With the pre-season half over, Kris Knoblauch is quickly rounding out his roster.

I predicted this, back when the NHL schedule came out. The Oilers have started slow the past two years and this is their toughest schedule yet. They need to be loaded and ready to go.

How Knoblauch appears to be handing out assignments may surprise you. And they may serve more than one purpose.

That and more in this edition of…

9 Things

9. Under the heading “where did the time go”: Connor McDavid is the fifth longest tenured captain in the NHL this season (among actives, of course), tied with Anze Kopitar at ten. Only Crosby, Ovechkin, Landeskog, and Benn are in front of him. More on McDavid in a minute…

8. Jake Walman and his camp only signaled a short while ago that they were ready to proceed with extension talks. But I expect they have gone well since and that the two sides are close on a long-term deal. The maximum eight years will have been discussed. Six is more likely. Getting this deal done should be seen as a positive sign for others who have yet to extend.

7. Former Edmonton Oilers D Tyson Barrie has retired from hockey and now has a new gig, the regional home broadcasts for the Vancouver Canucks on SportsNet. Barrie is from Vancouver Island. He has a chance to be good at this. Good looking guy, a resume with 800+ NHL games on it, and a bright, fun personality that frequently sparkled during interviews. It is not half as easy of a job as some think. But Barrie starts this phase of his life as he did his hockey career: With good tools.

6. Saturday’s Edmonton Oilers practice provided more than a few hints as to what Kris Knoblauch is leaning toward on opening night of the regular season. Surely, we all know by now that all of this is subject to change depending on the day, the opposition, even the shift. But all coaches want to start somewhere and I suspect this is where Knoblauch wants to go. The trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Trent Frederic had already been floated out there. That’s old news.

5. The second line had Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centering Ike Howard and Andrew Mangiapane. I do not mind Nugent-Hopkins with a raw rookie one little bit. Both he and Mangiapane are dependable defensively. Nugent-Hopkins distributes the puck very well. Mangiapane is good at bird-dogging pucks. But Howard would face a lot of tough comp in this slot. And overall, it’s a small-ish bunch. The Nuge will need all his “old man strength” alongside wingers who are just 5’11 and 5’10.

4. Line three has newcomer David Tomasek in between Adam Henrique and Matt Savoie. I get that you may want a RHS center here, which is why Tomasek is getting the push. But Henrique is the proven NHL pivot. Problem is, if he is at center, one of those other guys would have to play their debut NHL season on their off wing. Defensively, this trio guys should be just fine, too. But again, they are not real big in the size department, nor are they real fast in the boots section. Can they find some mismatches and post some crooked numbers?

3. Line four comes with a caveat. It was veteran Curtis Lazar between Mattias Janmark and Kasperi Kapanen in practice Saturday. Now, I agree that Noah Philp has certainly earned a spot and has a good (albeit small sample) history with Kapanen. But Lazar is likely to play Sunday, and is equally likely to start the season as the 13F even if Philp wins the 4C job. Lazar has been decent in camp. The extras were Josh Samanski and Quinn Hutson. Overall, I am a fan of this line. Fast, some size, right-shot Center, defensively sound, might pop the odd goal. What is really represents is…actual depth.

2. On the blueline Saturday it was pretty much as you likely expected: Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse with Troy Stecher (Walman is day-to-day, not believed to be anything serious) and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson on the third pairing. Dineen, Regula and Leppanen were the extras on Saturday. I expect Dineen and Leppanen are headed to The Bake. Dineen is a “tweener”. Leppanen has had a terrific training camp and may well be the first call up if there is an injury on the left-hand side. But some AHL time to get used to the speed and size of the North American game should only make him better. I am not so sure about Alec Regula, though. He requires waivers. And I believe he is a real risk to be claimed. Maybe the Oilers carry eight D-men? I do not love that, though, as younger guys like Emberson and Regula need to play.

1.All the above forward lines look way different if Zach Hyman is here. And unless there is a serious relapse of some kind, Hyman will return around November first. When he is back that changes up the first line and probably moves Leon to Line Two. And the quality continues to trickle all the way down through the other three, and shuffling the special teams along the way. Hyman’s return will make a huge difference. When he is healthy is a top-flight, impact performer. The way the lineup pieces together while he is gone simply is not forever. But in the meantime, it is worth looking at how the coach did run his guys out on Saturday…because of what it may also tell us about the bigger picture?

It says that the Edmonton Oilers likely plan to start the season with three NHL newcomers in their forward ranks. Two of them raw but skilled rookies. This on a club that has been trading away its draft picks. None of the three are in feature roles, perhaps, but they are not (presently) buried on the fourth line either. Instead, they are in positions where they can make a difference. Tomasek was even net front on the PP. All of this is good stuff because in terms of both offence and cap considerations, the club really needs two out of these three men to stick. The next skill options are relatively few and further away.

But if these guys can find their feet and contribute some production and enthusiasm every night? It also sends a signal to your Captain that some fresh, exciting new blood has been infused into the lineup.

And that sure wouldn’t hurt, right about now, either.

This article is not AI generated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

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