As the Oilers start to welcome their players back to Edmonton and we see players start to hit the ice ahead of training camp, I figured now would be a good time to sit and try to project what kind of storylines could develop over the next few weeks as we start to ramp up and get ready for a new hockey season.
There are a few headlines that I think are obvious, but also a couple that I think could surprise people. Here are my top five:
1 – The Blue Line Battle
Apr 17, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Troy Stecher (51) against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena.
This is the big one, and it’s number one on my list for a reason. The Oilers took a big gamble by trusting that Philip Broberg would be able to handle top-four duties on the right side of the blue line.
Obviously, that has blown up in their face to some extent with the offer-sheet drama, and while I like the moves that Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson have made bringing in Ty Emberson and signing Troy Stecher, it’s still risky to head into the season with their blueline looking the way it is.
It seems like Stecher and Emberson are the favourites to have spots in the lineup once the games start to matter, but I wonder if we’ll see someone else join the competition.
Could Josh Brown be better than expected? My hopes aren’t high but he’s got a good amount of NHL experience. Is Connor Carrick not getting enough respect in this conversation? It’s possible. How good would Max Wanner have to be in the pre-season to even be considered for a roster spot?
These are the questions that we’ll get answers to over the next month or so.
Stecher and Emberson have the inside track and if I had to bet, I would bet on them to be playing when the team opens their season on October 9th against the Jets but if there’s one spot on the Oilers roster where we could see a surprise player pop up and steal a spot, it’s on the right side of the blue line.
2 – The Final Forward Spot
Looking at the makeup of the forward group, I think it’s fair to assume that 11 of 12 forward spots are spoken for. If they end up carrying 13 forwards then maybe someone like Raphael Lavoie ends up getting in and Corey Perry or Vasily Podkolzin are the 13th forward on opening night but really I think there’s one spot that’s open in training camp and it’s the fourth-line centre job.
It’s Derek Ryan’s to lose but Lane Pederson also shoots right and he’s coming off a very strong season in Bakersfield where he popped 22 goals in 66 games. He’s younger than Ryan and he’s cheaper at just a $775k cap hit. It’s not a lot, but there’s a difference and it would allow the Oilers to accrue more cap space, which is something I’ll talk about again in a bit.
3 – How Does Connor McDavid Look?
Jun 21, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) against the Florida Panthers during the second period in game six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place.
Listen, if Connor McDavid doesn’t light the world on fire during the handful of pre-season games that he plays in, I’m not going to panic or anything but I am intrigued to see how he looks coming off the shortest offseason of his career.
He told Mark Spector over at Sportsnet that he felt like last summer he overtrained and felt like it didn’t help his start to the year. With that lesson learned, Im curious if a fully rested McDavid could be the best version of him.
He was also dealing with a nagging injury for chunks of last season. There was a stretch of five games to start November where he was held to just one point, which is crazy. Being fully healthy out of the gates could be a big plus.
His goal total was cut in half last season and his point total dropped 21 points. I think we’ll see a big year from McDavid and I sense that we could see a very motivated and rejuvenated McDavid right out of the gates in training camp.
4 – Can a Goalie Competition Develop?
Listen, the backup job is clearly Calvin Pickard’s to lose but is there a world where one of Olivier Rodrigue or Collin Delia make it a bit of a conversation?
It makes the most sense for the 24-year-old Rodrigue to play a bunch of games in the AHL this season and then step into the backup role when he’s a few years older. As for Delia, his numbers last year were not good in the NHL and he has a career save percentage of .897.
It would take a lot for either one of them to be on the roster ahead of Pickard, who saved the season in round two against the Vancouver Canucks and got rewarded with a two-year $1m extension, but the Oilers have a chance to accrue cap space throughout the season and both Delia and Rodrigue count for just $775k against the cap.
If one of them plays well and Pickard struggles in the preseason, maybe there’s a conversation to be had.
5 – The New Look Forwards
Jan 4, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates after the goal scored against the Montreal Canadiens by teammate forward Tage Thompson (72) (not pictured) during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Pre-season games suck but one things that’s at least mildly fun at the beginning of things is sitting and seeing the new faces that the team added over the last few months.
How will Viktor Arvidsson look next to Leon Draisaitl? Is Jeff Skinner going to look like a 35+ goal scorer on Connor McDavid’s wing? Can Vasily Podkolzin be a worthwhile reclamation project?
When your core is locked in and your roster is as solid as the Oilers is, there really isn’t much to pay attention to in the early parts of camp but there are still a few fun things to watch over the next month.
