Flu bug keeps RNH out of lineup
The flu bug that knocked Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the sidelines before Wednesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks is packing enough clout to keep the centre out of the lineup again on Saturday.
The Edmonton Oilers sophomore centre isn’t expected to be available for the 8 p.m. game against the visiting St. Louis Blues.
“What I had hoped was a 24-hour flu, which has hit multiple players here, is deeper than that. He is still extremely weak today,” Oilers head coach Ralph Krueger said on Friday. “With that being at least three days, we expect he will need as many days to get back.”
Winger Ales Hemsky and defenceman Nick Schultz were also noticeable in their absence, but were both expected to be ready for the game.
Blues deal D’Agostini
To make room for winger T. J. Oshie, who will return to the lineup Saturday after missing three games with a rib injury, the Blues traded Matt D’Agostini to the New Jersey Devils on Friday for conditional picks in the 2015 NHL entry draft (fourth or fifth round plus another in the seventh).
Because the Blues are carrying three goaltenders, roster spots are in short supply and D’Agostini played just 16 games this season.
“You always think about it, especially when the (April 3 trade) deadline is rolling around and you have a team like ours, which has so much depth,” D’Agostini told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You’re kind of sitting on pins and needles a little bit.”
The Blues, who spent three days up in Whistler, B.C., before making their way to Edmonton, are 6-4-0 in their last 10 and 16-11-2 on the season. They scored a 4-2 win over the Oilers in St. Louis on March 1 and will host Edmonton again on Tuesday.
Jaroslav Halak, who hasn’t played since March 10, is expected to start for the Blues.
Ewanyk inks contract
Not long after he wrapped up a pre-game skate with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, Travis Ewanyk made his way into the Oilers press conference room at Rexall Place.
The ink was still fresh on the three-year entry-level contract he had just signed.
“That’s one weight off my shoulders,” said the Oilers’ fourth-round pick from the 2011 draft.“It couldn’t get better. Just growing up, the greatest thing ever was getting drafted by the Oil Kings, then I was drafted by the Oilers, then I signed with them. It’s just one more step. It’s awesome.”
Ewanyk, a gritty defensive forward, will report to the Oilers rookie camp in the fall, and then he’ll start his pro career with the Oklahoma City Barons, Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate.
Oil Kings teammates Keegan Lowe (Carolina Hurricanes) and Henrik Samuelsson (Phoenix Coyotes) signed their entry-level deals earlier this month.
“It shows how we’ve grown as a team,” continued Ewanyk, a native of St. Albert. “We all got drafted a couple of years ago, now we’ve got our contracts and it’s kind of cool to go through it together. You can’t overlook the importance of playing all these playoff games. They’re huge when it comes to development and experience.
“But the role I’ve played on the Oil Kings is definitely a role I know the Oilers see me playing at the next level.”