Edmonton Oilers
Someone Is Getting Cut by the Oilers: Who Will It Be?
The Oilers cuts are looming as players battle for spots in the lineup. Discover who might stay and who may go soon.
The Edmonton Oilers are approaching a date where they have to make at least one or two tough decisions. With injured players returning and a crowded forward group forcing management to decide who stays and who goes, not everyone will fit when Zach Hyman, Jake Walman, Mattias Janmark, and Alec Regula are all healthy and ready to play.
The opportunity windows for wingers like Ike Howard, Matt Savoie, David Tomasek, and Jack Roslovic to earn their spot in the lineup are closing. Their auditions are reaching a critical point and the next couple of games may determine their fate.
As Allan Mitchell of The Athletic points out, with 10 wingers vying for eight spots, veterans such as Curtis Lazar appear most vulnerable. He has yet to play this season and requires waivers to be sent down. Whether a team takes him remains to be seen, but there’s always a risk that the Oilers could lose him for nothing.
A rookie like Howard could also be reassigned to the AHL Bakersfield Condors without waivers, something the Oilers have to be considering. He played just over eight minutes in the loss to the Islanders on Thursday and if that pattern continues, more experience in the AHL might be wise.
Others like Savoie, Tomasek, Roslovic, Noah Philp, and Kasperi Kapanen have shown they can be effective and Roslovic is safe until at least November 1. He’s been slotted in the top six, but has yet to get on the scoresheet.
On defense, Alec Regula looks secure at the No. 6 role, leaving Ty Emberson or Troy Stecher as potential waiver or trade candidates once the roster stabilizes.
Who Doesn’t Make The Cut for the Oilers?
The Oilers are facing a challenging roster crunch and Lazar and Howard are the most likely candidates to be moved. Savoie and Tomasek appear to have the longer leash with the coaching staff seeing them in more specific roles — Tomasek on the power play and Savoie on the penalty kill.
One of Emberson or Stecher is at risk of waivers or a trade.
Next: The Oilers Might Be Making a Costly Early-Season Mistake
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