The biggest battles shaping up ahead of Edmonton Oilers training camp: 9 Things

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Save for a depth signing here or a PTO there, the Edmonton Oilers know who they’ll be assessing when training camp gets underway.

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But there are a few spots where Ken Holland has built in some depth. Those players will have to fight it out for who starts the reason on the NHL roster.

Which battles promise to come right down to the wire in training camp?

That and more ahead in this edition of…

9 Things

9. The ice in is at Rogers Place. I don’t envy many people but putting in a fresh sheet of ice is one thing I miss doing. Even with modern day plants and methods, it’s still part of the magic. It also means the countdown is on…

8. The Oilers are still looking for a right-shot veteran Defenceman, to swing between the NHL and AHL. That it hasn’t happened yet isn’t a big surprise. Agents will be looking for NHL gigs for their clients. But with camps under a month away, their bargaining power is dropping by the day.

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7. The Oilers 90^th over-all pick in the 2021 NHL draft, D-man Luca Munzenberger, received his NHL Draft Package this week. The new on-line photos show the 6-3, 200LB prospect grinning from ear-to-ear in his orange #21 jersey. It reminds all of us how tough it is to get to that level and how special draft day is.

6. Still no apparent home for winger Alex Chiasson. The veteran played a useful role in Edmonton the past few seasons. He could still return. The organization liked him and vice-versa. But there are teams out there with a bit more cap space that could use a player like him, including New Jersey, Minnesota and Chiasson’s old stomping ground, Ottawa. PTO’s in general could be tougher than normal, though, due to remaining travel & COVID restrictions.

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5. There will be no rookie tournament this year in Penticton. Once COVID is finally under control, I would not be surprised to see that tourney resurface. But in the meantime, given the work that has been invested in building the Oilers brand in Red Deer…I could see a Flames/Oilers “Battle of Alberta” rookie game happening in that city. It would also be easier from a logistical standpoint, since both clubs will be working within same pandemic guidelines.

4. Two Edmonton Oilers are among the CBS Sports Hockey Fantasy rankings for the 2021-22 season. Connor McDavid sits atop the pack, based upon the CBS standard head-to-head league settings. The Av’s Nathan MacKinnon is #2, followed by Leon Draisaitl in 3^rd. Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov round out the Top 5. Darnell Nurse is ranked 43^rd and Tyson Barrie 52^nd. And The Hockey News is projecting that McDavid and Draisaitl will finish 1-2 in league scoring again.

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3. Meanwhile, McDavid is a healthy season away from joining Oilers royalty in all-time points for the franchise. McDavid currently sits 8^th with 574 points. That is just 3 back of Doug Weight, 57 away from Ryan Smyth and 95 short of Paul Coffey for 5^th in franchise history. Connor is also only 1 game-winning goal back of Smyth for 5^th spot all time for Game Winning Goals. Leon Draisaitl is also 20 power play goals back of Mark Messier’s 89 for 5^th all-time for an Oiler. That may be a stretch to hit this season. Although Leon did score on the man advantage at a 21-goal pace last year.

2. The Edmonton Oilers announced the ground rules for staff and attendees (12+) this past week, requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test 48-hours prior to an event. After 2 crippling seasons on the balance sheets, in terms of revenues, the organization wasn’t going to adopt a business model that left a majority of it’s season ticket base feeling uncomfortable about attending in person. The club will un-doubtably lose a few customers over this. But there has long been a list of those waiting to snap up season seats if and when they come available.

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1.We don’t have long to wait, now. Expect the Edmonton Oilers rookies to report some time around September 15, with the main camp getting underway September with physicals and the first on-ice sessions around the 20^th or 21st. So, if we forecast the biggest training camp battles to come, which would you put at the top of the list? Here are the 4 I see developing:

4LW – Devin Shore, Tyler Benson, Brendan Perlini, Dylan Holloway. I suspect most think Shore has the edge here, but since Benson requires waivers, I think he’ll be given every shot to make the squad.

3/4C – Derek Ryan, Kyle Turris, Ryan McLeod, Cooper Marody. I would guess that Ryan would start at 3C, so as to give McLeod better matchups. Turris is more likely to get a look on the right side.

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4LD – Kris Russell, Slater Koekkoek, William Lagesson, Philip Broberg. I believe Russell and Koekkoek are a lock to contribute a 60/40 split. But what if Broberg knocks it right out of the park?

2/3G – Mikko Koskinen, Alex Stalock, Stuart Skinner. I think that Koskinen’s contract alone gives him the advantage. Could Stalock make them think twice? Sure.

We ran this past you in a Cult of Hockey Twitter poll. Which do you think will be the tightest battle? The results:

4LW- 39.9%.
3/4C- 22.1%.
2/3G- 21.9%.
4LD- 16.2%.

If you’re anything like me, you can hardly wait to see how they turn out.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

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