Published Oct 10, 2023<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 2\u00a0hours ago<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 7 minute read<\/span> <\/p>\n Ken Holland promised stability when he arrived in Edmonton 4\u00bd years ago. He has delivered on that promise and then some, even as some critics might suggest that with stability has come an element of rigidity.<\/p>\n For the second preseason in a row the Oilers\u2019 roster was virtually set before camp even began. In 2022-23 the die was cast the moment Ryan McLeod <\/strong>signed a one-year deal for the very specific figure of $798,000 an hour before the first on-ice session of camp. From there it was clear that Holland was aiming for a 21-man roster with only a couple of roster decisions to be determined:<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n REGISTER TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Here at the Cult of Hockey we correctly forecast on Sep 24 that Ryan and Malone would win their respective battles, and thus nailed<\/strong> the entire 21-man season-opening roster that was declared nearly three weeks later.<\/p>\n Now it\u2019s the fall of 2023, and the process has nearly been as straightforward as a year ago. Again a 21-man roster has been expected, but without the dollar-for-dollar intrigue that necessitated the Ryan vs. Janmark showdown a year ago. This time, thanks in parts to significant pay cuts accepted by both vets, there was always going to be room for both and indeed that turns out to be the case. Better still, the club has finally emerged from cap jail after spending the last three years locked into Long Term Injured Reserve status due to the career-ending injury endured by Oscar Klefbom in 2020.<\/p>\n Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n This time around the roster was again eminently predictable. Back on Sep 13, we projected<\/strong> this\u00a0 opening group of 20 identified players, with just one open spot.<\/p>\n Here we are nearly four weeks later, and on Monday the opening roster was effectively declared as exactly those 20 players. Even the forward lines are accurate, for now. There has been some churn on the d-corps due to multiple preseason injuries, while the situation in goal is very competitive. But the names of the players involved in those battles are exactly as anticipated for weeks.<\/p>\n The 21st spot, an apparent showdown between forwards Raphael Lavoie<\/strong>,\u00a0Lane Pederson<\/strong> and PTO Adam Erne<\/strong>, still hasn\u2019t been resolved. Instead, it is temporarily occupied by defenceman Markus Niemelainen<\/strong>, who is injured and cannot be waived; given his one-way contract he must stay on the roster until his situation is resolved.<\/p>\n The Oilers have come out ahead on one key matter, though. With no spots available, all of Lavoie, Pederson and depth defenceman\u00a0Ben Gleason<\/strong> were waived on Sunday. To the surprise of some, all three cleared that process on Monday and can now be designated for assignment by the Oilers.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n With those successful waivers comes a new level of flexibility for Holland, who can now move any and all of those tweeners between the farm and the big club for at least the opening 10 games of the season and likely much longer than that depending on how he plays his cards.<\/p>\n One thing the GM was quite clear about was that Lavoie is unlikely to be the first to get a look. He told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic: \u201cWith a 19-skater roster \u2014 12 forwards and seven D (ideally) \u2014 it doesn\u2019t give us the luxury to carry a young player that we can grow. We need everybody, all hands on deck\u2026 When we\u2019re only carrying 12 forwards, we\u2019ve got to carry forwards that are going to be in the lineup every night. They can\u2019t go through growing pains.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n In fact the designated 12th forward does not need to be in the line-up every night, as Jay Woodcroft has the option of dressing a 7th defenceman instead. That\u2019s an approach Woody has used in close to half of his NHL games to date.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like younger players have the market cornered on making mistakes, either. In a perfect world, they make a few along the way and learn from them. It\u2019s an essential part of the growth process.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n But as Holland correctly pointed out about three former first-round picks that have worked their way on to the team during his tenure, it\u2019s not generally a single leap to NHL success. All of Evan Bouchard<\/strong>, Philip Broberg<\/strong> and Dylan Holloway<\/strong> took parts of two if not three season to gradually work their way up the ladder. Broberg and Holloway remain entangled in that process, even as both project to be full-timers in 2023-24 after splitting last season between NHL and AHL.<\/p>\n Similarly Ryan McLeod<\/strong>, the Oilers\u2019 second-round pick the year before choosing Lavoie in that same range, also bounced around a little between leagues for a bit, even as he found a full-time home in the NHL before the expiry of his ELC.<\/p>\n By contrast, Lavoie has played out his first contract without a single NHL game, and now begins his bridge deal still in the lower league, having been passed over by all 32 NHL clubs, not just 1. Worse still from his perspective is the qualifying offer he controversially signed in the summer has a much lower AHL component than he might have been able to negotiate in concert with a two-way deal that paid minimum salary at the NHL level. He now faces the enormous challenge of putting all of that to the side to focus on furthering his game in yet a fourth season in the AHL, awaiting an opportunity that might arise in the event of injury on the big club. Worked for Klim Kostin a year ago.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Meanwhile, veterans like the 26-year-old Pederson (71 career games) or 28-year-old Erne (355 career games) appear to have the inside track on that 12th forward position when it comes available. That might well be sooner than later; while the Oilers couldn\u2019t put Niemelainen on LTIR to open the season without consequences, now that he\u2019s opened the season on a cap-compliant roster, he could well be LTIR\u2019d as soon as Day 2, which is the day Edmonton actually plays its first game. At this distance we don\u2019t know enough about Niemo\u2019s actual injury status to do more than speculate, but he left the Oilers\u2019 fifth preseason game early and then missed the final three games altogether.<\/p>\n The other option is to go with the 20 healthy guys on the roster in an 11F\/7D\/2G deployment until such time as Niemelainen heals and potentially goes on waivers himself to make room for that 12th forward. Though he is on the roster for technical reasons just now, the towering Finn may well have dropped below Gleason on the potential call-up list once the dust settles.<\/p>\n For all the discussion about the players around the edges of the roster, the core group of 20 looks strong. All are NHL veterans, indeed all but one (Connor Brown<\/strong>) were Oilers a year ago. Of them, only Holloway didn\u2019t see action in the playoffs. It\u2019s a group that\u2019s already played plenty of important games together and are building towards a run at the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. <\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n A few questions remain to be answered.<\/p>\n The answers to these questions will emerge soon enough, as the season opener is now less than 48 hours away. The waiting game is nearly over.<\/p>\n STAPLES: Sigh of relief as Lavoie clears waivers<\/strong><\/p>\n STAPLES: Oilers roll the dice, waive Lavoie, Pederson, Gleason<\/strong><\/p>\n LEAVINS: Goalie controversy could be a good thing for Oilers \u2014 9 Things<\/strong><\/p>\n STAPLES: More questions than answers come with recent round of Oilers waivers<\/strong><\/p>\n STAPLES: Campbell pushes for starter\u2019s job after strong start versus Seattle<\/strong><\/p>\n McCURDY: Oilers have just 1 roster spot to fill, with several options<\/strong><\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n Comments<\/p>\n Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. 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Connor Brown is the only player on Edmonton Oilers’ opening 21-man roster who didn’t play with the squad last season.<\/span> Photo by Shaughn Butts<\/span> \/Postmedia<\/span> <\/p>\nArticle content<\/h2>\n
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