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Oilers guest blogger #2- Who Wins The Final Spots Up Front?

August 21, 2013, 1:51 AM ET [794 Comments]
Guest Writer
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Ek's Note: Never have I received more interest than in the Oilers job. I have also received some great applicants with writing samples. Over the next few days I will be posting some of these to see what you all think. Over the next few days I will post some others that really standout before making a final decision (which honestly may include adding two writers to this hockey crazed market.)


​As you all know, the Edmonton Oilers have a tremendous amount of skill at the top end of their line up. Coming into the 2013-14 NHL season, coach Dallas Eakins can mix and match Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nail Yakupov, David Perron, Sam Gagner, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ales Hemsky to his hearts desire in an effort to create a balanced scoring situation. After the top tier of players, the depth of the team begins to fall off. Boyd Gordon was brought in to serve as the third line center for 3M per over the next three years, while winger Ryan Jones was re-signed for one year at 1.5M. Ryan Smyth will return for what could possibly be his last season at age 37, but after these ten forwards, the rest of the roster spots are still up for grabs.

With the aforementioned ten forwards all but guaranteed roster spots to start the year, three spots remain. (Assuming Eakins runs with twelve forwards and one in the press box.) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is likely to be sidelined for the beginning of the year due to shoulder rehab, opening up another hole at the centre position. GM Craig MacTavish likely won't add any more forwards before the season starts, so the roster will have to be completed from within. Lets take a look at who's competing for a job in Edmonton on opening day.

Will Acton
​At 26 years old, Acton may be no more than a full time AHLer. He has decent size (6'2, 195lbs) and can throw the body around a bit. With 19 points in 67 games for the Toronto Marlies, Acton isn't a big scorer but he fills a grinding role nicely. I wouldn't have Acton on this list if it wasn't for the fact that Dallas Eakins coached him last year, and MacTavish has spoken well of him. Eakins is familiar with Acton and Will knows the coaches system, but I view him more as a tweener at this point nonetheless.

Mark Arcobello
​Arcobello is a small, shifty center that spent most of the year in the AHL with the Oklahoma City Barons. Mark played one game up with the big club in the lockout shortened season going pointless. He registered 68 points in 74 games for OKC, and then an impressive 12 goals and 8 assists in 17 playoff games. A Yale graduate, Mark is diminutive at 5'9 and 165lbs and if he intends to make the jump, it has to be sooner rather than later for the 25 year old.

Mike Brown
​Mike is a useful energy/role player. A stout 5'11 and 205, Brown skates like the wind and loves to muck it up. He's willing to drop the gloves as witnessed last year, but doesn't contribute much else to the team other than energy. Brown is likely to hold down the 13th spot and see limited action throughout the year when Eakins wants a little intensity jump for the line up.

Ben Eager
​Eager spent the year in the AHL after stints in Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, San Jose and finally Edmonton. Eager is a big man at 6'2 and 236, with good wheels and underrated hands as evidenced by his between the legs, backhand goal against Dallas back in 2011. (If you haven't seen it yet check it out sometime, it's a thing of beauty.) Ben has had some off ice troubles in the past, but if he has a good training camp he could earn a spot back.

Ryan Hamilton
​When I see Hamilton play, I think of Ryan Callahan. Not quite at the same level of course, but the determination and willingness to do anything for his team to win is there, as with Callahan. The 28 year old is a product of Eakins' system in Toronto and has a bit of a scoring touch to go along with his 6'2, 230lbs frame. Hamilton tickled the twine 30 times in 56 games for the Marlies and showed his edge in a 10 game stint with the Leafs, collecting 22 hits. Hamilton is a guy that Eakins could inject into the lineup if he isn't happy with the way his forwards are performing, as Hamilton plays Eakins style to a tee.

Jesse Joensuu
​The big Fin is 6'4 and 209 pounds with 68 regular season and playoff games to his credit in the NHL. In 7 games with the Islanders this year, he racked up 12 hits and at 25 is still young enough to fit in with the Oilers young core. Joensuu is signed on a one-way deal and performed at over a point per game in the SM-Liiga during the lockout. He has all the tools to be a good third line forward; he just needs to prove that he can be consistent with his play in the big leagues.

Anton Lander
​Taken with the 40th pick in the 2009 draft by the Oilers, Lander is listed at a generous 6'0 and 194lbs. The 22 year old went 49.1% in the face off dot in 11 appearances with Edmonton last year, and showed improvement in his shot differential from the year before. Lander is an excellent penalty killer and improved in the AHL as the year went on. He is a tireless worker and embodies all the qualities you look for in a role player, minus size. The fourth line pivot spot is his to lose. At this point, Oilers brass is just waiting for him to prove himself.

Andrew Miller
​Signed as a college free agent out of Yale, the 24-year-old Miller is small but skilled. He produced 166 points in 141 games for Yale over his collegiate career but has proven nothing at the NHL or AHL level. At this point, I see it as unlikely that the 5'10 Miller can jump ahead of Arcobello in the depth charts for a roster spot.

Toni Rajala
​Rajala is one kid who could force his way into the line up. A relative question mark up until last year, Toni started out in the ECHL and just wouldn't stop scoring. The 5'10, 163lbs Rajala ended the year in Oklahoma and has jumped to the upper echelon of Oilers prospects. The 22 year old collected 99 points in 92 regular season and playoff games, ECHL and AHL combined. He brings a great mix of skill, awareness and feistiness but could use another season in the 'A' to pack on some more weight.

​Out of this group of forwards, I see Lander winning the fourth line center role and Brown earning the 13th forward spot. Arcobello seems like the most likely candidate to fill in for the Nuge until he's back in action from rehabbing his shoulder. As for the other spot, I think we see a rotation of Joensuu and Hamilton as Eakins feels necessary, or until one of them wins a full time spot. Here's what we could see come October:

Hall/Gagner/Yakupov
Perron/Arcobello/Eberle
Joensuu/Gordon/Hemsky
Smyth/Lander/Jones
Brown, Hamilton

And then when RNH is fully healed:

Hall/Nugent-Hopkins/Eberle
Perron/Gagner/Yakupov
Jones/Gordon/Hemsky
Smyth/Lander/Joensuu
Brown (With Hamilton getting some games as well.)

Thank you for reading, and have a great day! -J

You can find me on Twitter @JohannesHockey.
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