Oesterle was scratched for the fifth time in six games when he sat out Tuesday's 4-0 loss to the Oilers.
Oesterle held a place in the lineup for much of December, but Parker Wotherspoon appears to have displaced Oesterle heading into the second half of the campaign. The 32-year-old Oesterle has three helpers, 16 shots on net, 27 blocked shots, 12 hits and an even plus-minus rating over 16 appearances. He'll likely be at risk of losing his roster spot once Hampus Lindholm (lower body) is ready to return -- there's no firm timeline for that, but Lindholm resumed skating Tuesday and will likely need another week or two at least to build back up after a lengthy layoff.