Oilers’ Kasperi Kapanen out week-to-week

The Edmonton Oilers will be without a key depth forward for some time, as head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters Tuesday that Kasperi Kapanen is out on a week-to-week basis for at least “several weeks,” according to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.

The Finnish forward exited Edmonton’s game on Sunday during the second period and did not return.

Kapanen is in his second season as a member of the Oilers. After coming over from St. Louis last year, he appeared in 57 regular season games while putting up 13 points.

The Finnish winger raised his level in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he was in the lineup, as he scored three goals and dished out three assists for six points in 12 games while skating to a plus-4 rating on an average of 13:28 of time on ice per game.

Kapanen was set to hit the unrestricted free agency market this past July 1, but on June 30, he signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract to stay put in Edmonton. So far this season, Kapanen has recorded two assists without scoring a goal while averaging 12:17 per game.

The Oilers are slated to take on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, and 20-year-old rookie David Tomasek is set to draw into the lineup in Kapanen’s absence, according to Tony Brar.

Tomasek is playing his first professional season in North America, having signed with the Oilers after putting up 57 points in 47 games with Färjestad BK of the SHL in Sweden. Like Kapanen, he has also recorded two assists in his prior appearances this year.

Edmonton currently owns a 2-3-1 record and is off to a 1-3-0 start on a long road trip that finally comes to a close in Canada’s capital on Tuesday. The Oilers blanked the Rangers before suffering three straight regulation losses against the Islanders, Devils and Red Wings.