Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters today that winger Mattias Janmark has undergone an undisclosed surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs (via Tony Brar of Oilers TV). He was already on long-term injured reserve, adding his $1.45MM cap hit to their pool, so there’s no cap impact for Edmonton as a result of the season-ending determination.
It’s been a season to forget for Janmark, who hasn’t played since Feb. 25 and missed significant time at the beginning of the campaign with an undisclosed issue as well. The two-way forward is relied upon more for defensive acumen and penalty-killing ice time more than offense at this stage of his career, but he’s still only contributed a goal and eight points in 43 games with a -8 rating. He’s averaging 11:51 of ice time per game, down nearly two minutes from last year, and his shorthanded ice time is down slightly. His possession impacts at 5-on-5 are quite subpar, only controlling 45.3% of shot attempts and 42.3% of expected goals.
Janmark is in the second season of a three-year, $4.35MM contract he signed to re-up with Edmonton in 2024. The Oilers initially landed him in free agency in 2022 and signed him to a pair of one-year deals before giving him a multi-year commitment.
He was valuable near the bottom of the lineup in his first year, notching 10 goals and 25 points in 65 games back in 2022-23, and he’s been a legitimate two-way factor in the Oilers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup Final runs. His regular-season performance recently has been lacking, though, and it’s led to speculation that he may end up on waivers and buried with AHL Bakersfield before the end of his deal. An injury-plagued season certainly won’t help his case as he’ll need to truly earn a roster spot in camp next fall.
Still undisclosed even though Janmark’s out for the season.