The preseason is wrapping up tonight and the way things have unfolded has been mildly surprising. There are no changes to the dead locks in the lineup, but nobody among the big questions has taken the bull by the horns, with one exception.
Kailer Yamamoto has beaten every RW at camp and continues to look good with and without the puck. We knew he had offensive skills, but on the defensive side it has been a revelation based on the expectations. There are going to be challenging plays and frustrating moments, but *for a raw rookie* he has been much better than I expected.
That said, the lineup tonight in Edmonton’s final tune-up raises all kinds of questions. It places Leon Draisaitl back to McDavid’s right side. McLellan claims this is to see what the other 3 lines can do. That’s plausible, but it’s also something that wouldn’t be happening if Edmonton’s wingers had stepped up this September.
The reality is that we all know the most potent combination from a year ago was the Maroon-McDavid-Draisaitl line and there was always going to be the potential for them to be reunited. If the coaching staff would prefer to keep Drai and McDavid together then it opens up options like sending Puljujarvi to the AHL to start the season. Though I haven’t been upset with Puljujarvi’s performance in camp, he hasn’t been heads and tails above players like Caggiula. I think he’s been better, but not by enough to make it impossible to send down.
On defense, there have been no surprises at all. Klefbom and Larsson will have to do a lot of heavy lifting without Sekera there on the 2nd pairing. I have lots of questions about the Russell/Benning combination because I don’t think Benning is ready to anchor that duo. It’s a huge burden to put on a 2nd year player to have to be responsible for moving the puck a majority of the time and to play 20 minutes a night against pretty tough competition. LINEUP
No Puljujarvi tonight. Kassian is out and Slepyshev is in.
Maroon McDavid Draisaitl Lucic RNH Yamamoto Jokinen Strome Caggiula Khaira Letestu Slepyshev
Klefbom Larsson Russell Benning Nurse Gryba
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) McDrai. They played them together to see how their chemistry held up over the summer. This combination takes Edmonton’s best players and lets them loose against the opposition. It’s a dare to the other side to find a way to stop them. Down the stretch last year they were incredible, with both Draisaitl and McDavid taking turns as being the most impactful player on the ice. It will be a familiar sight to see with 97 and 29 together again.
2) Yamo’s Last Audition. We fully expect Yamamoto to start the season in Edmonton’s top 6, but this is formally his last audition. He will have played in 6 of Edmonton’s 8 preseason games (he could have appeared in 7 max because of split-squad play). He has done everything in his power to cement that spot. A great showing with Nuge as his centerman will make it almost impossible to come up with excuses to move him back to Spokane, at least to start the year. He has a share of the league lead in preseason goals with Auston Matthews and it isn’t a fluke. The kid has real skill.
3) It All Counts After Tonight. This is the last time for the players to shake the rust off. We should expect players like Lucic and Maroon to push themselves as close to 100% as we’ve seen to date. That power in the top 6 will be an important aspect of Oiler success, especially with lots of unestablished, smaller players on the right side. After tonight, everything that happens will be for real. This is the last bit of freedom the coaching staff and the players have. McLellan can play Draisaitl on the wing or at center, Slepyshev can play while Kassian sits, these decisions will be scrutinized to death for every game after this one.
Puck drops tonight at 8PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet. Game On!
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