Mildly Surprising

• Vladimir Tkachev survives the first wave of cuts. I had expected the Oilers to make a decision on signing him and send him back to junior with the rest of the youngsters, but he’s going to get a longer look in the preseason before they come to a conclusion. That’s positive in that he’s in the running for a contract, but negative in that the team may not have made its mind up yet. Wednesday’s exhibition match is probably the most important game of his career to-date.
• The clearest winner today is probably Jordan Oesterle. He’s not getting lumped in with the depth AHL guys; he’s being treated like a real prospect. From what I saw in the rookie tournament and his exhibition play his survival is well-deserved.
• Matt Ford gets lumped in with the guys who are going to be fighting just to stay outside the ECHL. It’s where he slotted in last season, too, but it isn’t an encouraging sign, particularly because another guy on an AHL deal (Jason Williams) lives to fight another day.
• Marco Roy’s demotion here isn’t surprising, exactly, and there’s a decent case for it. He had a rough 2013-14 season, so getting him home early is probably a good thing. On the other hand, he has some draft pedigree and one would think the Oilers would like to take a longer look at him.
• Greg Chase is in the same boat as Roy in some ways – he’s a prospect of note but he’s going back to junior so the team had to weigh the value of giving him a longer look versus getting him set for a successful 2014-15 campaign.
• I should also note: Ty Rimmer lives; Tyler Bunz and Frans Tuohimaa head off to the minors. Rimmer continues to be the king of training camp.