Tonight will be preseason games 1 and 2 for the Oilers as they take on the Flames in split-squad matchups. Every expectation is that the club will play Connor McDavid in Edmonton for the benefit of the home fans. Calgary will get their chance to see McDavid later. Frankly, the city isn’t prepared for the mass migration of hockey fans who will immediately sell their homes and move to Edmonton after seeing McDavid play live anyway. The longer we can give city council to prepare for this the better.
Despite the fact that we haven’t played a single game yet, the Oilers have already begun their cuts. This is just part of coach Todd McLellan’s plan to get camp down to his NHL team in as short amount of time as possible. The plan is in stark contrast to Dallas Eakins’ previous camps which ran well into October.
On the weekend the Oilers assigned Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Loik Leveille, and Cole Sanford to their CHL clubs. They also returned Betker, Loiseau, Rankin, Rimmer, and Roy to the Condors. The only player with an ELC going to the AHL was Betker, whose skating has been a massive concern to me since I saw him at the development camp.
As long as I can still do basic math (not an automatic) that should mean the Oilers are down to 50 players at camp. I expect even more cuts to come after the split squad games are done, however the Oilers do play Friday night and then earlier Saturday night. Because of those back to back games the Oilers will likely opt not to make deep cuts to the training camp roster until then. We’ll have to wait to find out.
The most interesting aspect of training camp thus far has been the possibility of Edmonton running 3 scoring lines. The prospect of 3 scoring lines has been labelled “unicorns… in the Oiler blogosphere for a long time. However, the McDavid line, the RNH line, and the Draisaitl line all have the potential to fill the net.
It goes without saying that the trio of Pouliot-RNH-Eberle performed very well at the end of last year. This season they wont be the sole focus of opposing defenses. This should open up opportunities.
The trio of Hall-McDavid-Purcell has two of the fastest players in the NHL, one of the league’s best left wings, a generational talent, and Teddy Purcell. Purcell will be the man trailing the play (almost certainly) and while I’m not overly keen on the player he can still pass the puck very well. If all he ever does well is spring Hall or McDavid loose through the neutral zone then it’s a win.
The biggest question marks but also the line that can be the biggest difference maker in terms of matchups will be the Lander-Draisaitl-Yakupov line. Nail Yakupov finished last season very strong and was Edmonton’s best player on several nights down the stretch. Lander showed that he could be more than just a 4C by finally adding the offense he developed in the AHL. Finally, Draisaitl is a heavy, talented, play-making center coming off of an incredible Jr run and rookie tournament. This is a 3rd line which is two thirds consistent of lottery picks. This is the line that, if going, can be a matchup buster. Teams have to focus on the other two lines with their best defenders. They have to. This one will see softer matchups. The challenge will be getting them enough ice time.
We wont see them as matchup busters until teams are close to their final lineups, but that’s the payoff if the gamble works.
LINEUPS
The Oilers are in Split Squads so we will have two lineups today. You’ll forgive though if my attention tonight will be more focused on the game with McDavid. The Flames are sending their B squad to Edmonton and the A squad stays in Calgary. The Oilers have closer to an even split with two NHL lines going to either game. Still if either road team wins the game it will be embarrassing for the losing club.
I’m going to use their A and B lineups from Camp as templates for the rosters and update as soon as the info is released.
@ Edmonton
Hall McDavid Purcell Lander Draisaitl Yakupov Hamilton Miller Pitlick Gazdic Winquist Ford
Sekera Fayne Nikitin Ference Hunt Davidson
Talbot
@ Calgary
Pouliot RNH Eberle Korpikoski Letestu Hendricks Klinkhammer Yakimov Slepyshev McRae Khaira Pakarinen
Klefbom Schultz Nurse Gryba LaLeggia Reinhart Musil
Scrivens
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Battle For The Puck. In almost every account of training camp from fans, media, and players coach Todd McLellan will not take lollygagging lightly. When players lose the puck in drills they are expected to get it back quickly. It’s about pace and getting to the puck with purpose. Sounds like it should be an automatic for NHL teams but the reality of Oilers hockey is that it has not been an automatic in the past. It’s only been a few days into the McLellan regime. Let’s look to see how the players respond to the new coach’s expectations.
2) Rust. The rookies shook off the rust at the Young Stars tournament and the Golden Bears game, but for the vets this will be the first time they’ve been in competitive action for months. This game will be about shaking that rust off as much as anything. I’m going to expect a healthy dose of bad passing and awkward breakouts tonight from players who should be better.
3) Reinhart & Nurse. The Oilers had Reinhart paired with Gryba earlier in camp which suggests they think he’s closer to the NHL than Nurse (but it’s way too early to make that assessment). Either one of these players is going to be in tough when it comes to cracking the roster. These games are their opportunities to prove their worth. Unlike the rookie tournament there should be a certain amount of structure building up as we progress through camp. It’s up to Griffin and Darnell to prove that they can play within the structure and even excel because of it.
Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time in Edmonton and Calgary on the Oilers website. Game On!
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