Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ top recall options for 2023-24

Edmonton Oilers training camp is underway and there are several players in the mix for the final roster spot.

Injuries could have an impact, but it’s a good bet the 21-man roster looks like this on opening night:

Here are the top recall options for the Oilers in 2023-24.

Forwards

Brandon Sutter

A fascinating bet by the organization, Brandon Sutter hasn’t played in a couple of seasons. He has shown well in the early days of camp. It’s likely he will need some time in the minors to get up to speed. There is also the question of how much he can help once at optimal fitness. Here are Sutter’s numbers from the 2020-21 campaign and his rank among Vancouver Canucks forwards.

Sutter can win faceoffs and was a key centre for Vancouver on the penalty kill. Both of those skills make him a quality fit for Edmonton’s needs. The contract, should he sign it, won’t be dear and the club could run seven defencemen and rest Sutter as often as required.

It’s possible Sutter breaks camp with the big team. The final preseason games will tell the story. If he can compete late in preseason, he could win a roster spot.

Lane Pederson

Lane Pederson skates well, is a capable playmaker and has spent some time on an NHL power play.  He is a talented centre who has scored at better than a point per game in the AHL since 2020-21.

Even-strength goal percentages are Pederson’s on the ice, and in brackets what his team accomplished when he was on the bench. Pederson scored well and mostly showed well as an outscorer at evens.

If the club sends him out, expect Pederson to lead Bakersfield in points and to mentor at least one of Edmonton’s best forward prospects next season.

The things he doesn’t bring (below 50 percent in the faceoff circle, just six minutes in the NHL career on the PK over 71 games is a tell) will keep him off the opening-night roster.

Added to his extreme value to the Condors as an offensive driver and a ticket to California is likely.

The assets he brings are marbled throughout the NHL roster, but Pederson’s handedness (right) likely gets him a recall.

Additional veteran forwards

All numbers five-on-five

Sam Gagner is the class of the group and would have pushed for an NHL job if completely healthy. Expect him to spend some time in Bakersfield and be an early recall if everything goes well with the Condors.

Adam Erne’s possession numbers look ghastly but he has a unique skill set among this group. Erne is physical and can win battles, plus gives Edmonton a physical edge on the wing. He isn’t under contract and may not accept an AHL demotion, but the organization values what he brings.

Drake Caggiula, James Hamblin and Brad Malone are key AHL players for the coming season. It’s possible one of them receives a call to the big club.

First time forwards (possible NHL debuts)

Xavier Bourgault has some traction coming off the Young Stars tournament. He delivered on the forecheck, backcheck and penalty kill while getting a mountain of chances (he was snakebit or would have been the story of camp).

The young man led the Condors in even-strength goal share and he scored on the power play and penalty kill. Only his even-strength offence was a disappointment.

The Oilers are a team with miles of offensive aggression, but few forwards who can provide defensive suppression.

Bourgault won’t make the team out of camp. Like Sutter, his skill set is a great match for what the organization needs at this time. It’s likely fans see Bourgault in Edmonton before spring.

Tyler Tullio receives less attention but his rookie numbers in the AHL imply an NHL future is possible.

Raphael Lavoie has yet to play in the NHL, so he will be in this group if he is sent down and clears waivers.

Defence

Markus Niemelainen

The first recall option is Markus Niemelainen, although there is a waiver worry over this player. Niemelainen owned a 51 percent even-strength goal share with the Condors (the team was 45 percent when he was off the ice at even strength). He built on that success with a 56 percent goal share five-on-five with the Oilers (in 23 games) during 2022-23.

Niemelainen’s presence on the roster means Edmonton has real depth. That he’s destined to start in Bakersfield means both Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais have clearly passed him on the depth chart.

Niemelainen joins Lavoie as players who could be dealt (as was the case with Dmitri Samorukov a year ago) if management views them as having no way forward with the organization.

Ben Gleason and Cam Dineen are also in the mix and have seen some NHL games, but it’s uncertain whether either man will see a recall.

First time defence (possible NHL debuts)

Phil Kemp has no NHL experience, but his qualities (right-handed defence, shutdown type) may mean he receives the first recall this season. Edmonton’s depth chart after the top seven is largely unknown at this time, but Kemp has qualities no other defender shares.

Noel Hoefenmayer is a summer signing with an interesting resume. He may never see the NHL (hasn’t played a game and he is 24) but the offence is there and his overall game appears to be fairly complete. He can defend, has a rugged style and has been successful in the AHL.

Goalies

There are two possible recalls, both men finishing in the AHL’s top 10 in save percentage in 2022-23.

Veteran Calvin Pickard is 31 with 116 games of NHL experience. In 38 games for the Condors, he posted a .912 save percentage, allowed 2.7 goals per game and won 23 of 35 decisions.

Upstart Olivier Rodrigue also had a .912 save percentage in 29 games, with a 2.77 goals-against average.

Either man would be a reasonable choice for recall, but Rodrigue should have the more substantial future.

Summary

The Condors will ice 11 true NHL prospects and 16 (give or take due to PTOs) recall options. That’s a ratio not seen on an Oilers farm team since the turn of the century.

One area to watch through training camp and preseason is a trade to add a substantial recall defenceman to the group.

Management may want to move away from Lavoie or Niemelainen, and the recall list lacks a speedy two-way type. It could be addressed in preseason or early in the year.

(Photo of Markus Niemelainen: Christopher Mast / NHLI via Getty Images)

Originally Appeared Here