Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald has been diagnosed with myocarditis and is out indefinitely.
Archibald, who turns 29 on Oct. 6, had yet to take part in a practice with his teammates at training camp after coming out of quarantine. Oilers head coach Dave Tippett indicated last week that Archibald had been skating on his own and wasn’t feeling up to speed.
Read more:
Edmonton Oilers hold off Jets for 4-3 win
“When he came up from the States, he had to quarantine for 14 days. The back half of that 14 days, he wasn’t feeling well. He had a severe viral infection coming out of his quarantine. He tried to skate for a few days and just wasn’t feeling right,” explained Tippett.
“We got a bunch of tests done. What the tests showed was at some point this summer, he’d had COVID.”
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle.
Oilers goalie Alex Stalock is likely to miss the entire season after being diagnosed with myocarditis. Stalock texted positive for COVID-19 last November.
Former Oilers forward Mark Letestu missed the majority of the 2019-20 season with myocarditis while playing for the Winnipeg Jets.
Read more:
Edmonton Oilers fall in OT to Kraken
Archibald, who Oilers general manager Ken Holland identifies as the only unvaccinated member of the team, will undergo further tests this week.
“He’s having a CAT scan, he’s having an MRI this week just to figure out where we are,” said Tippett.
Archibald spent the last two seasons of his six-year NHL career with the Oilers. Tippett said Archibald has been missed in the dressing room during camp.
“He’s a popular guy in there. He’s one of those heart-and-soul guy players. He hasn’t felt well since he got back, so guys are concerned about him,” said Tippett.
On Sunday, the Oilers assigned defencemen Philip Broberg and Filip Berglund and goalie Ilya Konovalov to Bakersfield of the AHL. Forward Cooper Marody and Seth Griffith were placed on waivers.
The Oilers host the Calgary Flames in pre-season action Monday night at Rogers Place. Coverage starts on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.