Oilers coaches ‘trying to see what’s best’ at camp for lineup as team faces Jets

September 25, 2024 Canuck

Another day at training camp brings more opportunities for Edmonton Oilers coaches to see how well — and which — players suit the team.

No, head coach Kris Knoblauch isn’t really evaluating the attributes of the Oilers’ principals — “In the last game at home against Calgary, I can’t say that I was really looking at the fine details of (star Connor) McDavid,” he told media Wednesday with a smile — more observing the attributes of new additions and hopefuls and how they might fit the lineup as camp enters its second week.

“You’ve got to be careful how much you’re watching them and also coaching a game and trying to follow along with the shifts and who’s up next and all that stuff, but we definitely have an eye on certain guys and obviously putting them in different situations,” Knoblauch said following morning practice at the Downtown Community Arena for players not seeing Wednesday evening game action in Winnipeg (6 p.m.).

Knoblauch said he expects Oilers regulars — the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, really the bulk of Edmonton’s lineup outside the so-called fourth line and bottom defensive pairing — to each see action in four of the National Hockey League’s eight preseason games before the puck drops on the regular season Oct. 9.

Wednesday’s game is pre-season tilt No. 4 for the Oilers.

Knoblauch said forward lines seen so far in practice and games “will play probably two or three (games) together as a group.”

“As we get on, probably after this game, we’ll get into more of ‘this is what I anticipate our lineup looking like,'” he said. “Probably our fourth line, there’s going to be a lot more fluctuation on what that line will look like, just because we have so many guys trying out for that spot.”

Veterans Corey Perry, Derek Ryan and Vasily Podkolzin have been skating together on that unit, but other forwards could make a case to see playing time in 2024-25, including tryout hopeful Mike Hoffman and prospects Raphael Lavoie, James Hamblin, Lane Pederson, Matt Savoie and Noah Philp.

Knoblauch said he and his staff “know a lot about the players, and we know how good they are and what type of player they are” but have to balance putting them both in situations they would expect them to thrive and in ones where they’re being asked to fill a role such as penalty-killing.

“I think we’re kind of giving them a little bit of both, trying to see what’s best for those players,” he said.

The Oilers continue their preseason slate with a pair of home games: Saturday against the Seattle Kraken and Monday against the Vancouver Canucks. Both games start at 7 p.m., with the matchup vs. the Canucks televised on Sportsnet.

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