Henrique and Janmark Are Still Out. Babcock's Camp Depth Test Starts Now.

Training camp is still weeks away, and Edmonton is already working around a hole in its forward group. Adam Henrique remains out, Mattias Janmark is on injured reserve, and neither has a clear return timeline. As I noted last week, this is the same situation the Oilers were navigating in mid-August — it hasn't resolved, and camp is getting closer.

The depth concern isn't new, but it sharpens as September approaches. Zach Hyman played only 25 games last season, so the Oilers were already carrying a workload gap on the wing before the injury list added two more names. Babcock spent the final stretch of last season cutting ice time from a depth forward who wasn't meeting his standard — that kind of accountability is useful information, but it doesn't fill a roster spot.

The offseason additions — Dickinson, Murphy, Dach's extension — address structure. They don't directly replace what Henrique and Janmark provide when healthy. My read is that the next few weeks are less about scheme and more about whether those two can get on the ice before the roster has to be built around their absence. September 29 against Vancouver arrives whether they're ready or not.