In an Edmonton Oilers news update, there are a few items of note coming out of Friday’s practice, the first since the team took a beating at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks 8-1. Leon Draisaitl talked about the result, while the defense pairings got switched up with Mattias Ekholm was back on the ice. There is pending news on Adam Erne and Markus Niemelainen was placed on waivers.
Mattias Ekholm Back on the Ice
The Oilers badly missed Mattias Ekholm on opening night and while he would have meant the difference between winning and losing, it’s clear that he’s a big part of the team. He was skating in practice with Evan Bouchard, looking good and likely ready to go for game two of the season. Ekholm was with Bouchard, Darnell Nurse was back with Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak was with Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais likely gets in as the No. 7 defenseman.
Putting the pairings from last season back together seems like a prudent decision. Sure, the Oilers aren’t exactly known for having elite defense, but those pairings worked and at the end of the year in 2022, Edmonton was among the best teams in the league, including when it came to shutting teams down.
Specifically, Bouchard and Nurse as a pairing did not look good in the first game, whereas Ekholm and Bouchard together were an unbelievably effective pairing. Go back to what works and don’t try to mess with something that, while not fantastic or among the best in the NHL, wasn’t really broken.
Niemelainen Healthy Enough to Go On Waivers
The Oilers placed defenseman Markus Niemelainen on waivers Friday. If he clears (which he should), it will give the team a bit more flexibility to make other moves.
Among the moves the Oilers are expected to make is the announcement that they’ve signed Adam Erne to an NHL contract. He was in camp on a PTO and has earned a spot on the team. Mark Spector of Sportsnet writes, “Expect an announcement hat Adam Erne has been signed, likely pregame tmw, after Niemelainen clears. Ekholm likely to play Saturday, as could Erne.”
Draisailt Talks the Humbling Loss
Everyone is saying it was the kind of game you flush and move on from, but the Oilers are taking that loss to Vancouver as a good indication that they’ll not be able to cakewalk through any teams this season. Leon Draisaitl spoke to the media and said that performance was not their standard, let it go and learn from it. It’s not the kind of game the team expects to play.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft said it would be negligent not to look at the video from that game and use it as a learning tool, but everyone in the room knows that was not the type of game fans and the players should expect moving forward. No one was good enough, the compete level wasn’t there and everything sort of just fell apart.
Dylan Holloway Good to Go
After blocking a shot in the first game and not returning, Dylan Holloway was back on the ice and showed no lingering effects of an injury. He’ll be in the lineup on Saturday. Holloway was one of the lone bright spots in that loss for the Oilers. He had jump and energy and was making things happen when he was on the ice. A good season from him (one where he stays healthy) would be a big plus for the Oilers.
