The Edmonton Oilers’ roster has limited openings, and the battle for ice time for the team’s American League affiliate, Bakersfield Condors, will be equally intense.

Here’s an early look at the Oilers’ potential lineup. These combinations and pairings are just listing the names. We will likely see different lines and D pairs throughout the season.

J. Skinner – McDavid – Hyman
RNH – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Holloway – Henrique – C. Brown
Janmark – Ryan – Perry
Lavoie/Pederson/Hamblin/Philp

Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Broberg
Kulak – Ceci
Stetcher/J. Brown

S. Skinner
Pickard

If Evander Kane is ready to start the season, then the Oilers will have to make a trade to be under the salary cap. If he isn’t then he will likely start on LTIR.

If he is, and they move a D-man out, then the Oilers’ forward depth is even deeper as someone in the top-nine will slide down to the fourth line.

Kane’s health will impact the forward depth in Bakersfield. Let’s assume he will be healthy.

Even with yesterday’s trade of Xavier Bourgault and Jake Chiasson going to Ottawa for Roby Jarventie, the Condors’ depth chart projects to look something like this (again, more about the names than combinations or lines). If Kane isn’t ready, one of these forwards (based on today’s signed players) would make the roster.

Griffith – Savoie – Lavoie
Jarventie – Pederson – Petrov
Hamblin – Philp – Caggiula
Stefan – Grubbe – Berglund

Dinnen – Wanner
Gleason – Kemp
Hoefenmeyer – Carrick

Rodrigue
Delia

The challenge for young players in the Oilers’ pipeline today, compared to young players coming up between 2006-2020, is that the Oilers are good. There aren’t many open roster spots, and none are open in the top six, likely not even in the top-nine. Players won’t be rushed. It was only a few months ago that some fans suggested Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were busts because they weren’t regulars in the lineup in March. Those two benefitted from playing big minutes in the AHL, and when they got an opportunity in Edmonton they performed well, because they were ready for the NHL.

Matthew Savoie is the most skilled Oilers prospect, but Edmonton has the luxury of not having to rush him. They do, however, need to play him big minutes in the AHL and help build his offensive confidence, while also refining his play away from the puck. Newly signed Raphael Lavoie is  likely the most NHL ready among the younger prospects, but he’ll be in tough to earn a spot in Edmonton. He needs the best preseason of his career. He hasn’t played many preseason games due to COVID and injuries, and I’m excited to see how he looks when the preseason begins September 23rd. He should want to play five or six preseason games, to show what he has, not only to the Oilers, but to other organizations, in case he is placed on waivers.

Last week I caught up with Condors’ head coach Colin Chaulk. Our interview occurred before yesterday’s trade, but I opted to leave in the question about Xavier Bourgault. I view that trade as two organizations trading question marks for questions marks. Bourgault (22nd pick in 2021) and Jarventie (33rd pick in 2020) haven’t been what either organization wanted just yet. Jarventie does have 23 goals and 50 points in his last 62 AHL games over the past two seasons, but he injured his knee this past January and required surgery. Both him and Bourgault are hoping a fresh start will help them.

Here’s my Q and A with Chaulk.

Colin Chaulk: We see him as a centre. Obviously, I’m really excited to get to work with him. I played mainly as a player of the centre position, I know that was a long time ago, but you can relate to a young centreman and know the things and habits that as a junior player we have and some that you can help as a pro.

I thought we had some good success with Noah Philp when he came in — different scenario but still a right shot centre man, young pro, and he had a really good second half. To your point, hopefully Matthew challenges for a position with the big club, but if he has to start with us, we’ll be excited to give him key minutes and also give him some pointers along the way.

Chaulk: I think we obviously take the guide for management. Right now, our focus will be on Matt playing centre. Could he see some reps at the wing eventually? I think that’s possible. I will tell you that going from centre to wing, it’s really an efficient change. The opposite happens when going from wing to centre — it’s a lot more responsibility.

We did it with Dylan Holloway. It was a perfect example where he came in, he played some centre for us this year, and it was great. He went back up, came back down, played some centre again, and then he was in a bit of a rut. We consulted with management, and we decided to move him back to the wing, and it was probably the best thing for him.

He was able to get on the forecheck, he was able to be more powerful, he was able to skate through the neutral zone, get on forecheck and he likes the physical play. Is that something that could happen with Matt? Possibly, but as of now, the conversation we’ve had he will start in the middle. But that could change, and we’ll be ready to do what the big club asks us to do.

Chaulk: I think like you said with some of the veteran players moving on, there’s going to be some more minutes for those younger players. I think they’re also going into their second and in some cases third year, so they’re more ready for those minutes as well. Our main job is to develop players for the Oilers, and I think we’ve done a good job of doing that so far and we’re excited to continue that.

Chaulk: I would say Xavier had an up and down year. I think he said it best in his meeting at the end of the year that he feels like he has a lot more to give and that he’s excited about having a big summer to have a better year. He played his best hockey when he came back from a shoulder injury, but I would say he had a good first season.

I would say his second season, we would have liked more out of him. We can do a better job as a staff helping him because we can both take some responsibility for it, but I can tell you he wasn’t playing the blame game. He definitely wants more out of himself, and I think that’s why they’re entry level contracts. It was a big culture shock his first year coming from a small town in Quebec and becoming a pro, living on his own.

Some guys thrive in those areas, some guys take a little bit more time. I believe there’s something there. I’ve talked to him a lot this summer. He’s texting me asking for drills, asking for different sequences that we did with the Black Aces skates that was a little bit more skill based. I feel like he’s definitely taking more initiative and more ownership as a player.

Chaulk: One of the areas we’d like him to work on is using his skating on first touch. We want him to skate with the puck more through the neutral zone and more in the offensive zone. We did a lot of puck protection and offensive zone sequences to try and build more offense with the Black Aces skates.

So, I would call them skill based, but also game situation concepts of scenarios which happen repeatedly in the game. So, skating on first touch, puck protection, having confidence to hang onto the puck. And then lastly, I would say just in tight scoring.

In the playoffs and then the second half of the season, it’s just harder to get to those areas. So those are some of the things that him and I have talked about and that didn’t happen as much in year one in the summertime after year one, right? There’s communication throughout the summer. We’re calling, checking up on the player, seeing how they’re doing, talking about just their life, trying to build and continue that personal relationship and kind of give them a little bit of a rest from hockey.

But when he’s asking for it and he is, he’s having the initiative, then you are kind of letting the player lead a little bit in the summertime. They have their strength guys and their skill guys. So, they see you every day. You want a balance of being fresh and then keeping that relationship strong.

Chaulk: Raphael, at times in the American League, he was a man versus boys especially with how he was able to protect the puck. He was able to, to power through guys. He was scoring five-on-five, he was scoring on the power play. He was a threat offensively most shifts on the ice.

That got the buzz that he needed an opportunity. I think, for him to stay there (NHL)…last I checked, he’s probably not going to replace any of the top five on the power play. So, he’s got to, and he knows this, he’s got to be really strong in the defensive zone, be strong on the wall, making sure he’s getting pucks out, making sure defensively he’s responsible.

And then on the forecheck, he’s a big body. Having a good stick, being first on the forecheck, touching the puck first, being physical. And extending those own plays, wearing the other team down, building the coach’s trust that he can play like that on a nightly basis. And then just try to work his way up the lineup from there. But Rafi knows that. I think he’s excited for the challenge. He was an impactful player for us, obviously led our team in goals and was a lethal weapon on the power play, but he needs to concentrate on his five-on-five game to be a full-time NHL player.

Chaulk: I think the biggest strides that he had an understanding that valuing his first option is probably the right option. I’m talking about moving the puck, under handling it, right? He’s bigger and stronger than a lot of the players, so he was able to move the puck quicker, understanding that his first option is probably a very good option, and his box outs and just playing hard in front of the net. He was physical. He learned that he can be physical, and he can be heavy.

I think those are the two things, maybe we can give him one more, just defining his role. He found a home on the penalty kill, he blocked a lot of shots and valued his role on the PK. He’s not going to be, to start anyway, a power play guy, he’s going to have to make good passes, be hard and mean to play against. He’s kind of like a young Vincent Desharnais when he first came up, something along those lines is how he’s going to get himself in the lead.

But similar to Vinny he’s a later-round pick, he’s someone who’s been able to come in and play 15 to 22 minutes a night in the American League, which I know is a tall ask, but he was up for the challenge, and I think he’ll know exactly what to expect this season. He’s familiar with the coaching staff, he’s familiar with his D-pair, he’s familiar with Bakersfield, the travel, all that kind of stuff, so it’s exciting for him to build on that and keep his momentum going into his second season.

Chaulk: Yeah, and that’s transparency, and being upfront, and some of the veteran players, they still believe they can be an NHL player. And Brad’s a really good example. I believe he was four years between NHL games, right, so you still work with them, you still develop them, but then you’re mindful on their minutes. These are more one-on-one or small group conversations and getting them to understand that if we can develop these young players, and we can put them in environments that are uncomfortable for them early in the season, that in the second half of the season, it’s going to benefit them personally. It’s going to benefit our team, but it’s also going to benefit that veteran player, because he’s going to be more experienced and it should help the young player as he’s going to be more impactful, and he’s going to be a more confident person.

I think the Oilers are a perfect example: You can be a really good team with the two amazing players, but to be a great team, you need people around you to help you. So really, that’s the message, and do we hit it perfectly every night, as far as the minutes? The answer is no, but a lot of nights, we’re pretty close as far as making sure that guys are getting important, meaningful minutes. We’re also spreading it out, and we’re making sure that four lines and six D, and both goaltenders are getting some action.

Chaulk: Keith (Gretzky) and I, we’re in conversation, I would say, most days. You might have a general idea, but you’re not really looking at too many combinations because of what you’re saying, you don’t know who you’re going to get, and really, if I’m a player, you don’t really want to hear from the American League coach all summer long, when everyone wants to try to play in the NHL.

I would say we try to a bit, yes, you’re building a personal relationship with them, but you’re trying to also allow them to focus on working to achieve their dream, and that’s playing in the National Hockey League.

Chaulk: For sure someone who can score, and someone that can go hunt pucks down to help with that physicality and that forecheck mindset. Let’s look at Griff (Seth Griffith) and Raph Lavoie, they’ve been good winger partners, because Griff is more of a facilitator, Raphi is more of a shooter, so maybe that’s an option for us.

We’ll be getting some input from Keith Gretzky, we’re talking to all our coaching staff to see what they’re seeing. Seth Griffith, he’s mainly played the wing position, and he’s someone who is really a pass-first guy. He generates a lot of secondary offense. We’d like him to shoot more. It’s something that we’ve talked to him about in his exit meeting, that we want him to try and have a little bit more shot mentality. But he’s someone who has led the AHL in scoring, has played in the NHL and has been an AHL all-star, and his leadership qualities are more of a feel-good guy, he’s not an in-your-face guy. I believe he will be good in that role.

If you were ranking Condors players in order of NHL-readiness it would something like (in no particular order) Lavoie, Hamblin, Philp and Pederson up front with Carrick, Kemp and Gleason on the backend. Savoie is the most skilled, and his skill could see him get a look at some point this season, but the Oilers have no reason to rush him. It is a good position to be in with a high-end prospect.

Philp is intriguing. He didn’t play last season, (personal reasons, not injury) but he finished the 2022-23 season very well finishing with 19 goals and was trending to compete for a roster spot in Edmonton last fall. He might need some time to get back up to speed, but he’s someone to watch. He skates well, has good size at 6’3″, 200+ pounds, is good in his own zone and shoots right. He could push Derek Ryan for his job. The U of A Golden Bears connection is interesting between Ryan, head coach Kris Knoblauch and Philp. They all played there at different times, but Knoblauch won’t underestimate him due to the path he took.

I’m interested to see if Matvey Petrov can take a step this season. He has a great shot and did score nine goals in 53 games in limited minutes as a rookie last year. He’s only 21 and with Bourgault gone, he has a legit chance to earn more ice time this year.

Wanner is the other prospect many scouts keep telling me they think will play in the NHL down the road. He’s very raw and athletic, but he’s improved a lot the past few seasons and could turn out to be an excellent seventh-round pick. I’ll be watching his progress closely this season.

It’s time to dust off those clubs and hit the greens for the 7th Annual Oilersnation Golf Tournament presented by Oodle Noodle on August 30th, 2024! An 8am shotgun start at the Mill Woods Golf Club will kick off an unforgettable day of golf, laughs, and camaraderie with your fellow Nation Citizens. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just out there to hack away and have a good time, this tournament is for everyone. Grab your buddies or sign up as a single, and let’s make this year’s Oilersnation Golf Tournament the best one yet. Don’t miss out – Be there or be square! Visit nationgear.ca to register today. See you on the course!