Injury Thread '24-‘25 (Post 1 has current injury status)

[McFlyingV]

For these cases where the player plays for a small bit and shuts down seems less like reaggravation and more like them testing it out and it not feeling right.

Ekholm was likely trying it in practices and it was fine. It's just that practices don't test the recovery well enough

Generally yes a player is going to be mostly symptom free in practice to even get back in a game, and they're not going to return until that injury has been given the proper healing time. I don't know what his injury is because its never been reported, but if he has something like a partial tear (or even a full tear) of a tendon/ligament/cartilage you really don't know how that injury is going to heal on its own because a partial tear has such a massive range on a spectrum, full tears in some areas can heal spontaneously or might not, and some areas, even of the same structure heal better than others. A great example of this is the meniscus in the knee which has some areas that often heal well on their own, and some areas that don't.

Eventually he had to try this out and see how it responded in game situations if they weren't going to shut him down for this year. Now he'll undergo some further imaging to see if the injury has gotten worse. If it hasn't he may continue trying to rehab it to have some chance of returning this year. If it has gotten worse to the point where they think thats not an option then he'll probably get surgery asap.

Just so tired of hearing the slander on medical staff as if they're not qualified professionals just because fans have an emotional response and need someone to blame.

 

[Kerberos]

Can a team forfeit their playoff spot?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I'm glad somebody in here can actually have some sort of sensible rational thought beyond "the oilers medical staff is a bunch of clowns". Yes, this is likely the case. There are lots of injuries that in some cases can be rehabbed and in some cases can not. If you want to keep a player as an option near the end of a season you're not going the surgical route. Not all injuries respond well to rehab though, and in most cases the most you can do is rehab them and put them through the proper protocols to best prepare them to try it out in a game situation.

The people who think "The Edmonton medical staff are clowns for letting him play in a meaningless game" are completely clueless. This was probably months of trying to rehab this, having him hit milestones to be cleared to play, and then two separate trial runs where he re-injured it in game situations which you truly can not fully simulate in rehab or practice settings.

Waiting another week to try it out in the playoffs likely would not have had a different result, and may have hurt them having to play short in a playoff game. Medical staff doesn't just spin a wheel to decide if a player is going to return to the line up. If you think that you're just completely out of touch with reality.

Your not wrong in the context of one player but looking at the larger picture there is a clear pattern that has developed.

Several players have been re-injured some within seconds of coming back. Players we have traded for or signed while injured have not been able to return. Why? Bad luck? Coincidence? The mystery day to day prognosis which inevitably turns into week to week with regularity. Don’t forget they changed Ekholm’s off season training regimen of a decade and a half in his first off season and he promptly injured himself. Smartest guys in the room?

There is a pattern here which cannot be denied. And as I’ve posted team doctors are often pain managers who take orders from management not players.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Can a team forfeit their playoff spot?

Is this what fairweather means?

 

[Mr Positive]

I can see it now.

The team fights like hell to get to the Finals. Game 1 of the SCF, Ekholm makes his playoffs debut and powers the team to its first cup since 1990

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The only think giving me hope is the Oil have generally been tight lipped with injuries and just let the media run with whatever story comes up.

Case and point, Kane will return during the season and the Oil won't be able to use his LTIR at the deadline.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

The only think giving me hope is the Oil have generally been tight lipped with injuries and just let the media run with whatever story comes up.

Case and point, Kane will return during the season and the Oil won't be able to use his LTIR at the deadline.

That’s not being tight lipped. That’s not having a clue.

 

[McFlyingV]

Your not wrong in the context of one player but looking at the larger picture there is a clear pattern that has developed.

Several players have been re-injured some within seconds of coming back. Players we have traded for or signed while injured have not been able to return. Why? Bad luck? Coincidence? The mystery day to day prognosis which inevitably turns into week to week with regularity. Don’t forget they changed Ekholm’s off season training regimen of a decade and a half in his first off season and he promptly injured himself. Smartest guys in the room?

There is a pattern here which cannot be denied. And as I’ve posted team doctors are often pain managers who take orders from management not players.

We have seen it with Ekholm yes. We saw Draisaitl do it after taking like 4 or 5 different spills in that game before he decided to pull himself. Hardly an indictment of the medical staff. A guy re-aggravating a high ankle sprain? Not really an indictment, just the nature of the injury. Similar to how Henrique tried to play a game last playoffs after his and then ended up sitting out the rest of the Vancouver series because its largely a symptom based injury.

No, team doctors are not pain managers. They, along with all members of the medical staff provide real input into where the player is at, what their risks are of returning, and so on. We continue to talk about injuries as if they are black and white, when in reality it is almost always grey area because every injury is so different, and even the same injury on two different people can be so different in the recovery process.

I'm not sure where the Ekholm off season training comment comes from, do you have a source for that? Off-season training also has very little to do with the medical staff unless they're coming back from an injury. That's largely on strength and conditioning coaches.

 

[sepHF]

 

[McFlyingV]

He came back and played the rest of the game.

 

[Fourier]

That’s it, party’s over.

Thanks Oilers for managing his illness/injury this year so well (voice dripping in sarcasm).

Devastating news but the party ain't over 'till the fat lady sings even if she is already finished her warm-ups.

This injury puts immense pressure on the Oilers goaltenders which does not inspire confidence. But I still think they can win the conference if McDavid and Draisaitl are actually healthy. Nether LA of Vegas are offensively dynamic teams. The Oilers may well have to outscore them to move on and they are capable of doing so at their best even without Ekholm.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Derek Ryan will save us!

Can he play LD?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Devastating news but the party ain't over 'till the fat lady sings even if she is already finished her warm-ups.

This injury puts immense pressure on the Oilers goaltenders which does not inspire confidence. But I still think they can win the conference if McDavid and Draisaitl are actually healthy. Nether LA of Vegas are offensively dynamic teams. The Oilers may well have to outscore them to move on and they are capable of doing so at their best even without Ekholm.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

We have seen it with Ekholm yes. We saw Draisaitl do it after taking like 4 or 5 different spills in that game before he decided to pull himself. Hardly an indictment of the medical staff. A guy re-aggravating a high ankle sprain? Not really an indictment, just the nature of the injury. Similar to how Henrique tried to play a game last playoffs after his and then ended up sitting out the rest of the Vancouver series because its largely a symptom based injury.

No, team doctors are not pain managers. They, along with all members of the medical staff provide real input into where the player is at, what their risks are of returning, and so on. We continue to talk about injuries as if they are black and white, when in reality it is almost always grey area because every injury is so different, and even the same injury on two different people can be so different in the recovery process.

I'm not sure where the Ekholm off season training comment comes from, do you have a source for that? Off-season training also has very little to do with the medical staff unless they're coming back from an injury. That's largely on strength and conditioning coaches.

The Ekholm injury was his first off season with Edmonton, he missed all of training camp and the start of the season. He said exactly what I posted in an interview. That was yet another day to day that stretched into week to week injury. The Oilers got off to that horrid start that resulted in Woody getting fired.

Team doctors have throughout sporting history been pain managers first, medical doctors second. That’s a known fact. Get the player back on the ice / field is more important- the short term result takes precedence over the long term well being of the athlete. It is not near as bad as it used to be but hockey and football are well known for athletes getting pain treated over the injury so the player can continue.

I’m sorry but I can’t give the Oilers the benefit of the doubt any longer. Even when it comes to medical issues. The front office is a clown show and the medical staff answers to the clowns.

I’m glad your faith in the integrity of the team remains intact. Jeff Jackson and Bowman have my faith in their decision making abilities in absolute tatters and after Tambo, MacT, Lowe, Nicholson, Chiarelli, and Holland I’ve zero faith left in reserve.

 

[McFlyingV]

The Ekholm injury was his first off season with Edmonton, he missed all of training camp and the start of the season. He said exactly what I posted in an interview. That was yet another day to day that stretched into week to week injury. The Oilers got off to that horrid start that resulted in Woody getting fired.

Team doctors have throughout sporting history been pain managers first, medical doctors second. That’s a known fact. Get the player back on the ice / field is more important- the short term result takes precedence over the long term well being of the athlete. It is not near as bad as it used to be but hockey and football are well known for athletes getting pain treated over the injury so the player can continue.

I’m sorry but I can’t give the Oilers the benefit of the doubt any longer. Even when it comes to medical issues. The front office is a clown show and the medical staff answers to the clowns.

I’m glad your faith in the integrity of the team remains intact. Jeff Jackson and Bowman have my faith in their decision making abilities in absolute tatters and after Tambo, MacT, Lowe, Nicholson, Chiarelli, and Holland I’ve zero faith left in reserve.

I think you're confused about what actually happens when a player returns from injury. The doctors give their opinions, and many of these guys see far more than just the team doctor, they see multiple specialists if its indicated. Many players play through injuries against medical advice, especially in the playoffs. They're well aware of the risks when they do this. The team doctor doesn't just blatantly lie to them as much as you'd like to think they do.

Further on your offseason comment. To think that a guy changing his 2-month offseason program resulted in his injury last preseason is just full on tinfoil hat (not that I should be surprised living in Alberta). I'm sorry but even if he did change his 2 month training program it is highly unlikely this had any impact on a guy who has trained for 30 years for this sport. Elite athletes are already nearing their genetic potential and anything they do in these off-seasons has very little impact on them at this age unless they're coming back from an injury.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I think you're confused about what actually happens when a player returns from injury. The doctors give their opinions, and many of these guys see far more than just the team doctor, they see multiple specialists if its indicated. Many players play through injuries against medical advice, especially in the playoffs. They're well aware of the risks when they do this. The team doctor doesn't just blatantly lie to them as much as you'd like to think they do.

Further on your offseason comment. To think that a guy changing his 2-month offseason program resulted in his injury last preseason is just full on tinfoil hat (not that I should be surprised living in Alberta). I'm sorry but even if he did change his 2 month training program it is highly unlikely this had any impact on a guy who has trained for 30 years for this sport. Elite athletes are already nearing their genetic potential and anything they do in these off-seasons has very little impact on them at this age unless they're coming back from an injury.

Where did I say team doctors lie to players? You’re making a massive leap between pain management and injury recovery.

Also the tin foil hat Alberta is an ignorant comment.

Go watch the clip - Ekholm literally said that his off season - which is longer than 2 months - training regimen was changed by the Oilers and he hurt himself doing the new regimen. Go look it up, it’s on Oilers Plus IIRC. I am merely repeating what he said whereas you are making massive conclusions on my comments.

Either way, there’s little doubt in my mind the Oilers medical staff has made some misjudgements on players we brought in that were hurt and their time to return to play, and appear to have cleared players before they were ready. That is certainly what the appearances show unless these are all coincidences.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[McFlyingV]

Where did I say team doctors lie to players? You’re making a massive leap between pain management and injury recovery.

Also the tin foil hat Alberta is an ignorant comment.

Go watch the clip - Ekholm literally said that his off season - which is longer than 2 months - training regimen was changed by the Oilers and he hurt himself doing the new regimen. Go look it up, it’s on Oilers Plus IIRC. I am merely repeating what he said whereas you are making massive conclusions on my comments.

Either way, there’s little doubt in my mind the Oilers medical staff has made some misjudgements on players we brought in that were hurt and their time to return to play, and appear to have cleared players before they were ready. That is certainly what the appearances show unless these are all coincidences.

I mean doctors in general don't do anything for injury recovery besides injection therapy, and surgery (and team doctors aren't surgeons), so I'm not sure what you're even talking about. Doctors diagnose and that is their primary role in sport injuries.

I think you're out of touch with what a medical doctor's scope is.

 

[soothsayer]

Seeking a second opinion: obviously he got some bad news. I was hoping Rishaug would end up jumping the gun on the Ekholm front, but it appears he's definitely going to be out for awhile, possibly the rest of the season.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Seeking a second opinion: obviously he got some bad news. I was hoping Rishaug would end up jumping the gun on the Ekholm front, but it appears he's definitely going to be out for awhile, possibly the rest of the season.

Probably looking for a Jedi.

"You are well enough to play, young Padawan."

 

[GhostfaceWu]

I have a feeling ekholm is still gonna try to play through it.

 

[subnet]

I can see it now.

The team fights like hell to get to the Finals. Game 1 of the SCF, Ekholm makes his playoffs debut and powers the team to its first cup since 1990

Let me preface this next comment, by saying that I agree with a lot of things that have been said here. I am not expecting a good playoffs if Ekholm is out, and others are really banged-up.

My comment is that perhaps we are being a little coy with our ‘Kane is out for the first 2 rounds, or we’re not sure of X will play at all this year’, to keep the Kings guessing? Gamesmanship - hopefully? This is my positive spin on this crap situation…

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I mean doctors in general don't do anything for injury recovery besides injection therapy, and surgery (and team doctors aren't surgeons), so I'm not sure what you're even talking about. Doctors diagnose and that is their primary role in sport injuries.

I think you're out of touch with what a medical doctor's scope is.

I am not sure your understanding what I am trying to say and I’m probably not articulating it well so I’ll leave it there.

 

[KlefDown]

“Seeking a second option” means Ekholm doesn’t trust this teams medical staff anymore and will go out and find his own independent doctors. Atta boy Ekky! f*** this team and management

 

[timekeep]

I think you're confused about what actually happens when a player returns from injury. The doctors give their opinions, and many of these guys see far more than just the team doctor, they see multiple specialists if its indicated. Many players play through injuries against medical advice, especially in the playoffs. They're well aware of the risks when they do this. The team doctor doesn't just blatantly lie to them as much as you'd like to think they do.

Further on your offseason comment. To think that a guy changing his 2-month offseason program resulted in his injury last preseason is just full on tinfoil hat (not that I should be surprised living in Alberta). I'm sorry but even if he did change his 2 month training program it is highly unlikely this had any impact on a guy who has trained for 30 years for this sport. Elite athletes are already nearing their genetic potential and anything they do in these off-seasons has very little impact on them at this age unless they're coming back from an injury.

How dense are you??