Oilers Stash Savoie and Regula on LTIR, Lose Nugent-Hopkins to IR

The Edmonton Oilers 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 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins heads to standard IR.

The LTIR moves are mostly cap gymnastics, but losing Nugent-Hopkins 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.

"Daily Faceoff reported the roster moves on Thursday."

This is not exactly ideal timing for a team that just forgot how to play defense. Edmonton is coming off a 6-5 loss to the Vancouver Canucks 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 Nugent-Hopkins leaves a massive hole on both the penalty kill and the power play.

The Oilers get an immediate rematch against Vancouver on October 2. With Nugent-Hopkins 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. Edmonton has the firepower to outscore their problems, but doing it without their most responsible forward is a dangerous game.