The Edmonton Oilers’ rookie camp starts on Sept. 11, main camp with veterans begins on Sept. 15, and late last week the team announced Matt Savoie, Frederik Andersen, Mattias Janmark and Alec Regula will not participate in training camp or the preseason. No team wants injuries, but they are expected, and I don’t think these injuries are a big concern.

Andersen has played 34, 22, 16 and 35 regular season games the past four seasons. I thought playing 30 games would be the high mark for him. You knew he would miss games this season, as did the Oilers, which is why they have Andersen, Tristan Jarry and young Devon Levi signed. I think that an injury, or a losing streak or a goalless streak early in a season is often overhyped. I understand the psychology behind why, but it doesn’t mean the injury, losing streak or drought is more impactful than one that occurs later in the season. In fact, I’d argue that usually they are less concerning, because you have a longer runway to make up for it. If Andersen was got hurt in April, that would be a bigger concern, but the harsh reality about him is that no one should expect him to be healthy all season. He turns 37 on October 2, and unfortunately injuries have become the norm later in his career. The Oilers hope he will be healthy for much of the playoffs, and this injury isn’t expected to be long-term (he’s likely out until late October or early November), so more rest is likely better for him.

Mattias Janmark had shoulder surgery in early March. Janmark played with an ailing shoulder the past two seasons, which might have contributed to him scoring only three goals in 123 games the past two regular seasons. Returning to action after surgery is always a projection. A player has surgery, and the team announces he will be out 4-6 weeks or 4-6 months or longer depending on the injury. You never know how a player will respond to surgery and rehabilitation. Janmark is a fourth-line player on the Oilers, and when he returns, he will have to battle just to be in the lineup. Not being ready for training camp and the preseason isn’t ideal for him, but from a team standpoint, they have other........

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