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Pre-Season Almost Finished - Opening Night Roster Set? |
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The roster the Edmonton Oilers will send out tonight appears to be what we will see on opening night:
RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Skinner-Draisaitl-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Brown
Podkolzin-Philp-Perry
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Emberson
Kulak-Stecher
Skinner
Here are a few thoughts I have on the roster as a whole.
The top six is arguably the most skilled top six group in the NHL. For years the McDavid and Draisaitl lines have both been dominant scoring lines but have lacked true scoring talent on one of the lines every year. That appears to not be an issue with both Skinner and Arvidsson on the team. I don't know if long term Skinner and Arvidsson, two shooters is the best play. I think eventually we see Skinner with McDavid and RNH with Draisaitl and Arvidsson to give each line a more two-way option but there is a wealth of options that exist now for Knoblauch.
The third line I am very mixed on and it is clear this would have been the best spot for Dylan Holloway. The Janmark-Henrique-Brown trio did have success in the playoffs but the analytics don't really support their possession game and scoring prowess. I do expect better things from Connor Brown this season and I think he could be a surprise success story.
It's easy to forget that Brown a year ago was expected to be a strong complimentary piece in the top six. It's obvious with hindsight that his recovery from his injury took far longer than anyone expected and by the end of the season, he was starting to gain confidence and play his game. That continued in the playoffs with some timely goals. I think Connor Brown could be a 12-15 goal scorer for the Oilers this season. Janmark I believe is best in a 4th line role and perhaps Podkolzin plays his way up into that role.
Speaking of Podkolzin, he had an excellent camp and pre-season and looks like he will be a solid addition to the bottom six. No one should be expecting this player to break out in a big way by scoring 15 goals but as long as he can be a physical presence and play an energy game he could be a very useful player with controlled minutes.
Derek Ryan appears to be battling a slight injury but even if he wasn't I would argue Noah Philp deserved the 4th line centre position. The 26 year old right shot centre was the great success story of the pre-season and surpassed every challenge he faced. Once the regular season games begin and the competition quickly elevates he will need to adjust once again but so far the young man has shown he can adapt.
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Ultimately the forward core is certainly good enough to be a Stanley Cup contender. One more scoring option for the third line would be the main focus up front at the trade deadline. Of course there are more pressing deadline adds which brings us to the defense.
The Ekholm and Bouchard pairing was arguably the best defensive pair in the NHL last season, leading the way both in goals scored and in preventing goals. Ekholm is a defensive stalwart who is steady and highly engaged in his own end. Bouchard brings all the offense but he is also the best pure passer on the blueline. While he can get into trouble in his own end and his detractors will point out his turnovers, they also ignore the dozens and dozens of passes that he makes quickly and when under fire to the forwards. The biggest asset in a modern defenseman is their ability to get the puck up fast to forwards in transition. This is one of the best aspects of Bouchard's game.
The Oilers season and Stanley Cup hopes may very well come down to what kind of season Darnell Nurse has. The Oilers desperately need Nurse to simplify his game and decide whether or not he will be a shutdown defender or a puck moving transition player. It is when he attempts to do both... in the same shift... that gets his team into trouble. Emberson could be a suitable Cody Ceci replacement but it is going to take him some time and there will likely be mistakes made along the way. If Nurse can eliminate the issues that have so often plagued his game and Emberson can tread water - the Oilers have a very good top 4 - that is a best case scenario.
Stecher looks like he will start the season with Kulak which is excellent as Josh Brown showed at every step that he is not an every day NHLer. He might be a physical player but watch how Brown plays versus how even Desharnais played. Brown looks for the big hit every time and quickly puts himself out of position. When he is skating back into his own end, he looks completely lost and has no ability to make a pass in transition. The Oilers need a blueline that is able to transition the puck to their forwards.... Brown cannot do that but Stecher certainly can.
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Tonight the message I am assuming from the coaching staff is "play like this is a regular season game, but also don't do anything stupid to risk injury." This is the first game all pre-season that looks like a legitimate NHL roster for the Oilers - looking forward to seeing some chemistry in this game.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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