The Edmonton Oilers opened their first on-ice training camp session Thursday morning with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl right back together, and this time they were joined by Vasily Podkolzin instead of Zach Hyman.
That look - familiar stars, different wing - gave the first real glimpse of how the new coaching staff might sort out its combinations. It also came with a few other notable pairings across the first group, where Colton Dach centered Mathieu Joseph and Alex Formenton, while Evan Bouchard skated beside newcomer Ryan Shea on defense.
Elsewhere in that opening group, Josh Samanski worked between Max Jones and Quinn Hutson/David Lewandowski. On the back end, Spencer Stastney and Ty Emberson lined up as what would effectively be the team’s fourth defensive pair.
The second group brought its own interesting mix. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins skated with Isaac Howard and Zach Hyman, while Jason Dickinson centered Trent Frederic and Kasperi Kapanen. On defense, Jake Walman paired with Connor Murphy, and Mattias Ekholm skated with Shakir Mukhamadullin.
When the two groups were combined, the lineup picture looked like this:
Podkolzin - McDavid - Draisaitl
Howard - RNH - Hyman
Frederic - Dickinson - Kapanen
Joseph - Dach - Formenton
Shea - Bouchard
Walman - Murphy
Ekholm - Mukhamadullin
The lower-end forward group from the second session looked like a clear AHL-type unit, with Rhett Pitlick and Seth Griffith alongside Owen Michaels/Caden Harvey, and Viljami Marjala with Aku Raty and Brady Stonehouse/Simon Tassy.
On defense, Atro Leppanen and Tomas Cibulka also appeared to be a possible Bakersfield pair.
These combinations are only a starting point and are expected to change, but some of them could show up again Saturday when the Oilers play their first preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets.
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For Edmonton, that is the sort of rare chance that can reshape a conversation fast, especially with a young center of Fantillis caliber suddenly in play. Reports have linked the Oilers to the sweepstakes, with the kind of package that would test any front offices appetite for a deal, but the bigger question is whether Columbus would ever be willing to move a player it clearly still views as a cornerstone. [Read more 🡒]
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Connor McDavid sits at the center of that message, because Babcock wants the captain to stay fresh for nightly duty without losing his usual impact in key situations. The broader plan also points toward a deeper bench contribution, with the bottom-six expected to shoulder more responsibility as the Oilers try to spread the workload and keep everyone involved in the push for success. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Camp Just Put Several Opening Night Roles In Play
Training camp has started to sort out the Edmonton Oilers opening-night picture, with coach Mike Babcock laying out projected lines and pairings that reach beyond the NHL roster and into the Bakersfield Condors mix as well. The early alignments offer a first look at how the club wants to distribute minutes, matchups and responsibilities, while also hinting at how much of the depth chart is still fluid before the regular season arrives.
A few of those decisions are being shaped by the injury situation, with Matt Savoie, Frederik Andersen and Mattias Janmark all sidelined. That leaves some roles open for evaluation in the coming days, and it also puts extra weight on the next round of assignments as the Oilers look to settle on the right combinations and figure out which players are best positioned to stick when camp decisions start getting made. [Read more 🡒]