaitl at Sunday\u2019s Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u2019 practice, which likely signals a return after being out for two and a half frustrating months with a knee issue, with two separate rehabs.<\/p>\n

Unless there\u2019s a physical setback between now and Tuesday night when the Nashville Predators are here, Kapanen will probably play his first game since Oct. 19 in a loss in Detroit after missing 36 games. He was ready to come back in late November but reinjured the knee at the end of a practice\u2014not on a line rush, or a battle drill, or blocking a shot, but when the leg appeared to catch a rut in the ice.<\/p>\n

He left the ice in anger, smashing his stick at the bench, sending several other sticks flying, before limping down the alleyway to the dressing room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis feels like I\u2019ve been out three years,\u201d said Kapanen, who was on the road to recovery until he reinjured it on Nov. 27 and had to start all over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last play of practice, my leg got caught in the ice again and I twisted it. It was a nothing play. Obviously, I saw the video afterwards and I felt bad for my reaction. Maybe a bit of a drama queen there after seeing the video. I regret doing it, but the frustration and disappointment came out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing back to square one was hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original injury, where he only played five minutes in the Oilers\u2019 Game 6 of the season, looked not that worrisome, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cI skated off the ice and felt something wasn\u2019t quite right, but I didn\u2019t think it was that bad. It\u2019s usually the next day (where the real discomfort comes), I woke up, and I knew,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMentally, the hardest part is not being on the ice with the team and not going on the road as you\u2019re used to but if there\u2019s ever a time to be hurt it\u2019s now because my wife is pregnant and I\u2019m trying to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cKind of a blessing in disguise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kapanen scored one of the biggest goals of the Oilers playoff run to the Cup final last spring, finding a loose puck in a mosh-pit of players in OT in Game 5 of the second series against Vegas to put the Golden Knights out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never been past the first round of the playoffs before,\u201d said Kapanen, admitting to how excited he was.<\/p>\n

The Oilers have missed Kapanen\u2019s speed, his hitting and his penalty-killing. And, if he plays Tuesday, they won\u2019t be breaking him in slowly, like on a fourth line. Off Sunday\u2019s practice, Jack Roslovic, Draisaitl\u2019s oft-used RW, was skating on the third line with Adam Henrique and farm call-up Ike Howard on left-wing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long process for him (Kapanen). He\u2019s off for four or five weeks, and that\u2019s enough, then he\u2019s ready to get back to playing and he gets hurt again and he has to do it (rehabbing) all over again. He\u2019s grumpy, can\u2019t skate, but he\u2019s worked so hard,\u201d said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, who wouldn\u2019t fully commit to his return Tuesday, but it looks like it, and we\u2019ll see after another practice Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know he can help us with some energy, a bit of offence, his physicality and eventually some penalty-killing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers\u2019 Andrew Mangiapane (88) during third period NHL action against the Dallas Stars\u2019 at Rogers Place, in Edmonton Tuesday Nov. 25, 2025.<\/p>\n

Will Mangiapane stay, or will he go?<\/p>\n

Andrew Mangiapane, scratched for the second time in the last three games as he awaits a trade, was on a line with Curtis Lazar and Matt Savoie at practice. So, he might play against Nashville, but he\u2019s in a state of limbo.<\/p>\n

In a perfect world, the Oilers would like to divest themselves of his entire $3.6 million AAV to open up much-needed cap and roster space, without taking any warm body back, but we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

Mangiapane, unhappy with his ice-time, has a no-trade so would have to waive it for a deal, and he would like to play on a similar contender. But there are lots of mismatched balls in the air.<\/p>\n

Yes, Anaheim, in third place in the Pacific but losers of nine of their last 11 games, is kicking tires on Mangiapane because they have $23 million in cap space. They can absorb the money but they may also be trying to move one of two veteran forwards\u2014Ryan Strome or Frank Vatrano\u2014who are both struggling and not part of their core any longer.<\/p>\n

The ex-Oiler Strome, who has six points in 21 games after starting the season with an upper-body injury, could possibly help Oilers as a third-line cnetre but Strome makes $5 million for this year and next. Unless the Ducks want to eat $2 million of that, that seems a non-starter trade. And the fast Vatrano, who had 37 goals two years ago and 45 points last season but just six points in 38 games now is $4.75 million AAA for two years. He\u2019s on IR at the present time.<\/p>\n

Leafs\u2019 GM Brad Treliving knows Mangiapane from their Calgary days, so there\u2019s a connection, but Treliving probably wants to move his underachieving, similar-sized forward Mattias Macelli. While the Oilers are dying for secondary offence, Macelli isn\u2019t a huge upgrade. He has 15 points, Mangiapane has 11. His cap hit is $3 million and only for this season.<\/p>\n

And, the Jets are the other team in the picture. They\u2019re dying for offence after the Mark Scheifle-Kyle Conner-Gabe Villardi line, but would Mangiapane want to waive his no-trade to a team in last place, on a nine-game losing streak?<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Jake Walman (96) of the Edmonton Oilers, checks Brad Marchant (63) of the Florida Panthers in game five of the Stanley Cup final at Rogers Place in Edmonton on June 14, 2025.<\/p>\n

Walman slowly on the mend<\/p>\n

Defenceman Jake Walman missed his 19th straight game Saturday after breaking a bone in his foot when hit by a shot in the Tampa Bay game on Nov. 20. But Knoblauch said he\u2019s getting closer, likely to a return with partner Darnell Nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe anticipate he\u2019ll be on the ice with the group Monday. If not then, Tuesday for the game-day skate,\u201d said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

Walman missed the first six games when hurt, too.<\/p>\n

And, what of new starter Tristan Jarry, who injured his leg (possible groin issue) Dec. 18? He\u2019s missed seven games.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast Thursday, he was taking shots at the morning skate with the scratches. He\u2019s played through a lot of injuries and we want to make sure this one is healed and it\u2019s not a recurring thing. Maybe in a week he\u2019ll practise with us and full-time in two weeks,\u201d \u00a0said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s expected Connor Ingram will get the Nashville game, and Calvin Pickard on Thursday in Winnipeg after stealing a game against the Jets there Dec. 29.<\/p>\n

This \u2018n that<\/p>\n

Sobering stat: Connor McDavid<\/a> has been all-world during his 15-game point streak with 14 goals and 36 points, but the Oilers are only 9-6 in that span, 5-5 in the last 10. He\u2019s on fire, but he\u2019s not getting any help from the bottom six. His longest point-run is 17 games in 2021.<\/p>\n

Defenceman Spencer Stastney will be playing against his former Predators for the first time since the Dec. 12 trade for a third-round draft pick. He knew something might be up because of the numbers on the back-end in Nashville. He wasn\u2019t held out of the game before the deal to guard against injury, instead playing against St. Louis. \u201cMy agent texted me afterwards and said there was a trade in the works with Edmonton. He said it might not happen tonight or tomorrow but be ready. I went to bed, woke up and there was a notification from (GM) Barry Trotz to go to the rink and grab your stuff,\u201d said Stastney, who has averaged 17:23 in his 11 Oiler games, some with Darnell Nurse, and now with Ty Emberson.<\/p>\n

One NHL scout who has watched Trent Frederic go through his awful patch with three points, two goals and one assist in his 41 Oiler games: \u201cHe\u2019s a participant but he doesn\u2019t participate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frederic, who played the fewest minutes of any Oiler forward (8:39) in the loss to Philly on Saturday, was an extra forward at Sunday\u2019s practice, as he should be, along with farm call-up Quinn Hutson. Hutson played 9:17.<\/p>\n

How anemic offensively was the bottom six in the 5-2 loss to Philly? The defensively solid Henrique, mired in a crushing 34-game scoring drought, had the only shot. Mattias Janmark, absent from Sunday\u2019s practice (undisclosed), Frederic, Savoie, Hutson and Howard had none on goalie Dan Vladar.<\/p>\n

Knoblauch gave Howard-Savoie-Hutson line a look for the Flyers game, but it might have only been a one-time thing. It wasn\u2019t as good a fit or storyline, as it appeared on paper. \u201cThere was some good stuff, some bad stuff, overall, it was mostly positive,\u201d said Knoblauch, who wanted three offensive guys on one line and not playing them with more defensive-minded players. But they got stung on the Flyers\u2019 fourth goal, with centre Rodrigo Abols beating the normal Savoie on a draw to set up Nick Seeler\u2019s goal in traffic. The Young Offenders in this case, as somebody suggested of a nickname other than Kid Line.<\/p>\n

Draisaitl, who had a career-high 18-game point-streak from late January to mid February in 2025, is going through an uncharacteristic tough patch. He\u2019s still fifth in league scoring but since the Christmas break in four games, he has two assists (only one ES). He\u2019s human, and maybe he\u2019s just a little tired averaging 22 minutes a game. He\u2019ll come around as he always does, but he only has one even-strength goal since Dec. 1, one 5-on-5 snipe in his last 13 games. \u201cNo player can be dominant for an entire season,\u201d said Knoblauch. Indeed, McDavid only had one goal in his first 10 games but has 25 now. \u201cMaybe he\u2019s forcing things but I\u2019ve never really seen him have a slump. But the guys around him aren\u2019t collectively meshing,\u201d said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

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