Oilers' Koekkoek taking time off to address mental health

While the Edmonton Oilers opened up training camp on Wednesday, several players from their roster were notably absent.

One was Mike Smith, which comes as no surprise as it had been speculated for some time that he would spent the 2021-22 season on long-term injured reserve. The other, however, in Slater Koekkoek, caught many off guard. Speaking with media, general manager Ken Holland said that the 28-year-old is away from the team due to mental health reasons. It is unknown when, or if, he will rejoin the Oilers at any point this season.

Koekkoek, who is in the second year of a two-year, $1.85 million deal, was limited to just 19 games with the Oilers last season due to injury. In 2020-21, however, he proved to be a solid option on the Oilers third pairing when healthy, thus earning himself the multi-year extension.

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