Oilers Stash Savoie and Regula on LTIR, Lose Nugent-Hopkins to IR
Daily Faceoff reported the roster moves on Thursday.
The are already breaking out the NHL’s favorite accounting trick, but one of these roster moves is going to leave an actual mark on the ice. According to Daily Faceoff, Edmonton has placed Matthew Savoie and Alec Regula on Long-Term Injured Reserve, while veteran forward heads to standard IR.
The LTIR moves are mostly cap gymnastics, but losing is a legitimate problem. He is the glue guy who stops the top six from turning into a pure track meet, and now he is on the shelf just as the real games are approaching.
This is not exactly ideal timing for a team that just forgot how to play defense. is coming off a 6-5 loss to the on September 30, a game where the blue line looked like a suggestion rather than a strategy.
Stashing Savoie and Regula on LTIR gives the front office some breathing room, acting like a Cayman Islands bank account for the salary cap. But cap space does not backcheck, and missing leaves a massive hole on both the penalty kill and the power play.
The Oilers get an immediate rematch against on October 2. With out and the defense already leaking oil, anyone looking at the betting board might want to circle the over on Canucks shots or team totals. has the firepower to outscore their problems, but doing it without their most responsible forward is a dangerous game.