Josh Archibald Confirmed As Unvaccinated Oilers Player, What Next?…

Ken Holland didn’t say the name Josh Archibald out loud at his media avail on Wednesday morning, but while a guest on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, he either changed his mind on keeping that information private or let it slip. Archibald was confirmed by the Oilers GM as the player who has not been vaccinated and, should he not change his mind, could miss upwards of 30-40 games this season based on travel restrictions for unvaccinated players.

While talking about Duncan Keith and his vaccination situation, Holland said it was a bit different than Archibald, but that he would be taking a similar approach with both players. He needed to take a step back and realize that this is a difficult decision for some, that changing circumstances, available information, and situations may affect the final decision by some players and that he needs to stay in communication with these players.

For many, the immediate response is to be frustrated, especially because a player on a Canadian team is likely to miss far more games than most players on U.S.-based teams. The belief is that Keith was waiting to see what might happen, is a very conscious person about what foods and substances he puts into his body, and wanted to weigh all of his options. Based on the social media activity of Archibald over the past months to a year, fans don’t seem terribly surprised, nor do they think fondly of his decision.