Oilers Lose Matt Hendricks For “Weeks”

The Edmonton Oilers won their fourth game of the preseason last night, knocking off the Anaheim Ducks by a 2-1 margin. The Oilers got goals from Patrick Maroon and Mark Letestu in the effort, while no player really had a bad night to my eye. The Ducks had a lesser lineup, no Ryan Getzlaf or Corey Perry, but the Oilers played their best game of the preseason last night at Rogers Place.

Seemingly like in every exhibition so far this fall, the team suffered yet another injury. After losing Iiro Pakarinen for about a month on Sunday night, the Oilers have now lost Matt Hendricks for an extended period of time. In his postgame comments to the media, Todd McLellan said “We aren’t talking days, we’re talking weeks” in regards to Hendricks’ timetable.

In his place on Tuesday, Patrick Maroon slid down with Mark Letestu and Zack Kassian and was an improvement in Hendricks’ spot. Maroon even set up the game winner with a nifty passing play from behind the net late in the second period.

What Now?:

This creates a few scenarios for the Oilers. Regardless of people’s thoughts on Hendricks, he was a lock to make this roster and skate on the fourth line throughout the season. While his game appears to be in decline, Hendricks is still a solid veteran who plays a hard game and does the little things right. I’d still like to have him in my lineup, even if he’s lost a step.

The Oilers won’t have that luxury now, and it could impact lines two through four. Milan Lucic, Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle will be the top unit, but with Hendricks out now things could change everywhere else for the Oilers.

Leon Draisaitl skated with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Benoit Pouliot in practice yesterday, but last night he centered a line with Maroon and Nail Yakupov, who had his best game of the preseason by a mile with the big pivot. It seemed like Drake Caggiula had the inside track at the 3rd line center job with Draisaitl moving up to 2RW, but Caggiula may be needed on the wing now.

Edmonton could shift Maroon down to the Letestu-Kassian line to start the season. The would be Edmonton’s fourth line while Caggiula skates with Draisaitl and Yakupov or Puljujarvi on the third line. In this scenario, Kris Versteeg would sign with Edmonton and skate with RNH and Pouliot.

Another scenario? Simply putting Tyler Pitlick or Anton Slepyshev into the lineup in Hendricks’ spot. Pitlick, while not proven at the NHL level, plays a similar style to Hendricks and would provide younger legs and more offensive potential. I think he’s earned the look.

So, What Will It Be?:

Although Patrick Maroon looked good with Mark Letestu and Zack Kassian last night, I believe that Todd McLellan views him as a top-nine forward, not a fourth liner. The likely scenario here is that Tyler Pitlick shifts into the lineup on that fourth line. It’s ironic that injuries created this chance for the former second round pick, but he’s also had a strong camp in his own right.

This injury opens a number of possibilities up for Edmonton. The ability to shift Maroon down and play Caggiula on the wing could give Todd McLellan all sorts of different avenues during games to mix and match players up. Without a doubt it would be Edmonton’s most flexible lineup in years.

I think right now, while McLellan figures things out, the safest bet is to assume Pitlick is in the top twelve forwards come opening night. While not many people would have guessed that in July, it just goes to show how quickly things can change in the NHL.