EDMONTON — One harm within the preseason had the flexibility to throw a wrench within the Edmonton Oilers’ roster development flexibility. That may have occurred with goalie Calvin Pickard on Saturday.
Pickard left a 5-4 win over the Seattle Kraken at 11:58 of the primary interval after a collision within the crease. Kraken ahead Yanni Gourde drove to the online and bumped Oilers defenceman Phil Kemp into Pickard, whose head then hit the submit as he fell.
Oilers head athletic therapist T.D. Forss rushed onto the ice and spent the TV timeout talking to Pickard earlier than the goaltender skated off. Olivier Rodrigue, who was scheduled to switch Pickard for the third interval, entered the sport a lot sooner than anticipated.
Coach Kris Knoblauch stated postgame that Pickard is being evaluated and an replace about his well being needs to be accessible following Sunday afternoon’s observe.
That Pickard by no means returned to the bench definitely isn’t excellent. The Oilers have three preseason video games remaining and season-opening rosters are due Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. MT.
Supplied Pickard isn’t wholesome sufficient to begin the season, all of the intrigue about no matter roster battles might exist are all however over except the Oilers change course and resolve to place Evander Kane on LTIR. That’s one thing administration doesn’t need, so cap area may be accrued all through the season.
Pickard would begin the season on non-roster IR, which suggests his cap hit nonetheless counts towards the Oilers’ finances. An identical state of affairs impacted the Oilers final 12 months at coaching camp. They have been in a fair tighter cap bind than they’re now when an harm to defenceman Markus Niemelainen compelled them to begin the season with 11 forwards and 7 defencemen.
Per PuckPedia, the Oilers have simply over $945,000 in cap area on a roster that features Kane, 12 different forwards, seven defencemen and goalies Pickard and Stuart Skinner. They’d want a second goalie if Pickard isn’t wholesome sufficient to be on the opening roster whether or not that’s Rodrigue, veteran offseason signee Collin Delia or an inexpensive pickup by way of commerce or free company.
So lengthy cap area if that’s the case. That might stop the choice of the Oilers from carrying an additional ahead — once more, except Kane goes to LTIR.
The 2 gamers impacted essentially the most in that situation are Noah Philp and Raphael Lavoie.
Philp has turned heads proper from his first preseason sport after taking a 12 months away from hockey for private causes. In his newest effort on Saturday, he scored a purpose in his 10:34 of labor, 3:17 of which got here short-handed. He additionally gained 9 of his 11 faceoffs.
In lower than every week, Knoblauch has gone from believing it will be “tough” for Philp to make the group out of camp to feeling like he’s proper within the combine. Philp, 26, is gunning for a fourth-centre function.
“Right here’s a man that hasn’t performed in 17-18 months. To return to an NHL camp and make the group immediately would have been nearly ridiculous to consider,” Knoblauch stated. “However he’s performed very well. He’s confirmed us that he’s prepared, and he didn’t have as a lot rust as you’ll assume.
“It’s good to see that we’ve got some choices, however we nonetheless have some extra time to judge guys. However he’s achieved a heck of a job, and he has been seen.”
If Pickard — and everybody else — is wholesome by Oct. 7, continued sturdy play from Philp might entice the Oilers to maintain an additional ahead and have him on the opening roster. Although that may imply they’d accrue much less cap area, Philp might centre the fourth line and will enter a rotation with the group’s elder statesmen Derek Ryan and Corey Perry. But when Pickard’s ailment stretches past that time, the one method they might preserve him on is to waive Ryan, Perry or one other ahead. There isn’t an apparent candidate.
Working towards Philp is he’s waivers exempt, so he could possibly be despatched to AHL Bakersfield, play greater than he would for the Oilers and acquire helpful expertise for a recall.
After which there’s Lavoie, who powered his method by way of three stick checks to attain the profitable purpose on Saturday at 17:07 of the third interval.
“There was nice talent on that purpose,” Knoblauch stated.
Lavoie was exhibiting effectively in camp and through preseason video games earlier than being hampered by a lower-body harm midweek. The ailment compelled the teaching workers to scratch Lavoie from a Wednesday sport in Winnipeg, however he took half in observe Friday forward of Saturday’s contest.
Lavoie, 24, requires waivers, so making a very good impression might push administration to maintain him. Pickard’s harm going previous the season-opening roster deadline eliminates that possibility — except Kane goes on LTIR.
Working towards Lavoie is that there’s little to no particular groups time accessible to him. The extremely used first energy play is ready and the second featured Perry, Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse at observe earlier this week. The penalty killing ahead slots are occupied by returnees Ryan, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique, whereas Knoblauch desires to additionally use newcomers Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin in that function.
James Hamblin, who didn’t play Saturday, can be within the working for an additional ahead gig for the Oilers. Hamblin, 25, suited up in 31 video games for the Oilers final season. Like Philp, he’s exempt from waivers.
(Picture: Perry Nelson / Imagn Pictures)
