“The last game of the preseason, we’re going to have some auditions going on. We’re not looking at it like the first game of the regular season, and we’re not going to show all our cards. Our lineup in Vancouver will not near resemble our lineup come opening night. There’s still a bunch of guys lumped together.…
Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins said those words following Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, which means we can’t expect a hefty round of training camp cuts between now and Saturday night’s rematch against Vancouver. In my opinion, that’s a huge mistake. If players haven’t done enough to set themselves apart during the last seven (seven!) preseason games, an eighth one isn’t going to make much difference. Quite frankly, it’s time for Eakins to knock of the grab-ass, cut the necessary players, and get to work icing a team that can win regular season games.
With multiple NHL jobs on the line, I want players on the roster who are going to demonstrate urgency. Those who haven’t shown enough, or any, should have been on the Oklahoma City express by now. Unfortunately, keeping bubble boys around for the final preseason tune-up cuts into the team’s preparation time, preventing the actual NHLers from working on systems or developing chemistry with their linemates. I understand Eakins’ desire to get a complete picture and provide plenty of rope, but he’s sacrificing the entire group by giving guys like Will Acton another couple laps around the rink.
If you’ve been playing close attention, the question of camp cuts shouldn’t be a brain-buster. In fact, most of these camp decisions are along the lines of an opening question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, something like “Which of the following is a planet? A) Peanut butter. B) Mars. C) Socialism. D) Luciano Pavarotti.… Unfortunately for Oiler fans, Eakins has decided to use up all his lifelines to answer questions that Steve Tambellini could have figured out without resorting to his Magic 8-Ball. If the power play struggles and the defensive breakdowns continue next Thursday, we’ll all know why.
Who to Keep
There are some obvious answers here. Anyone who played at least 50 NHL games last season can stay, giving us a large group of familiar faces. Note, this is not the projected depth chart, just groupings and possibilities. And yes, that includes Hendricks, who should slide over to centre when needed. He’s won more than 53 percent of his draws each of the last four seasons, and adds to the team’s depth down the middle.
Hall – Nugent-Hopkins – Eberle Perron – Gordon – Yakupov Pouliot – Hendricks – Purcell Gazdic
Petry – Schultz Nikitin – Fayne Ference
Now, of the players remaining, I think we see Leon Draisaitl, Jesse Joensuu, Bogdan Yakimov, Martin Marincin, and Darnell Nurse stick with the big club. Obviously Draisaitl has done enough offensively to justify full-time employment, and he’s expected to start the season as the team’s second-line center. Joensuu continues to have a strong preseason, showing a physical edge and decent puck skills. Hopefully those qualities don’t evaporate once the real bullets start flying next Thursday. Yakimov might be the biggest surprise of the group, but he’s been the best of the bubble centres and has tremendous upside.
Nikita Nikitin is expected to miss a maximum of two weeks with a twisted ankle, essentially guaranteeing that Nurse will get at least a nine-game NHL audition. Even before the injury, I felt that Nurse had done enough to secure a spot on the Oilers roster. We’ll see how long he manages to stick around, but he’s making it awfully hard for the coaches to send him back to Sault Ste. Marie. Marincin has a tendency to dog it back to the bench, but he’s the solid, unspectacular type of player that Edmonton needs. The Oilers gave him 44 games last year and should keep him around to start the season.
Who to Cut
Jujhar Khaira is the easiest camp casualty of the bunch. In fact, the only justifiable explanation for his continued presence has to involve the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but nothing else makes sense at this point. Among the other forwards, Will Acton is active on the ice, but didn’t accomplish enough to justify NHL minutes. Mark Arcobello has been sleepwalking through the entire preseason, playing as if he’d earned a job two weeks ago. Tyler Pitlick and Steve Pinizzotto are the most difficult cuts, but the Oilers already have heavier, more dependable veterans who can fill their grinding roles on the club.
Keith Aulie is a big body who shows willingness to stand up for teammates, but lacks the defensive dependability to be an everyday NHLer. He’s strictly a seventh defenceman/injury replacement, and the Oilers have more promising options who could fill the press box. Brad Hunt turned heads and earned a lot of respect during the preseason. Undrafted and undersized—sounds familiar… I miss Tkachev terribly—it wouldn’t surprise me to see Hunt back in Edmonton at some point during the season. Oscar Klefbom can continue his development in Oklahoma City, and I honestly have no idea why Richard Bachman is still around.
Who to Kick
Anton Lander’s development has either stalled completely or he’s reached his ceiling. Either way, he’s been Lander the Friendly Ghost throughout the postseason, showing the lack of production that has characterized each NHL stint throughout his career. Time for the Oilers to kick him to the curb, because it’s obvious that he’s not cut out for primetime. Kevin Westgarth was brought in to do a Luke Gazdic impression for two weeks. He did a fine job but his time is up, and there’s only room in Edmonton for one palooka.
Finally, Nail Yakupov needs a kick in the rear. Eakins is singing his defensive praises, which is nice, but there isn’t much reason to be on the team if he doesn’t produce. I’ve been a loyal Yakupov supporter through last season’s turbulence, but patience is wearing thin after seeing him waste several opportunities to showcase his skills. So far, he hasn’t given us much reason to believe that he can return to the player who potted 17 goals in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. It will be interesting to see how Eakins handles him this season, because no other Oiler has more potential to be a distraction.
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ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com