Josh Archibald is out indefinitely after being diagnosed with myocarditis. The news was broken by Edmonton Oilers head coach Dave Tippett earlier today. Archibald contracted the COVID-19 virus over the summer.
Tippett says Archibald had COVID over the summer. He’s been diagnosed with myocarditis and is out indefinitely.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 3, 2021
Josh Archibald Out Indefinitely
The 28-year-old right-winger has spent six years in the big leagues, playing his last two with the Oilers. In 52 games last season, he put up 13 points, nearly evenly split with seven goals and six assists. He averaged a little over 13:30 on the ice per game and had 37 minutes in penalties. His advanced numbers show he was a detriment to the Oilers when he stepped off the bench. Sporting a rough 39.0 Corsi For percentage and an even worse -12.4 relative Corsi, Archibald was one of the worst players on the ice, statistics-wise. In his short career, he’s played 235 NHL games, and racked up 70 points in the form of 39 goals and 31 assists.
How the Oilers Adapt
Obviously, Josh Archibald is not the star player on the Oilers, but he brought a physical presence. Leading the team in hits last season with 192, he provided a rough-and-tumble play that the Oilers rely on to make space for their star players. Even so, there are plenty of options for the Oilers to turn to replace Archibald. Jesse Puljujarvi is another depth winger that, while gets more ice time than Archibald, will need to step up his game to make up for the lack of physicality. While Kailer Yamamoto is not a hit-first type of player, his offence certainly makes up for his lack of size. And Zack Kassian is both physical and can produce offence (well, at least to the standards of Archibald). The Oilers have no shortage of depth in the winger position, and with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the charge, their offence is looking to take it to another level in the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
