Here we are in July talking about a training camp, to prepare hockey players for a playoff series. Times are strange indeed but on the plus we have real hockey to discuss once more! Today for the first time in four months the Oilers roster stepped out together on the ice at Rogers Place to practice.
First off on a somber note, this was what all the players saw on the Jumbo-tron as they stepped out on the ice. Colby Cave should have been out there laughing and joking with his fellow teammates but sadly was taken from all of us far too soon. Displaying his name like this is a nice gesture by the organization.
#WeSkateFor Colby 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/cSMFvYGT1n
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 13, 2020
LINEUPS
This isn't like a normal training camp when you will see players like Benson or Lavoie skating around with McDavid or Draisaitl. This training camp is about preparing the playoff roster, so seeing where players have been placed is certainly telling.
RNH-McDavid-Kassian Athanasiou-Draisaitl-Yamamoto Ennis-Sheahan-Archibald Neal-Khaira-Chiasson Nygard-Haas-P. Russell Benson-Marody-McLeod
Klefbom-Larsson Nurse-Bear K. Russell-Benning Lagesson-Bouchard/Broberg
A few thoughts:
The biggest takeaway many will note first is seeing Ryan Nugent Hopkins on the top line with McDavid, away from Draisaitl and Yamamoto, with Andreas Athanasiou in his place. Some may not like this out of hand, as this trio was the Oilers most dominant line through the second half of the season but it is a move that makes great sense for a number of reasons.
First off, McDavid needs to have at least one legitimate top 6 player alongside him. Kassian is a fine complimentary player but having #44 on one wing and someone like Ennis or Neal on the other is not a recipe for a strong top 6 option. In the league today, coaches rely more on duos than trios. Pairing RNH with McDavid and Draisaitl with Yamamoto provides Tippett with two very strong options that he can mix and match accordingly.
Seeing how Athanasiou plays with Draisaitl and Yamamoto will be a story to follow. I recently wrote about trying Athanasiou at centre to try and place him in a spot where his skills can be used. AA didn't get much of a chance to fit into the Oilers roster in his 9 game stretch and also was dealing with an injury at the same time. Now Athanasiou should be completely healthy and can use this training camp to gel with his teammates.
As we have seen all year, the Oilers are icing two checking fourth lines as opposed to a skill third line. Ennis with Sheahan and Archibald might have a chance to pot a couple greasy goals but Tippett will be counting on them most to be smart defensively and transition the puck well.
I am a bit surprised to see Khaira back at centre over Haas and I think this is the line we will see the most rotation in over the next couple of weeks. Chiasson and Neal are the veteran options that actually both have solid 5 on 5 possession numbers but foot speed is definitely a problem with that line.
The other big story today was that Caleb Jones was not on the ice with the main group, being declared "unfit to play." This does not mean that Caleb Jones has COVID19. The league has asked all teams to use this language if a player cannot play due to illness or injury. Jones was reportedly going to step out onto the ice with a smaller group later which means he is likely dealing with a smaller injury. I will update as more information is given.
All in all it is great just to see the players all together again. We have a long way to go and any number of things could change between now and August 1st but for now we should all just enjoy the fact that hockey is coming back.