The Edmonton Oilers blossomed into a powerhouse team in 2024 playoffs, with almost every player finding a role that helped the team win, some of them excelling at the most difficult roles. But the team has lost a number of players, especially in the department of young veterans who can blend in with veteran stars. Gone now are Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele. Replacements are necessary and if the seemingly unending run of NHL pre-season games have any real use — other than filling NHL owner and player money vaults — it’s to try out various players and see if any of them will make for a new fit on the ever-changing team.
As Leon Draisaitl has said, each team is a new team, each year, and has to find its own way. This dynamic process doesn’t always end up with solid results as the season plays out. A number of players fail to meet the mark. But the process is now advancing before our eyes in pre-season, the latest exhibitions being Edmonton’s two losing split squad games to the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
The Cult’s Kurt Leavins has reported on one of the games, Edmonton’s 6-1 loss in Calgary, and I’m now reporting on the second, Edmonton’s 6-3 loss in Edmonton, a game featuring many of the Oilers star players.
Most of the big name Oilers took a wise veteran approach to the game. They avoided physical play but worked up a sweat while adjusting to the heightened pace and danger of a competitive NHL game. Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hymen had a few splendid moments, as did Leon Draisaitl.
Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm looked as sharp and magnificent as ever. The pairing moved the puck brilliantly, skated as well as I’ve ever seen either of them skate. They dominated the game when they were on the ice. I don’t believe they were out for a goal against, which makes sense. The puck was barely in the Edmonton end when they were out.
The players I most focused on weren’t the big stars of known value. Instead, I was looking at the young veterans in camp who are in competition to replace the departed young veterans.
I focused on four of them Phil Kemp, Vasili Podkolzin, Raphael Laovie and Noah Philp.
Podkolzin and Lavoie got shifts with Draisaitl, and Lavoie stuck there most of the game.
Podkolzin is a fast player with a bit of skill, the 10th overall pick in the 2019 draft, taken by Vancouver just two slots behind Philip Broberg. He lacks the high-end offensive game of a Top 6 player, but he hustled all night, made some good passes, and hustled hard on defence, though he may well have made the wrong read on one goal against, failing to cover off the danger man. That said, he was out for that goal against with two ECHL/AHL quality d-men who struggled all night and were the culprits on numerous goals against. One or both of them were the prime culprits.
Overall, I got the sense from Podkolzin of a player in the Andrew Cogliano-in-Anaheim phase of his career, where Cogliano realized he was not cut out for Top 6 attacking duty. Instead he devoted himself to becoming a fast, effective checker on a third line. Podkolzin could be that kind of Cogliano for Edmonton if he sticks with a focus on hustle and defensive solidity. He’s got the size, speed, necessary skill and aggressive attitude to make it.
As for Lavoie, it was the best I’ve seen him play in an NHL sweater. He won some board battles and made some smart passes. He flashed his wicked shot repeatedly, almost scoring on a sweet Draisaitl pass late in the game. That shot is indeed a weapon and he finally showed it off against in an NHL-ish game. If the Oilers are looking for a gunner this year, if more of their Top 6 players get injured for example, Lavoie is in line for an audition. It’s hard to imagine him, though, in a checking role.
Kemp had many good moments on the ice, which is no surprise as he’s a smart, capable and steady defender. But early in the third, he made a rancid pass into the defensive slot that was picked off and quickly passed and scored into the Edmonton net. Kemp is one of a cast of about half-a-dozen auditioning for the role of Brett Kulak’s partner on the third pairing, a player to replace Ceci. I’m getting the sense he might be able to hang in there in that role, but his errant pass was a step back, an obvious mistake from a d-man who is counted on to rarely make obvious mistakes.
Philp stood out the most in a positive way. He’s a big, rangy, smart and capable centre who can do a bit of everything. He’s not too fast, but fast enough to burst up ice with the puck and find some open space. He’s not a magician with the puck, but he can make a pass and he’s got a blistering shot. He reminded me a bit of a young Kyle Brodziak before the Oilers stupidly gave up in him and sent him off to a have a fine career as a checking centre with Minnesota and St. Louis, playing 907 NHL games in total.
I can see Philp making the Oilers at some point this year and making a solid impact. His promotion will come down to how well he can check and cover off the defensive slot in his own zone, an area where he was just fine in Monday night’s losing effort. He, too, had an iffy defensive moment, losing a face-off on the PK and failing to block an outside shot that beat Calvin Pickard, but perhaps Pickard should have had that one. Overall, Philp impressed, and I suspect we’ll see him at least three or four more pre-season games.
At the Cult of Hockey
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