On paper it looks so exciting, bringing in the best college player in the United States, Hobey Baker winner Ike Howard, and having him skate alongside either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.
And what about Matt Savoie, a ninth-overall pick, almost a point-per game player in his first year in the AHL, also coming to Edmonton and bringing his speed, skill and shot to the Oilers top six?
It’s a godsend for a team longing for more juice in its top two lines.
But that’s almost never how it works in the real world and it’s not how it’s going to go with the blue-chip prospects here in Edmonton.
Asking 21-year-old raw rookies to play with, and against, the best players in the world right out of the box is simply asking too much. So for Howard and Savoie, their path to becoming full-time Oilers will begin somewhere in Edmonton’s bottom six.
At Saturday afternoon’s scrimmage at Rogers Place, Savoie skated with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique, while Howard lined up with Mattias Janmark and Curtis Lazar.
“The most important part is finding out how ready they are for the NHL,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “It’s tough to come into the NHL. If they’re put in the position of playing with our best players, they are also playing against other team’s best players. That’s quite a load for a young player.
“We want to find out exactly who they are, how they’ll help our team, who they complement and what players will complement them. I don’t think I have a clear indication right now that they have to play in this role (top six) or somewhere else (AHL). I don’t see it that way.”
Everyone understands that Savoie and Howard playing third- or fourth-line roles, and getting third- or fourth-line minutes, is a little out of their DNA pattern — it won’t really allow them to exhibit the offensive ability that makes them high-end prospects in the first place. But these players are too important to be rushed.
The master plan definitely calls for them to be burying passes from McDavid, or setting up Draisaitl, one day, just not right now.
“I absolutely don’t think that for them to make this team they have to be playing with top guys and being in a prominent role,” said Knoblauch. “Our organization wants these guys to succeed and get into the top six and be there by Christmas and be there for years to come. That’s definitely the goal. But I don’t think it’s beneficial for the team and certainly not beneficial for the players if you put them in a position they’re not quite ready for.
“If they’re on Line 1or Line 2 on opening night and it doesn’t work out and they get bumped down to Line 3, it’s a disappointment. We want to build them up and hopefully down the road, whether it’s by Christmas time, playoff time, whenever it is, whenever they’re ready they will get a prominent role because we want them to get there.”
In the meantime, it’s up to the a couple of kids who’ve been first-line players most of their lives to step into bottom-six roles and make it work. It’s going to be more grinding than glory, but that’s the way it needs to be when you’re trying to crack a veteran Stanley Cup contender.
“Ultimately we just want them playing good hockey,” said Knoblauch. “Getting the puck out, playing good defensive hockey, being able to make a play under pressure.”
Do that, he said, and the gravy will come.
“Both of them will have opportunities to play on the power play if they are on the team,” said Knoblauch. “They need to contribute by just playing their game. I’ve seen a lot of third lines that outscore second lines. I think too much is looked into what line you’re on.”
LATE HITS — The Oilers officially released their alternate jersey Saturday. Initial reaction isn’t good to a mediocre design that is simply “Oilers” in handwriting across an off-white sweater. The McDavid or Draisaitl version will run you $329 … It was only the first scrimmage of training camp, so you can’t read much into anything, but Knoblauch already had McDavid and Draisaitl playing together on the top line with Andrew Mangiapane.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com