Breaking: Oilers forward Josh Archibald “done for the foreseeable future.”

The Edmonton Oilers have just been dealt some terrible news.

According to a breaking news report from National Hockey League insider Mark Spector, Edmonton Oilers forward Josh Archibald is "done for the foreseeable future," but the concerns surrounding his health may now be even greater than the ones pertaining to his professional hockey career.

The report indicates that, after severe bout of Covid-19 earlier this year, Archibald has suffered serious complications that include a heart condition known as myocarditis. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle and in the most severe of cases it can lead to permanent and irreversible damage to the heart or even death if left untreated. This means that the concerns surrounding how this will impact Archibald's hockey career must now come secondary to the concerns surrounding the long term health of the 28 year old professional athlete.

The Oilers forward was coming off a solid season in Edmonton, one that saw him record 7 goals and 6 assists for a total of 13 points over 52 games played. He finished the season with a plus minus rating of +2 and was a contributor in the Oilers short lived run in the playoffs, making 3 appearances there for his team.

It seems a given now that Archibald will start the season on long term injured reserve and depending on the severity of his condition that may very well be where he and the Oilers intend for him to remain for the entirety of this coming season. If that is indeed the case the move would open up $1.5 million in cap space for the Oilers to work with, money that they will no doubt use in an effort to replace Archibald on their roster.

Given the serious nature of this condition there is currently no time table for Archibald's recovery, and one has to wonder how this could impact the rest of his career as a hockey player moving forward.

We wish Archibald a full and speedy recovery, one that will hopefully allow him to return to the NHL one day and leave the game on his own terms rather than due to a virus that has destroyed so many lives.