Preseason concluded for the Edmonton Oilers yesterday night with a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers controlled the game for two periods but let the Canucks come back in the 3rd. Aside from a couple injuries and a possible contract offer to Kris Versteeg, in camp on a tryout, we saw the team that should be on the ice for opening night.
Oilers projected 23-man roster:
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) October 9, 2016
Lucic-McDavid-Eberle
Pouliot-RNH-Draisaitl
Maroon-Caggiula-Puljujarvi
Pitlick-Letestu-Kassian
Slepyshev...
...
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) October 9, 2016
Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Russell
Nurse-Davidson
Fayne
IR: Hendricks, Pakarinen, Ference
TBD: Versteeg
So let’s go through this preview of the Oilers roster as we have it today.
Lucic-McDavid-Eberle: This trio is Edmonton’s top line as loaded as could possibly be. The center of focus for the Oilers will be Connor McDavid for the next decade at least. Without having to look too far into the future, this player looks like he could break 100 points in the NHL. Jordan Eberle and Milan Lucic had slow camps compared to the ever-electric McDavid, but these games are warmups for vets. I have really liked the way Milan Lucic goes about protecting the puck in the offensive zone. It’s the small details that keep plays alive for McDavid and Eberle that are going to be the difference on many nights.
Pouliot-RNH-Draisiatl: Edmonton’s second line in this configuration is also as loaded as possible. Pouliot and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are familiar with each other. Pouliot is underrated offensively. He was on a 54 point pace before injuries struck a year ago. In the modern NHL that is quality offense. Nugent-Hopkins is another player with a history of producing in the 50’s and also playing against tough opposition. Leon Draisaitl looks good on the wing and down low in the corners because he can use speed and his ability to protect the puck. This should be a decent second line.
Maroon-Caggiula-Puljujarvi: The wheels start to come off the bus here. Maroon has played very strong hockey for the Oilers since he was acquired and he continued it this fall. Caggiula looked pretty good too, but he’s a rookie professional. Puljujarvi is another rookie but, unlike Caggiula, he has not performed well in the preseason. Puljujarvi looks over his head against NHL or NHL-adjacent competition. This line is a huge question mark for the team. How far can Caggiula go before hitting the wall? Can Puljujarvi flick a switch and start playing well? Should these two BOTH be in the AHL until they are kicking the door down? Pitlick-Letestu-Kassian: This is a tough as nails kind of line. Letestu is an interesting character because he can win faceoffs but five-on-five he has no offense at all. Oddly enough, on the Power Play Letestu has performed quite well in the past. I wonder how much offense he sacrifices on purpose. Kassian looks like he’s ready to play a fourth line role without too many surprises for the team. He finishes checks and skates very well. Pitlick had a very strong camp and if his body could ever just stay healthy he might be a perfect fourth liner.
Slepyshev: A strong camp. He’s a big player who had no problem laying the body. That he also has a quick shot makes him a good option to stick around or to be among the first call-ups.
Klefbom-Larsson: Edmonton’s top pairing has looked very good together. Edmonton paid a huge price to find a partner for Klefbom, but so far Larsson has been a good complement. Klefbom continues to look great skating and sometimes joining the rush. He has good instincts offensively and enough of a shot to be just dangerous enough. Larsson has been extremely quiet from the right point, but that’s what they wanted. In the last game he used his stick to break up a few Sedin chances. It’s unheralded work,but important if he can keep it up.
Sekera-Russell: Sekera has looked pretty good between the World Cup of Hockey and the preseason. He is a number three in the three spot and that should make him look more comfortable out there. He’s still the shin-pad assassin, but he added enough offense last season to be the hopeful for this one. Kris Russell played his first game last night and spent the night in his zone more than any other Oiler defender. Despite this AND being on the ice for two goals against, he passed a lot of people’s eye test. He’s a good skater and he likes to block shots. He’s a player to watch. If he can perform well then the second pair will be strong. If not…
Nurse-Davidson: I think this duo has every chance to be an important cog in the Oilers success. They also have every chance to be a big reason they fail. Nurse has had a very quiet preseason. That might be a good thing in some respects. We haven’t seen him skating out of position to lay the big hit or pinch at the wrong times. We also hasn’t seen him do much of anything. Davidson got his bell rung when Tanner Pearson launched himself into Davidson’s jaw. He should be ready to go soon. He’s building off of a solid season a year ago.
Fayne: He lost his job in the top 6 the second Kris Russell’s deal was announced. He makes way too much money and has more time on his contract. That’s going to be a tough one to get out from under even if he gets too much flak for the job he does. He’s being ripped to shreds but him and Fayne were a solid if unspectacular pair. Talbot-Gustavsson: This goaltending duo does not have my complete trust. Talbot hasn’t had a very good preseason and Gustavsson hasn’t had a very good career. The Oilers live and die with Talbot. He’s the starter. We might not see Gustavsson until November unless things really go off the rails.
Hendricks-Pakarinen-Ference: Pakarinen is going to the AHL the second he’s healthy. Ference will never play in the NHL again and when it’s convenient he’s going to placed on LTIR. Hendricks got hurt and they said he would be gone for a few weeks. If Pitlick or Slepyshev has a good October then Hendricks might be the next player moved.
Versteeg: I thought Versteeg played very well before tweaking something in the lower body. He performed well last year and the Oilers desperately need another right shot. I would sign him immediately.
Ultimately I have more questions than outright objections, BUT one major objection is to Jesse Puljujarvi in the NHL right away. He has not earned a spot based on his play. More importantly, long term I think it’s better for him to play 20 minutes in the AHL rather than 13 minutes in the NHL. The biggest questions are about the play of Russell in the top-four and the use of two rookies on the 3rd line. Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy