The Amazing Oilers Races

We are coming up on a week and a half of training camp, and the main two battles are still raging on for the Oilers. What are they? The second and third line center spots and the fourth line right wing job. In addition to that, the seventh defenders job seems up in the air now as well thanks to the struggles of Keith Aulie.

The Center Jobs:

We know Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will center the top line, and we know, in theory, that Boyd Gordon will center the fourth line. What about lines two and three? At the start of camp we all identified Leon Draisaitl and Mark Arcobello as the favorites for the jobs, and things really haven’t changed too much.

Dr. Drai has looked decent to this point. He was good in the rookie tournament in his two appearances, and was good in his pre-season debut against the Flames back on September 21st. He has struggled in the two games since however, but is still outplaying most of the competition. He hasn’t been awful by any means, but isn’t blowing anyone’s socks off, and it looks like he might be better off back in the WHL.

That said, Leon is still ahead of the rest of the group right now.

Mark Arcobello hasn’t found the scoresheet at all, and has played in two games so far. He looked good in his debut, but struggled a bit in his second outing against the Hawks yesterday. I still think he makes the NHL roster on opening night, but to this point he has not separated himself from anyone.

Anton Lander looked good against the Flames in the split-squad, but has been invisible since then. I don’t think Lander has earned an NHL job to this point, and that’s a bit disappointing to see. That said, because of his waiver eligibility, I think he makes the roster as the fifth center.

Will Acton has looked decent in limited duty, while Bogdan Yakimov has totally played his way into the conversation for a roster spot. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say Yakimov has been the most impressive of this group so far. Both Acton and Yakimov are prime candidates for NHL employment at some point this season.

At this point, Draisaitl and Arcobello still have the inside track, but neither guy has stuck out, which is a bad sign if you ask me. Edmonton may need to dip into the waiver wire or trade market here.

Line Four, Right Wing:

Tyler Pitlick entered as the favorite, and looked good in his one pre-season game. He’ll get another look tonight against the Jets, and still has the inside track here. He’s young, has some offensive skill and likes to play physical. On top of that, he learned solid defensive hockey in OKC, and showed well last season in two NHL stints.

Steve Pinizzotto really hasn’t had any impact in camp, and certainly hasn’t played his way into this job. He’s hurt his chances during camp to this point, while Jesse Joensuu has played his way into the conversation again. Joensuu has proved size, physical play, and decent puck skills so far. He still isn’t ahead of Pitlick, but he’s moved into the number two hole and there is a wide gap right now between he and Pinizzotto.

Iiro Pakarinen had a good start to camp, but has slowed down since the split-squad games against the Flames, and likely will be in one of the next waves of cuts. He simply hasn’t done enough to play his way into this conversation yet. Same goes for Kevin Westgarth, who I don’t think will get a contract from the Oilers.

Seventh Defender:

Last week we looked at Keith Aulie and his struggles with his on ice play to this point. That’s opened the door for Brad Hunt, who has looked good to this point. Hunt provides solid puck-moving ability and a big shot from the back-end, but he is a chaos defender like Philip Larsen and Marc-Andre Bergeron before him. He’s not a guy capable of being a regular, but seems like a perfect depth defender.

He’s impressed in camp so far, and has caught some eyes. It’s safe to say he has played his way into the conversation, while Aulie has certainly hurt his roster chances.

I don’t put Klefbom or Nurse in this debate, because that would be stupid by the Oil. There is no need for one of these two youngsters to play the number seven role and sit in the press box most nights. It just doesn’t add up for their development. Personally, I think this battle is between Aulie and Hunt, who provide different styles and skill-sets.

The Overlook:

Leon Draisaitl, Mark Arcobello and Tyler Pitlick all entered camp with the inside tracks in their battles, and all three still hold that lead nearly two weeks into things. Keith Aulie is the only guy in danger of losing his job, and he’ll be getting a few opportunities to correct that before camp breaks for the start of the season. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on all of the favorites retaining their jobs in Edmonton, but we’ll need to wait and see.

(Photo Credit to Edmonton Journal, all rights reserved)