The competition in preseason is going up another notch. Week 1 is in the books and the majority of teams are down to at least 70% NHL caliber players in camp. The remaining 30% are the guys knocking on the doors. For Edmonton’s young players, this is new level of testing. For the veterans, this is where they get back up to game speed.

Edmonton placed Keegan Lowe and Callahan on Waivers to be assigned to the AHL. The rest they just moved to Bakersfield after the last game. Here is the list:

Grayson Downing
Caleb Jones
Joey Laleggia
Ryan Mantha
Mitch Callahan
Keegan Lowe

Kailer Yamamoto remains with the club through this point in training camp as he has done nothing but perform. The smaller, still green Yamamoto is going to get his toughest competition yet assuming he plays tonight. In practice he’s still on a line with Chris Kelly, but I think that could change mid-game.

The right wing position remains the most hotly contested spot on the Oiler roster. Based on lines provided by Reid Wilkins, Jesse Puljujarvi is still holding a spot beside Connor McDavid this morning. Frankly, when you draft a guy 4th overall, you expect that he will push to be in the top 6 early in his career.

I guess you could say the same about Strome, who was a 5th overall pick himself, but Strome has leveled out as a 30 point guy the last 2 years and McDavid’s RW is a 60 point position. Whoever finds themselves there is tasked with performing offensively night in and night out. It won’t be a point per game scenario, but they have to make and take plays consistently. I was a little surprised to see Puljujarvi still in the top spot this morning. I thought, like many, that Strome would be given another chance. If they start the game and Strome is back at the top, I wouldn’t be shocked.

That said, there isn’t a single person right winger in the top three lines whose position is solidified. Only Kassian on the 4th line can feel safe about their role. McLellan’s messaging through the media and through his changes to the lines are crystal clear: Show up or move aside.

It’s probably important to remind everyone that of all the Oiler RWs on the top 5 lines at camp, Ryan Strome scored the most goals last year with 13. All 5 men COMBINED last year for 28 goals. So this is a group of unestablished players getting their chance to prove themselves. Nobody, not Drake Caggiula nor Ryan Strome, has actually earned a top 9 spot in the NHL yet.

LINEUP

It looks like this is 90% of the Oiler roster tonight. Yamamoto starts on the 4th, but we’ll see if he can push Puljujarvi, Caggiula or Strome. Simpson plays tonight.

Maroon McDavid Puljujarvi
Lucic Draisaitl Caggiula
Jokinen RNH Strome
Khaira Letestu Yamamoto

Klefbom Larsson
Russell Benning
Simpson Fayne

Talbot

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) Finding Roles. Up to this point there hasn’t been a single game where the majority of the lines have been NHL quality. RNH was the top line, maybe the 2nd. Draisaitl was definitely the top line if he played. Russell and Benning had top pairing duties and PP time to match. This game looks like it has everyone slotted in where they should for opening night. That means ice time will be allocated accordingly and these players will be in situations that will match their expectations for the year. This last stretch of camp is where we see if these players are ready for the roles they are auditioning for.

2) Starboard. This game features all 4 players fighting for the top 3 RW positions: Puljujarvi, Strome, Caggiula, and Yamamoto. It’s the rookie who has performed the most during preseason, but it will still take a strong final push in camp to earn 9 games in October. As for the other 3, they cannot rest on their laurels. Nobody can afford to be complacent because if JP has a bad stretch then Strome can take his spot or vice versa. Everybody wants to be McDavid or Draisaitl’s winger but they have to perform. Otherwise, this is a situation where the Oilers need to use some of that extra Cap space and bring in a more proven asset.

3) 7th Defender. The bottom pairing in this game will be 2 of Simpson, Fayne, and Auvitu. There will be room for at least one of those men on the roster as the number 7 guy when camp is through. They have to show what they can do in games like this. I have pretty strong feelings about Fayne and I like what I’ve seen from Auvitu. I do not know how much I can expect from Simpson. I believe Fayne can play in the NHL on the bottom pairing. It’s his contract that stinks. From what I’ve seen out of Auvitu, he can skate with NHL players, it’s his decision making that I don’t know about yet (not that I’ve seen it as a problem). Someone is going to impress the staff and cement a spot, but I’m not sure who it will be just yet.

Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on the Oilers website. Game On!

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