Outside of Jordan Eberle, the Edmonton Oilers entered their first game of the 2016-17 NHL season without any established middle-six players at right wing. This decision was criticized by many, including yours truly, but on opening night the club’s depth players did everything they could to quiet those concerns.

Tyler Pitlick knows adversity. Taken with an early second-round pick in the 2010 Draft, he’s fought through an unbelievable series of injuries over a five-season professional career. Blessed with an NHL frame, wheels and shot, those injuries cut him down at the knees whenever he finally seemed to be gaining some traction.

A strong training camp this fall saw him legitimately win a job with the team after clearing waivers a year ago, and in his first game he scored.

Those wheels were on display; he had a head start on Calgary’s backcheckers and opened up enough space through the neutral zone that he could take his time on the resulting two-on-one. He made sure to move to the centre of the ice, waiting for the best possible shooting angle before showing off that hard shot.

This is perhaps the 24-year-old’s best opportunity to establish himself as an NHL player. If he can stay healthy, Pitlick might yet enjoy a long career as a major-league forward with versatility to play multiple positions and multiple roles.

Zack Kassian had a disappointing half-season with the Oilers a year ago, showing some spark early but slumping down the stretch. After being traded twice in the span of a year and spending time in the NHL/NHLPA substance abuse program, his stock was at an all-time low and Edmonton an opportunity to rebuild a once-promising NHL career.

It’s easy to look at his point totals and pigeon-hole him as a bottom-six energy guy – even coach Todd McLellan has made comments along those lines – but this was a player who had two very good seasons at even-strength and should be able to play up the lineup at five-on-five if he can recapture the form that made him such a promising young NHL’er.

Kassian was up-ice with Pitlick on the latter’s goal, playing the role of decoy, but a glorious pass from Oscar Klefbom later in the first period gave him a chance to show off his own scoring ability. It’s an excellent start to a year in which there will be opportunities at right wing.

Unlike Pitlick and Kassian, Puljujarvi isn’t a player in his mid-20’s with a limited amount of time to try and prove that he has the talent to help an NHL team. The talent is pretty much unquestioned. The issue with him is age and experience: As an 18-year-old playing his first season of North American hockey, it’s reasonable to be concerned about his ability to contribute immediately.

The jury is still out, but in his first NHL game he scored his first NHL goal, thanks to a willingness to live the hockey virtue of just putting the puck on net.

As always, the caveat here is that one game does not a season make. Not every opponent will be the defensive nightmare the Flames were; not every goalie is going to be as generous as Brian Elliott was. But all of these players started their seasons well, and if even one or two of them can carry on in the same vein it’s going to make life much easier for the Oilers. 

 

After a long summer of arguing and waiting, the NHL season is right around the corner and that means it’s time for us to throw another party. We wanted a second take on last year’s season and decided that we would celebrate the start of the second year of Connor’s reign over Oil Country. Thanks to our friends at AMA Travel, Cornerstone Insurance, the Pint, Oodle Noodle, and United Cycle we’ve got a big night planned for you complete with raffles, swag bags, and two trips (valued at $5000 each) for two to the outdoor game in Winnipeg courtesy of AMA Travel.

Here’s what you need to know:

See you on October 14th!