Oilers Roster Shuffle

Edmonton has lost two in a row, and the gleam of a four game winning streak is now long gone. Edmonton did have a decent home-stand, going 4-3 and getting a winning record. It’s not great, but it is certainly a step forward from what we have come to expect in years past. The good feelings from that final record are long gone however, as Edmonton was forced to make a number of moves.

Hall To IR:

This one is going to sting, badly. In fact, and this is not a joke, this injury could be the end to the Oilers’ already very slim playoff hopes. Hall was injured in the second period of Saturday night’s game against Vancouver when he was knocked down by Chris Tanev going to the net. Hall hit the net hard, and then went flying into the boards even harder. The main point of impact was his leg, and his knee took the damage.

Hall was officially diagnosed with a sprained MCL, and is slated to miss two-to-four weeks. Hall will not be on the road trip with Edmonton out east, and will miss games in Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo, New York, and Nashville.

Taylor Hall is Edmonton’s best player, there is no debating that. He’s the straw that stirs that drink, and is the most dynamic offensive player Edmonton has had since Doug Weight left town over a decade and a half ago. Hall is a guy that not only can score goals, but can set them up, and can drive the possession. His loss is massive, and will really hurt this Oiler team.

Taylor Hall can’t be replaced by one single player, everyone must step up.

Hunt To OKC:

Brad Hunt seems like a good guy, but the fact is he is not a good NHL player. Hunt has a bomb of a shot, arguably the best on the team, and he can be the point man for a power-play. He’s an offensive defender, but isn’t the best passing wise, and makes defensive mistakes that you can see coming from a mile away.

He is a defensive liability, it’s plain and simple, and he contributed to far too many goals against. On Sunday, Edmonton made the right move placing him on waivers, and on Monday he cleared waivers and was assigned to Oklahoma City, where he belongs. Hunt off the roster is addition by subtraction for Edmonton, while at the AHL level he will help strengthen a young blue-line in Oklahoma City.

Nikitin Back In:

This is a massive development for the Oilers. Nikita Nikitin draws back in for the Oilers on Tuesday night. He’ll be back with Justin Schultz, and will be tasked with a role that he was starting to excel in prior to his injury. Nikitin is a big guy that can play physical, and is a solid NHL defender. He’s not a sexy name, but he’s good and he knows how to play the game.

He’s done some good things with Schultz this season, and this has been a pairing that has been pretty good for Edmonton when used. I expect this pairing to be a huge upgrade on the Hunt-Schultz pairing we saw the last three games, and as a result Edmonton is a better team.

The Oilers got this guy for a reason, he’s a solid defender. Having him back in will only help their cause moving forward.

Aulie Recalled:

This one kind of is a surprise, but it was also extremely predictable. Keith Aulie was awful in training camp, and by all accounts hasn’t been that great in the AHL to start this season. That said, he’ll get the call north to be Edmonton’s number seven defender with Ference out for the next three games. Aulie provides a lot of size to the line-up, and plays a shut-down style while providing some physicality for his team.

At best, he’s a number seven defender, and that is the role he is going to be tasked with here for the next week. I wouldn’t read too much into this, because outside of an injury, he won’t be seeing any game time.

Ference Suspended:

We saw this one coming, Oilers defender Andrew Ference was suspended three games for a hit to the head of Vancouver forward Zack Kassian on Saturday night. As an Oiler fan who can’t stand watching Vancouver physically roll over Edmonton every game, and can’t stand watching Kassian bully this team, I had no problem with Ference throwing a massive hit.

That said, it was a dirty play. He left his feet, and the main point of contact was the head of Kassian. It was an ugly play, and should result in a suspension. I had two games, but three is right in the area code.

Ference is best served as a third pairing defender on the team, and honestly Edmonton might be better with Oscar Klefbom in the line-up at this point and time.

What Now?:

Edmonton will put their new roster to the test on Tuesday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers. This unit will go for at least the next three games, and depending on the results could go even longer.

Pouliot – RNH – Eberle

Purcell – Arcobello – David Perron

Matt Hendricks – Leon Draisaitl – Nail Yakupov

Will Acton – Boyd Gordon – Jesse Joensuu

Martin Marincin – Jeff Petry

Nikita Nikitin – Justin Schultz

Oscar Klefbom – Mark Fayne