Edmonton Oilers Test New Combinations at Tuesday's Morning Skate
The Edmonton Oilers held a morning skate Tuesday and tinkered with new combinations. Edmonton squares off against the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Oscar Klefbom and Patrick Maroon were both on the ice for the morning skate. This is a great sign for the Oilers; Maroon was day-to-day, and Klefbom’s status was questionable. Though these two returned to the ice, Kris Versteeg and Brandon Davidson were absent.
According to Bob Stauffer, Versteeg “tweaked something” in the final minutes of Sunday’s game. After taking a blow to the head Sunday, Davidson skated off and did not return. Head coach Todd McLellan deemed him day-to-day. Tanner Pearson has a phone conference with the NHL Department of Player Safety for the hit.
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In other news, the Oilers are also dropping hints as to what their roster could potentially look like this coming season. Leon Draisaitl has been promoted to the second line, on the right wing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Benoit Pouliot. Jesse Puljujarvi has moved down to the third line, on the right side with Drake Caggiula and Patrick Maroon.
These combinations could indicate that the Oilers may start Driasiatl on the wing and have Caggiula join the team as the third-line centre.
However, these lines will not hold, and Draisaitl will end up playing as the third-line centre between Nail Yakupov and Maroon Tuesday. This likely means that Puljujarvi will remain on the second line, and Caggiula was demoted.
Although Yakupov is currently on the third line, it is possible that he could start the season watching from the press box.
The Russian winger was quiet Sunday, despite time on the top line with Connor McDavid and Milan Lucic. Yakupov has not gotten too many chances to impress during camp thanks to injury. However, when given opportunities, Yakupov comes back empty-handed.
I see Versteeg starting the season in an Oilers jersey, and even possibly Pitlick staying up with the club. Also, Caggiula has a strong chance of winning a spot as well, putting Yakupov and Mark Letestu at risk of watching from upstairs.
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