The Edmonton Oilers seem to be putting the perfect team together but they still lack in certain areas.
With Jujhar Khaira injured, and Anton Lander not living up to potential, the team recalled Anton Slepyshev. They hoped the Russian forward would slot in well on the bottom-six, given his experience and time with the team.
In nine games with the Condors this season, Slepyshev put up three goals and 10 points. He earned a recall to Edmonton and has so far registered three goals and six points in 23 games. Though they’re not impressive stats for the 22-year-old winger, he seems to bring a lot to the lineup.
Last season, Slepyshev showed his NHL potential with an impressive training camp that in turn earned him a spot on the NHL roster. However, through 11 games, he had just a single ass, and couldn’t fit in well with the lineup. He was a minus-5 and has just one shot block and two takeaways to his name. In addition to his struggles, he put up a relative Fenwick of -6.7, which goes to show his struggles with possession.
This season, however, he is a plus-5 and is finally starting to find his game. He still struggles when it comes to puck possession, but has added more to his game when it comes to backchecking. He has 33 hits this season and is a much more aggressive, physical player than he was in the past.
When it comes to his offense, he needs to improve when it comes to shooting. Like teammate Jordan Eberle, Slepyshev has struggled to register his shots on goal; only 55 percent of his shots hit the net. By the same token, most of his attempts are blocked while only some completely miss the mark.
In order to improve his game, the Russian winger still has to develop his shot. He also has to find his offensive stride and do more to start the rush. If he can do that, Slepyshev will show his bottom-six potential and provide more offense through the second half of the lineup.
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