The Final Cuts of the Edmonton Oilers Preseason…

The Final Cuts of the Edmonton Oilers Preseason…

Camp has begun, right? We always have a lot of players at camp. They do. And I want to focus in on the forwards. Okay. What are we three or four games in, I guess, with the split squad to preseason. Million left in preseason before the season starts. Yeah. Today is uh game five against the Jets. Yeah. Game five of eight though, right? Yes. We are in the back half. Eight. Eight. Yeah, we’re getting That’s exciting. Yeah. Now we’re getting close. Two of them were on the same day at the same time. Thank goodness. That was the split squad game. Um Tyler and I did this on O and E earlier of our projected lineups, but I don’t want to know your projected lineup. I want to know who you think the two forwards are on the outside locking in cuz I would say we’re not going to Do we have a list of the forwards that are here right now? I can give you a list. Yeah, Puck has got it. But face off has like the current 12. Yeah. Yeah. So, so you’re looking for two. Yeah. Who are the guys who you think like opening night they have to do a little bit more still to get on that? Were they players that were expected to make the team or be whatever you think? Whoever you think the 13th and four I’m assuming they’ll take 14 forwards is kind of my point. So I will pick uh keep in mind Heyman still out. Yep. He will not play. So a guy who I think is probably on the bubble could make it could not make it is David. I thought he was fine the other day against Seattle. I thought he created some good opportunities for his linemates. Um, but again, he’s kind of like an inbetweener given the current state of the roster. And then my second pick would be Curtis Lazar. I think he’s in camp to fight Noah Phelp for that job. And I think Noah Phelp currently has the inside track. I I watched Lazar play the other day, Seattle. He was actually fine. Like I don’t think Lazar has necessarily done like he his work hasn’t worked him off the team I guess you could say but I just think Noah Phelp has been so much better like it’s it’s Phelp’s job to lose now at this point and that’s how I feel about it anyway. I actually had the uh the same two forwards as you did. Mhm. John Thomas. Um I have Lazar and Yanmark in the press box to start the year, but the one thing that could change that one cap situation, but to Thomas, Tomasak, I don’t know what we’re calling him. Tomak, Tomak, Tommy, he’s he doesn’t need waivers. So if they get to the end of camp and they’re like, you know what, we don’t want guys sitting in the press box for the first week, let’s just put you down in Bakersfield. they can do it under the sort of guys of like oh he needs more time to get used to the North American game or like you know maybe they really believe in him as a center so like oh we want him to get more reps at center and he can’t get them at the NHL level. Um Tomishek is an interesting one but yeah just with the way I was kind of constructing my lineup and with who slotted where I had Lazar and Yanmark kind of being my 13 and 14th forwards. Yanmark 13, Lazar 14, that kind of thing. Rick, who you got? Uh, I’m definitely on the team Lazar. Like I don’t I think Philip’s gonna beat his spot. So I think you you’re gonna see a guy like him. Um, probably not around. And it’s kind of hard not to go with Thomasac off the hop. Uh, he’s just in an awkward spot. Yeah, you’re trying to like supplant some real core veterans that in order to do that, I think you need some playing time maybe for the vet to kind of take a dip in their play and you have an opportunity to go out there and kind of win the spot. right now based on what I was looking right there, it’s Lazar for sure and I think Thomas I I really do think and I’m sure we’ll get to it so sorry to skip ahead but like the idea of McDavid and Dry Saddle starting the season together really throws a wrinkle in the plans of someone like Thomas. I feel like if they were on separate lines it opens up the idea of like well he can play with one of those two guys because he’s more of a shooter. Yeah. where you look at it now if they have Frederick on the first line then the rest of your right wingers are Seavoy Thomas and Kasper Kaan but then on the left side you’ve got to jam in um Howard Mania Pod Coulson and yeah Mark somehow so it’s like Thomas like you don’t really know what you fully got yet I think he can play on this team but I just and don’t they play on big ice in Sweden Olympic size yeah yeah so I I also think like I didn’t know he was waiver exempt that makes it way easier Go get some at bats in the pros on small ice. I think that’s fair. Until we have a a lineup issue of our own here and we can throw you right in rather than sit up there and eat popcorn. I think you’ll be here to start the season. I am on my second line with N. I mean, they’re going on they’re going on the road right away. I was going to say that too is that you can put him with NG and just see what works there because if things work well then you can drop both of them down to the line three. Have that built-in offense right away when you split up Connor and Leon. Maybe that’s when uh when Heyman comes back, but you already got a like Thomas X got his Derek Roy if you will. Assuming I’m kind of pivoting on the delicious debate. Assuming Chris Knobblock does decide to keep Connor and Leon together at least a little bit to start. First of all, number one, before we even get into this, shut up. Nobody cares that you’re mad about preseason line combos. I don’t relax. I’m completely fine with it. When they announced that the other day, like the reaction was so crazy, dude. Good because the people that are reacting like that are reacting from like 8 years ago. This is completely different now. Yeah, I just saw that like W did a fan reaction to them playing together on northernersnation.com and I was just like, we are so back. So, we are so back. Line combos and preeason. We’re causing our arguments. We’re upset. We did our projections today and someone comments on uh the YouTube and goes, “You really trust that third line in a series against Florida?” And I’m like, “It is September 26th. I’m not all that worried.” the the the Florida team that’s not going to have canachchuck for half the year and not have Barkov for the playoffs. Yeah, I’m I’m all good. Let’s go. Both our third lines were I think Manapani, Henrik, and Seavoy. Yeah, pretty good. A really solid third line. So anyway, let’s just assume they start the year that way. Heyman’s out till November. Mhm. Who’s your ideal guy slotted beside them? I think it’s decided already, isn’t it? Our ideal guy or the guy No, I want your ideal guy. Like I know Trent Frederick played there the other day with the two of them. I think I’d be un I think that’d be unreal. I just I watched Frederick yesterday and he didn’t seem to have the same sense as those guys do. Like Seavo is like a He definitely doesn’t. Yeah. But like you could just like see it was so apparent like and maybe it was part of the plan what they wanted to do. And I understand it’s the first time they’ve ever played together the three of them, but like he just stood there a lot and I feel like if you’re with them, you got to move a little bit. And Seavoy is the motor who go get pucks like and he’s so offensively gifted. like he’s a high IQ offensive player, but he also has the defensive part of his game where he can be I don’t know the grown-up on that line, you know, you like let the other two go crazy down there. No, Seavoy. Okay. Right. Cuz they are giving him PK time. Yep. So, he’s got that defensive side to his game. So, if 97 and 29 get a little silly down there, he can be the first one back type of thing, right? Cuz that’s kind of what you do when you have those two type of players together. you look for that defensive guy to to to put with him. And if you have a guy like Seavoy who can do the defensive thing, but also match up real close offensively, I think that’s a really nice match up right there. I think so, too. And I think Frederick would just be a little bit better than one. Yeah. No, I get why they want to put him there, but I think it’s just for it’s right off the hop. I would like to see Seavoy there, and I Yeah, it was We watched what Seavoy could do with with Leon last year. Imagine just throwing him with both those guys. Cler, who would be your ideal linemate for those two? I like Freddy. I like that he’s just a very simple go to the net kind of player. Um, definitely not going to be like as involved on the cycle as a highman would be or whatever. But no, I I’m pretty pro- Freddy if the and maybe part of it too is like I just have very little confidence they’re going to put Matavoy there. I like I would love it. I think it’d be very cool to see. I think that line would have a lot of potential, but I just don’t think that’s a Chris Knobblock style move. I think they’re going to keep Frederick there. I wouldn’t be surprised if they use Frederick on the top power play a little bit as a net front guy and I think they view him as like a they don’t play the same style and Frederick moves actually better but like they might just look at him be like you’re Pat Maroon light like get in there and go to the net and bang on some greasy goals for us. My ideal guy is actually Vicil Pod Coulson. I’d move Leon to the right side pods to the left. He goes in and gets pucks. He’s hard on the forche. He’s a big body. He can kind of knock people loose. He does have some offense. I do wish he would shoot more, but I think that his skill set would be very befitting of getting the two best players the puck more often than not. And that would keep Leon on his right. If it’s Seavoy, Leon’s on his left, probably. Yep. Yeah. I didn’t really think of pods, but yeah, I like pods. So, we’ll see a bunch of good options. Like, if you’re going to do that, you could also think about Henrique up there. Mhm. Mhm. But it’s interesting that they seem to be giving Frederick some runway. Like, I think that says something. It shows they have expectations out of him. Yeah. And I mean, if you sign the guy for eight years, like figuring out if he’s got chemistry with McDavid and or Dry probably smart. Yeah. Again, when it comes to preseason line combos, I know that line didn’t do all that much against the Kraken, but I’m going to kindly remind you to shut up. Thank you. I’ll go get my white. I just don’t know why people like I understand why you can’t like you’re passionate about the team, all that stuff, but like just calm down. No people. No, because it’s easy to be negative and people go to be negative first. I just think preseason it’s not about those guys. This is terrible, Mike. It’s not about the guys who are on the roster. It’s about guys like Hudson and and Lepin and Clap uh what’s his name? Clap Clappen. Clappenber. Like what do they do? What do they do? Like how are they doing against NHL competition? Are they getting better? Like that’s what preseason’s about for me. It’s like I couldn’t care less how many goals Stewart Skinner allowed or what goals he Skinner was really bad. Sure. It’s the first time he’s played in however long. Like I just to add on your point though, preseason is also about trying to figure out if the players who are going to be on the roster can play together. Exactly. Like tonight, look at the lot. Look at the lines. They essentially have three third lines. Yeah. I’ll run through the lines here in a bit. That was like the 1990s Oilers a little bit. Like 2010 Oilers a little bit. Yeah, that Well, yeah. A little bit. But hey, what was it? Magnus Pavi scored a hat-tick in preseason one. Oh, yeah. W just posted the highlights yesterday. Campbell was That’ll get him excited. Jack Campbell was so good in the preseason one year. Tyatt award winner. Started him on opening night over Skinner and we lost I think 7-1 that opening night. 8-1 Vancouver. Like I let me tell you, nothing drops a in the punch bowl of a season opener party quite like an 8-1 loss. That was no bueno. I remember you came up to me and you were like, “Can we start the pregame now?” I’m like, “Liam, it’s the start of the third or postgame.” You’re like, “Start a third period.” I was well aware. The answer is yes. Yeah. So anyway, healthy bet on Connor Brown that night. If you’re listening to this, I’d love to hear who’s the tweeners for you. Who do you think is probably going to be on the outside looking in? Is your Is your list different than ours or did we nail it? Hit us up.

With the start of the regular season getting closer and closer some tough decisions have to be made with the starting roster. Which forwards are on the outside looking in? Who won’t start on opening night?

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