Stan Bowman reveals the injury behind Frederik Andersen's Oilers absence
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Frederik Andersen's Oilers absence traces back to a knee injury he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final with Carolina, GM Stan Bowman reveals.
Frederik Andersen was supposed to be the goalie who finally settled things down in Edmonton.
Instead, he is opening his first season with the Oilers on the shelf, and it turns out the issue traces back much further than anyone realized.
The veteran signed a one year, $2.8 million contract with Edmonton on July 1, arriving fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with Carolina.
But that title run came with a cost.
Andersen tweaked his knee during Game 2 of the Final and never suited up again after Game 3, watching the Hurricanes close things out from the bench.
At his exit medicals in July, he was told the knee just needed rest, no surgery required.
That reassurance is part of why the injury news out of Edmonton this month caught so many off guard.
What Bowman is saying
Oilers GM Stan Bowman confirmed this week that the training camp absence connects back to that same knee, though he stopped short of calling it a full relapse.
He said the team is not concerned and expects Andersen back well before the halfway point of the season, just without a firm date attached yet.
"Frederik Andersen's absence stems from lingering playoff injury."
- Stan Bowman
- Stan Bowman
Bowman made clear that caution is the priority given Andersen's age.
He turns 37 in October, and the Oilers would rather manage the recovery carefully than risk a longer absence later in the year.
What it means for the crease
With Andersen sidelined, Tristan Jarry and Devon Levi are set to carry the early workload in net.
Both need to prove they can hold down the fort until Edmonton's big offseason addition is finally ready to go.
For a franchise that has chased stability in goal for years, patience is once again the name of the game.
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