This week has been monumental with regards to the news on when the upcoming NHL season will be starting. Some believe that the players want to be home for the holidays thus pushing the start date back to early-February and others are of the opinion that the players want to get this thing going so as to maximize the number of games they’ll get to play. Brian Lawton was on Oilers Now (630CHED) yesterday morning and he doesn’t buy the “holiday” excuse, he reckons the players have been home long enough and it’s time to get going.
So, knowing that hockey is on its way, I want to take a very premature look at the Oilers’ opening night roster. Things are bound to change due to injury and/or performance, so I think it’s safe to say that what you see here today will not be what we see in game one of Edmonton’s season but it’s fun to speculate and I’m bored as hell.
Line 1: RNH-McDavid-Kassian
Coach Tippett gave us a little preview in the play-ins of what he wants his lineup to look like and even though this line didn’t make the impact it was intended to, Tippett stuck with it until the bitter end.
Now, I’m just guessing, but I think that RNH and Kassian work the boards the best out of any of the Oilers wingers in the top-6 and that keeps McDavid in the soft ice and able to work his magic. Nuge is of course an elite complementary winger and Kass doubles as protection for 97.
It’s a line that makes sense for now. However, I could see things changing if Kassian struggles or the second line slumps early. Literally, every other forward on the Oilers save for a couple (maybe Khaira and Haas) could be used on the Oilers top line. If Kass is out or out of form, Tippett has used Josh Archibald and Alex Chiasson in his place to play that physical role and don’t forget about Yessa with his fine fancies and Kailer Yamamoto. If RNH is needed elsewhere, Jamesn Neal, Dominik Kahun, Tyler Ennis, or Joakim Nygard to climb up. Ken Holland has done a masterful job of providing his coach with a plethora of options for the world’s best player.
Line 2: Kahun-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
We’re not exactly breaking any news here with this line. It’s skill personified. On the counter, it is going to be a very dangerous line, but what concerns me here is that the wings are small and against tougher opponents, Leon is going to be doing all of the lifting thus negating his offense to a degree and I’m not sure if Kahun and/or Yamamoto can pick up the slack. That’s what Nugent-Hopkins was really good for last season.
If things need shaking up on line two, my feeling is Pulju, Nuge, and Ennis could be swapped in alongside 29.
Line 3: Ennis-Turris-Puljujarvi
Tyler Ennis and Kyle Turris couldn’t be two better linemates for Jesse Puljujarvi on Edmonton’s third line. Both vets have enough offense in their games that they will complement Pulju but also, they’ll be able to bring him along patiently and communicate with him a bit better than some of the younger stars on the team could in the past.
It really reminds me of Karpat’s no.1 line from last season that featured Mika Pyörälä, Juho Lammikko, and Jesse. Pulju was the driver on that line (as he will be on Edmonton’s 3rd) and did all the puck transporting, board work, and shooting, Pyörälä was the playmaker, and Lammikko was the two-way pivot who seemed to relish the grind. This was the best line in the SM-Liiga I feel in 2019-20.
Line 4: Neal-Khaira-Archibald
This was another line we got a preview of in the play-ins. I’m betting this is the special teams line, meaning that Neal will once again me a mainstay on the first unit powerplay whilst JJ and Archie are Edmonton’s go-to guys on the penalty kill.
The addition of Puljujarvi has seemed to have pushed Alex Chiasson out of the lineup here, which is a bit of a shame because I like his work ethic and intensity when he plays. Others squeezed out of a spot include Joakim Nygard, Patrick Russell, and Gaetan Haas.
The Taxi Squad
Personally, and I’ve mentioned this before, I think that Nygard won’t play much and could be moved or left in Sweden to run out his contract with the Oilers. Leaving Russell (a coach’s favorite and mine too) and Haas as the extras. Unless, there will be expanded rosters. In that case, he’s in like Flynn.
It doesn’t look like there will be a lot of available spots for youngsters like Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, or Cooper Marody either. Ken Holland signed Seth Griffith, Alan Quine, and Adam Cracknell to boot.
Man, that guy loves his internal competition.
First Pair Defence: Nurse-Bear
I think it could be argued that Darnell Nurse and Ethan Bear were Edmonton’s best pairing last season overall. I mean, Bear was good where ever Coach Playfair put him, but on the whole, Nurse and Bear were fantastic and they will be relied upon to bring that level of performance back this season.
There will be a temptation for folks to want to see Tyson Barrie on the ice with the club’s captain a lot but Ethan Bear is the man the players are saying they like playing with as he finds ways to get them the puck in the defensive zone.
I do have a concern, minor albeit, that this pairing could get overrun by the elite first-liners of the league. If the All-Canadian Division comes to fruition, Nurse and Bear are going to see a lot of players like Auston Matthews, Elias Pettersson, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Scheifele, etc.
A tough test undoubtedly, but not an impossible one to overcome if they embrace the roles given.
Second Pair Defence: Russell-Barrie
I’m very tempted to put Caleb Jones on this pairing instead of Kris Russell as he showed well playing more minutes last season, but in the end, I think Coach Tippett will prefer to have a veteran pairing as his second option.
Rusty is a good cleanup partner for when Barrie is hurling himself into the breakout as the fourth forward. The Oilers will need a defenceman who can hang back and handle any odd-man rushes coming back the other way. If we’re being honest, Russell is kind of the only real option here too because you don’t want to hang a good prospect like Caleb Jones out to dry in his second season in the league.
Third Pair Defence: Jones-Larsson
I find it a little bit shocking to see Adam Larsson this low on the chart but I believe all six defenders will divy up Klefbom’s 22 minutes a night while he’s out. So don’t think of Larsson and Jones as the third pairing from a TOI perspective, I’m simply very skeptical that Tippett will put The Iron Swede with Darnell Nurse seeing how they didn’t really play well together previously. It does sound like a perfect combination though, doesn’t it? Very reminiscent of The Twin Towers, Jeff Beukeboom and Steve Smith from the Oilers’ glory days.
That said, maybe Jones and Barrie could be deployed in a similar fashion to the Turris line (a lot of o-zone starts) and then Russell and Larsson could be the shut-down duo while Nurse and Bear handle the rest.
Getting back to the original idea though, putting Larsson with Jones would allow the young American some breathing room to be creative and also learn from his older teammate.
The Extra Man
Who will be the extra man? I think it’ll be William Lagesson since he can’t be sent down without hitting waivers whereas Evan Bouchard can. Later on, when the SHL season concludes, we’ll see Philip Broberg join the team as he did prior to the play-ins vs. Chicago and then at that point, I’ve got no clue. I reckon the men who make the decisions are in love with the swift-skating Swede and might try to get him in as fast as possible. That’s just me though.
Starting Goalie: Mikko Koskinen
Backup Goalie: Mike Smith
I don’t think there’s a real need to spend a lot of time on this. It’s quite obvious this is how the season will start but what I will warn you not to do is sleep on Anton Forsberg. Mike Smith has a no-trade clause NOT a no-movement clause, so he can be sent to the AHL and the Oilers will only be on the hook for around 500k of his salary. I’m not saying Forsberg is the next Anton Khudobin, I just think he might do very well for the club.
With that in mind though, as soon as an upgrade on Mikko Koskinen becomes available, do not be surprised to hear that Edmonton is in the mix for that goalie and as we get closer to the trade deadline, pay attention to those teams who need to find a goalie to protect for the expansion draft and those with extra netminders.
What do you think of my starting lineup? What does yours look like? Let me know in the comments below!
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