Oilers demote three following win over Montreal

Anton Lander, Jordan Oesterle and Griffin Reinhart only just arrived on the Oilers roster, and already they’re heading back to the farm. The trio were assigned to the Bakersfield Condors following Sunday’s 1-0 shootout win over the Canadiens, though one or more of them may not be there long.

It makes sense not to keep the three in Edmonton this week. With Sunday’s game now in the books, the Oilers are on a five-day break. The Condors, meanwhile, will play twice during that span and then play two more games over the weekend, so it’s logical to keep these players playing. 

Besides which, Bakersfield needs the wins. The Condors currently sit fifth in the AHL’s Pacific division, with only the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs in that league. They’re close enough that it’s realistic for them to overtake the fourth-place Tuscon Roadrunners, and having these three back will help matters. 

Lander’s presence is particularly important. Not only is he an elite first-line centre at the minor-league level (he has 27 points in 16 games this season) but the Condors are weak down the middle. With Jujhar Khaira on the injured reserve list and Lander in Edmonton, the team was forced to rely on people like Josh Currie and newcomer Henrik Samuelsson at centre. 

Once the Oilers return from their five-game break, though, it’s entirely possible that one or more of those players is back. 

Reinhart and Oesterle both need to clear waivers to be demoted next season, so Edmonton has some incentive to find out what they’re capable of in the majors in the present. A Brandon Davidson trade in combination with some of the Oilers current injury problems could open up a spot on the back end. 

Such a spot wouldn’t automatically go to Reinhart or Oesterle, though; veteran rearguard Mark Fayne has impressed with 10 points in 14 AHL contests and should also be in the conversation. Fayne is within a single point of Reinhart now, despite Reinhart having a 2:1 advantage in terms of games played. 

As much as Lander is needed on the farm, there’s also an argument that the Oilers could use him in Edmonton. Not only are there only 12 healthy forwards on the roster at the moment, but there’s a reasonable argument that Lander has outperformed pending free agent Matt Hendricks this season, in which case he deserves a spot on merit.