The Price Of Linus Omark's Injury

Linus Omark is in the midst of a rotten run of luck. Even though his NHL job was thought to be in jeopardy, he made the big club out of training camp. He was held off of the score sheet in his first five games and was able to generate only seven shots on goal. He was not on the ice for an even strength goal - his on-ice shooting percentage was 0.00%, contributing to a 935 PDO . He was first dispatched to the press box as a healthy scratch and finally, mercifully, sent to Oklahoma City on November 2nd as the Oilers recalled Colten Teubert to shore up a sagging blueline.

Omark's luck changed for the better in Oklahoma City where he piled up seven points in seven games, an NHLE of 41 points, his established level of production. But after only seven games, his luck turned again. On November 16th, Omark suffered a broken ankle against Rockford thanks to a slewfoot:

Omark returned to Sweden to begin his rehab, and if his luck weren't already bad enough, Taylor Hall injured his shoulder. An NHL roster spot guaranteed to be open for at least a month is typically great news for an AHL player and would have been for Omark. That spot was his if not for the ankle injury. To further rub salt in the wound, Omark's main competition for that roster spot with Edmonton, Teemu Hartikainen, suffered a shoulder injury on the same day. Omark would have been free and clear to return to the NHL.

The cost to Omark is huge. He lost six weeks of AHL time to prove his worth to interested teams. He lost a marvelous chance to return to Edmonton and contribute to a sagging offense in the wake of Hall's injury. There's also the financial cost. Had Omark suffered the injury in the NHL, his rehab time would count against his NHL contract, $875,000, rather than his AHL contract, $65,000. If the reports are accurate and Omark's rehabilitation will keep him out of action for six weeks, the difference in earnings is $183,891.89. His broken ankle was worth $198,648.65 in the NHL, but just $14,756.76 in the AHL.