This in from Tony Brar of Oilers TV, the new lines and d-man pairings for the Edmonton Oilers at their Friday morning skate, with a number of rookies taking on more prominent roles, namely Noah Philp at centre on coach Kris Knoblauch’s top checking line with Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic, and Alec Regula now partnered with minute muncher Darnell Nurse.
RNH – McDavid – Mangiapane
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Roslovic
Howard – Tomasek – Savoie
Henrique – Philp – Frederic
Janmark – Lazar – Hyman
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Regula
Kulak – Walman
Stecher – Emberson
Skinner
Pickard
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My take
1. Noah Philp has yet to shine except in brief moments this season, but I’m glad to see him promoted to play on the top checking line nonetheless, and even if it means moving fellow rookie Matt Savoie down to the fourth line with rookies David Tomasek and Ike Howard.
Simply put, Philp is bigger and more able to impose himself physically and defensively on the game than Savoie, and Savoie has yet to do enough on the attack to move ahead of Philp on the roster. Philp is a better fit on this big checking line.
Henrique has been playing some of the best hockey of his Oilers career the past three weeks and deserves to stay on the third line. Frederic is trending up a bit as well. This third line has a chance to raise a ruckus.
Grade A 15 games
2. In the first two games of the year, before Jake Walman was healthy, Nurse and Regula formed a strong partnership. It makes sense to go back to them as a pairing.
Regula has demonstrated so far both sound positional defensive play and a high level of skill moving the puck. He’s coming across as a better puck-moving version of Cody Ceci, though it’s still very early days with this player, of course. He’s got to demonstrate he can stay healthy, for one thing.
3. Mattias Janmark was often mentioned in trade rumours this past summer, but he’s back on the ice for the Edmonton Oilers. Janmark, who will be 33 in December, scored just two goals 80 games last year. He ranked 381st for points per 60 at even strength for NHL forwards and 313th for hits per 60.
His defensive play — brilliant in his first year here, 2022-23, and also outstanding in the 2024 playoffs — has dropped off for each of the last two regular seasons. He’s got this year and next year left on a deal that pays him $1.45 million per year.
Can he help the Oilers? I think as early as last spring Philp was a better bet as a checker and penalty killer, but Janmark did raise his level of play somewhat in the 2025 playoffs, where he was used as a fourth line centre.
Can he help some other team? That is far more likely as Janmark is a veteran player with oodles of Stanley Cup playoff experience. He can still skate fast and defend, but I can’t see how he’s a better bet for the Oilers than Philp or Matt Savoie just now.
At the Cult of Hockey
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