Oilers Captain Out Indefinitely

The Edmonton Oilers will be without their captain, Shawn Horcoff, indefinitely after he broke his knuckle blocking a shot. The injury occurred in the second period in Monday night’s 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. “He was just playing hockey, blocking a shot. We’re going to have to regroup quickly,” said Ralph Krueger, the Oilers assistant coach. The injury comes just hours after Magnus Paajarvi got called up from AHL affiliate Oklahoma City Barons. The Oilers are going to miss their captain dearly. Horcoff is not known as a top point getter but he provides leadership with grit. Horcoff was an integral part of the Oilers’ 2006 Stanley Cup Playoff run against the Carolina Hurricanes. In 24 games he had 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points. He had two game winning goals and a combined +4. With Belanger and Horcoff out the Oilers need to find a player who can take faceoffs. Josh Green would be a good option but Horcoff is not a guy you can replace and we will see what this injury will mean for Edmonton.