The Edmonton Oilers are a veteran team, designed for a long run with the Stanley Cup as an attainable goal.
The roster looked set entering training camp, but some lingering injuries on defence, some impressive performances up front and an unfortunate goaltender injury have opened up opportunities.
There are less than two weeks until opening night. Here’s a look at five men who could impact the Oilers roster.
Noah Philp
The Oilers’ scouting staff (both pro and amateur) takes a lot of heat for past misses, but Noah Philp hit top dead centre and potentially fills a major team need.
Derek Ryan, former Alberta Golden Bears centre, may be replaced at No. 4 centre this season by Philp. The younger man has shown zero rust after missing the entire 2023-24 season, and in fact, based on numbers would appear to be the front-runner for NHL work on the fourth line in 2024-25.
Through four preseason games, Philp’s five-on-five numbers shine: His 2.73 points per 60 ranks No. 4 among Oilers forwards; his faceoff percentage (61 percent, 22-14 won-loss), and his expected goal share is 53 percent.
Philp has not experienced a major push in terms of linemates. His most common wingers during the exhibition schedule are Matt Savoie, James Stefan and veteran PTO signing Mike Hoffman. He’s flourished with all of them.
He has seen plenty of penalty-killing work and his SA-60 while short-handed (29.8) is the best total among Oilers forwards.
If Philp didn’t exist the Oilers would have to invent him. That he arrived at camp and made the season away disappear as if nothing had happened is amazing. The Oilers don’t have to keep him on the roster; he isn’t eligible for waivers.
Philp earned an NHL roster spot on merit. The Oilers would do well to keep him. Compared to the competition for the No. 4 centre job, Philp gives the organization its best chance to win.
Raphael Lavoie
The Oilers drafted Raphael Lavoie in 2019 as a possible solution on the skill wings in the future. After scoring 25 and then 28 goals in the AHL over the past two seasons, the organization moved heaven and earth to fill those roles with outside, veteran options.
Lavoie’s path to the NHL looks to be as a two-way forward who can play middle-six minutes, but that role requires penalty-killing prowess and a “no danger” approach to five-on-five play.
Lavoie’s strength is scoring goals, and he’s had an opportunity to show his stuff in this camp. He scored a nice goal against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday and leads the team with 12 shots on goal in just three games. He also has four high-danger chances so far this preseason.
His on-ice goal share at five-on-five (67 percent, 4-2 goals) also leads the team and Lavoie has looked good in his time with the club this fall. He has also received significant power-play time and scored a goal with the man advantage.
On the downbeat, Lavoie didn’t get penalty-killing time.
Lavoie’s deployment during preseason qualifies as a “showcase” for other teams. It’s possible we see Lavoie dealt in the coming days, possibly for a defenceman in what would be a reverse of the defence-for-forward trade (Dmitri Samorukov for Klim Kostin) Edmonton made in the fall of 2022.
There’s no room for Lavoie in Edmonton (unless there’s an injury) but he might land elsewhere this fall, by trade or waivers.
Olivier Rodrigue
The injury to goaltender Calvin Pickard on Saturday night brings goaltending to the fore. Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic wrote about the situation and possible salary-cap impact. The early word on the Pickard injury is encouraging and he could be ready for opening night.
If the Oilers need a backup in the short term, they have internal options.
In the last two AHL seasons, Olivier Rodrigue has finished in the top 10 in save percentage among goalies who played enough to qualify. That should give him the edge in any chase for a backup goaltender behind Stuart Skinner.
Veteran Collin Delia owns a better preseason save percentage than Rodrigue (.864 to .833) but the sample is too small to be reliable.
Rodrigue has delivered at a high level in the AHL, a very good league. He could be a big contributor to the Oilers early in the 2024-25 season.
Ben Gleason
Ben Gleason showed well enough to be a late cut one year ago, and the same story is being written this fall.
He has chaos to his game, but also creativity and he can close a gap quickly. Gleason’s instincts and puck-moving ability are an attractive fit for a team casting about for those skills.
It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that he makes the Oilers out of camp.
The left side of the defence is strong, and the right side (Gleason can play both) looks better after strong a recent performance from Troy Stecher. Gleason is a name to keep in mind for an early-season recall if he gets sent out.
James Hamblin
James Hamblin has a motor that won’t quit and he’s an easy plug-and-play for any coach. If he had a little more offensive ability, Hamblin would have an NHL job this fall for the Oilers.
However, in the words of former Oilers coach and general manager, a forward has to move the needle at least a little bit to make it as an NHL player.
Hamblin is a good AHL scorer but hasn’t been able to find the range as an NHL option. He hasn’t been a feature player in this year’s camp, but every shift by Hamblin is identical to the last one: Smart play, good decisions, on the defensive side of the puck, reliable defensively.
He’s exactly the kind of player a coach loves to keep at the end of the roster.
Bottom line
Last week, an online discussion about the value of preseason for this Oilers team concluded it was a waste of time. The roster was set, why bother?
Events over the last week show the value of a preseason.
This Oilers team is built for a long run and that includes several members of the Bakersfield Condors contributing during the season to come.
Just a few weeks ago, Philp was thought to need at least until Christmas to shake off the rust. Lavoie was another failed second-round pick. Rodrigue was only in camp until all of the minor leaguers were sent to Condors training camp.
Gleason and Hamblin were afterthoughts.
A quick note on Sam O’Reilly, who was sent back to the OHL London Knights on Sunday.
The Oilers’ first-round selection at this summer’s draft came as advertised and stayed much longer than anticipated. He is a right-shot centre who plays a 200-foot game and doesn’t have many down arrows on his resume. He’s a fine shooter, excellent passer, can take a pass in full flight and handle the puck, wins battles along the wall and has plenty of speed to flourish at the NHL level.
O’Reilly was always an extreme long shot to make the Oilers this fall, but his success in NHL camp must be wildly encouraging to all involved.
Bottom line: Training camp matters. Just because no one knows who will emerge as a perfect-fit solution (Philp) and who might step into the breach after an injury (Rodrigue) doesn’t make the process any less valuable.
(Photo of Olivier Rodrigue: Perry Nelson / USA Today)
