The Edmonton Oilers recalled Anton Slepyshev from Bakersfield yesterday, his six shots in Game One with the Condors enough of a tuneup for the big leagues. Slepyshev arrives in Edmonton with the RW situation still in flux, 2R wide open.

When we last checked in with Slepyshev, he was hammering shots from the 2line alongside Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic in the playoffs last spring. His mammoth shot is only part of the appeal, as Slepyshev brings real offensive acumen, size and speed to the conversation. Where will he play tomorrow?

Bob Stauffer tweeted out the lines earlier today (here) and they look like this:

The top line remains the same, some tweaks for all other lines after the first road game. With Winnipeg here tomorrow night, perhaps we see Yamamoto sit a second time. Drake Caggiula was not part of the lineup, often means an ailment from previous game.

Edmonton needs Slepyshev to shoot the puck on his line. As a rookie last season, he averaged 7.37 shots per 60 at 5×5, same as Patrick Maroon. Among recent rookie right-wingers employed by Edmonton, Slepyshev was in the range with Jordan Eberle (7.75), ahead of Nail Yakupov (5.56) in shots per 60 at 5×5. Matt Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames was 7.42, as a example.

So far in his career, Slepyshev’s comparables are names like Chris Neil and Joel Armia. Few impressive scorers in the group, although Jonathan Cheechoo is a comp for the big Russian winger. The audition at 2R continues, and of the group Edmonton projected as possible solutions, Slepyshev is the only one who didn’t have a full lash at the spot during preseason. That was a result of his injury and he’s here now, job still unclaimed.