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Oilers confirm Yakupov has head injury, place him on IR

yakupovgetty

James OBrien

The Edmonton Oilers didn’t quite say that Nail Yakupov has a concussion, as they instead labeled his issue as a “head injury.” Regardless, he was placed on the injured reserve on Saturday after undergoing concussion protocol for this hit from Minnesota Wild winger Matt Cooke on Thursday:

Oilers play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels notes that Yakupov, 20, is eligible to return against the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday. Naturally, that doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to return that soon.

This represents another speed bump in a challenging sophomore season for the Russian winger. He’s been limited to nine goals and 17 points along with a -31 rating in 47 games for Edmonton in 2013-14.

The Oilers face the Winnipeg Jets in a Saturday matinee.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins