With only one more pre-season game remaining for most teams and the regular season beginning on Tuesday, teams have begun to make the majority of cuts to their rosters.

Friday morning, the Edmonton Oilers released Seth Griffith from his professional tryout and assigned 14 more to Bakersfield or junior. Josh Brown, Riley Stillman, and Eduards Tralmaks were all placed on waivers with the purpose of reassignment.

With only a couple more roster spots available, here are some players to pay attention to against the Flames.

As we head into the final tuneup game, Mukhamadullin appears to have the inside track on the final defensive spot for opening night over Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastney. While Emberson and Stastney will likely remain with the big club after camp, it seems Mike Babcock likes what he sees in the massive defender, delivering a complimentary, Babcockesque quote when describing him the other day: “It’s simple. It’s a tree versus a shrub, right? You try to get around a tree versus a shrub. Shrub, you step over. And a tree, you got to go drive your car around. You know what I’m saying? That’s the difference.”

The smooth-skating Russian has a leg up on his competition in size and reach, and it will be interesting to see if he seizes the job. He is slated to be paired on his off side with Ryan Shea.

Michaels is the most surprising holdover at this point, but he has earned his position on merit through camp. His lack of demotion to this point was also further understood after it was revealed that Jason Dickinson had tweaked the same lower-body injury that he was fighting during the playoffs last spring. Dickinson was planning to play Saturday night before the setback.

That leaves Michaels with a real chance to earn some minutes at centre ice to start the season. The Detroit product has also impressed Babcock, as the Oilers head coach explained that Michaels is “beyond smart” and “skates elite.”

His most direct competition for the fourth-line centre role is Josh Samanski, who seemed to be a lock for that role at the start of camp. Michaels being a right shot also benefits him, as Edmonton does not have another right-handed centre on the roster.

With Dickinson out for the time being, Frederic looks to be his replacement as the Oilers’ third-line centre. Frederic spent the majority of last season delivering dismal results on the wing, and while he did have a short stint at centre, it certainly wasn’t any more productive. This will make this experiment all the more interesting, and while it would be quite surprising if his season is as dreadful as last year, it’s anyone’s guess as to how this will shake out.

If Babcock trusts Frederic enough to play centre in the interim, rather than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, he will definitely be a player to watch tonight, and throughout the beginning of the season. Frederic will begin on a line with Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen.

Through two periods of pre-season play, Levi has looked very sharp. Small sample size, of course, but still a promising showing. He had a .923 save percentage in that outing, and while it’s certainly unlikely, he still has an outside chance to be the Oilers’ opening night starter. Tristan Jarry is almost certainly the guy, but a strong performance against Calgary may tempt the coaching staff.

Either way, Levi is an intriguing one to watch as he looks decisive and confident. His puck-handling skills are another bonus, as far too often that has been a weakness of Oilers’goaltenders in recent years. These are all positive signs for a team that desperately needs consistent quality play at the position.