This in from multiple sources, news that star Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman will be out until early November recovering from wrist surgery.
Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now reported the following lines and pairings:
The Edmonton Oilers Training Camp Group #1:
Tomasek-McDavid-Mangiapane
Henrique-RNH-Savoie
Jones-Philp-Lazar
Rh. Pitlick-Marjala-Griffith
Petrov-Grubbe-Lewandowski/Stefan
Ekholm-Bouchard
Stillman-Stecher
Leppanen-Regula
Carfagna-Akey
Skinner
Pickard
And Tony Brar of Oilers TV reported Group #2
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Kapanen J
Janmark – Frederic – Howard
Pitlick – Hamblin – Hutson
Clattenburg – Samanski – Jarventie
Storehouse – Copponi – Lafreniere
Nurse – Walman
Kulak – Emberson
Dineen – Brown
Millman – Prokop
What does it mean when you put it all together?
Sept. 18 Oilers roster
My take
1. David Tomasek, 29, the top scorer in the Swedish Elite League last year, is on McDavid’s line. The big Czech must have truly impressed the past two weeks in the captain’s skates. GM Stan Bowman was certainly impressed.
2. Hyman’s injury will heal when it heals. He’ll be missed, but so long as he’s healthy and good to go by November, I see little or no harm in him being out. In fact, it might work for the Oilers. It gives Edmonton a chance to fully test out Tomasek on a top line. He’s 29, a rookie in the NHL but the Oilers don’t have to worry about carefully developing him. It’s now or never for Tomasek. Either he can step in and make plays on this biggest of hockey stages or he heads back to Europe.
Hyman’s injury represents opportunity for Tomasek. Good luck to the big man. The Oilers could most certainly use another veteran Top 6 forward who can put up points on McDavid’s wing.
3. The second line surprises me with two grinding wingers teamed up with Draisaitl. On the other hand, Draisaitl does best when he’s teamed up with fast and aggressive forwards. They win pucks for him and their speed opens up space for him. This might well work.
The key is for Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen to find some scoring touch. Both have shown some skill in the past. But Drai needs to find a winger who can put in 20 even strength goals at his side. He’s never really had that kind of chemistry with his wingers, save for when he meshed so well in the late winter and spring of 2020 with Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the deadly DYNamite Line.
4. A line of Adam Henrique, RNH and top rookie Matt Savoie indicates the Oilers are going to start with three scoring lines. If you’ve been hankering for that, this is Edmonton’s best attempt.
Savoie is like a mini-Hyman, a smaller version of an aggressive two-way forward with the skill to score and assist. He and RNH may well combine brilliantly, with Henrique always strong around the net.
5. Knoblauch talked about a forming a heavy checking line. For now he has Mattias Janmark with Trent Frederic and Ike Howard. This doesn’t make sense as a checking line, as Howard is an attacker, not a checker at this point. It’s also been rumoured for some time that Janmark might be traded away to create more salary cap space. We shall see.
6. For now Noah Philp and Curtis Lazar are on the fifth line. I expect one of them will move up soon and join Frederic on a heavy and aggressive checking line.
Or it could be that if RNH stays at centre that Frederic will be moved to the wing, perhaps moving up to play with McDavid or Draisaitl. I can’t see Frederic being used as a fourth line centre. He’ll either be the third line centre or a Top 9 winger.
At the Cult of Hockey
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