Jeff Skinner gets look among Oilers' bottom 6 forwards at Monday practice
He was brought into the fold to presumably play in a Top 6 forward role, but Jeff Skinner might start the Edmonton Oilers' 2024-25 campaign lower down in the National Hockey League team's lineup.
The winger was skating among the bottom six forwards during Monday's practice after playing much of the pre-season on a line with fellow newcomer Viktor Arvidsson and star centre Leon Draisaitl. In his place was Mattias Janmark, who skated effectively on a third line with fellow Oilers Adam Henrique and Connor Brown during the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Monday he hasn't yet committed to the makeup of Wednesday's opening lineup against the Winnipeg Jets, he said the idea of pairing Skinner with Henrique would give the team "more balanced scoring."
"I think right now, it's best to play with the lines. Maybe (with) a little more north and south guys like Janmark, we have other options," Knoblauch told media after practice, adding the likes of current fourth-liners Corey Perry and Vasily Podkolzin could see opportunities higher up in the lineup.
"Right now, with Skinner being with that third line, I just know (it'll be) tough to match all three of our lines, because we got scoring on all three."
Skinner, 32, signed a one-year, US$3-million contract with the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent the day National Hockey League free agency opened in July. The 14-year NHL veteran, most recently a member of the Buffalo Sabres, has scored 357 goals over his NHL career, notching 30-plus goals five times and reaching the 40-goal plateau five years ago. He has never played in an NHL playoff game.
Calgary Flames Martin Pospisil (76) looks for the puck against Edmonton Oilers Raphael Lavoie (62) during first period NHL preseason action in Edmonton on Sept. 23, 2024. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press)
Lavoie lost to Vegas
Raphael Lavoie is no longer an Oilers prospect. The Vegas Golden Knights claimed the 24-year-old off waivers Monday morning after Edmonton placed him on the wire in order to assign him to their American Hockey League affiliate.
The forward, a second-round pick of the Oilers in 2019, had spent the last three seasons with the Bakersfield Condors, scoring 25-plus goals in each of the last two AHL campaigns.
The six-foot-four, 215-lb. Lavoie went scoreless in seven NHL games with the Oilers last season.
Clearing waivers Monday following Oilers training camp are defenceman Josh Brown, forward Drake Caggiula and goalie Olivier Rodriqgue.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
What might Donald Trump's election win mean for Canadians
Following president-elect Donald Trump's decisive election victory, there are sure to be significant knock-on effects for Canada. Here's a look at the different areas in which a second Trump presidency may affect Canadians.
4 ways in which Donald Trump's election was historic
Donald Trump's election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to be president.
Kamala Harris concedes: Here's what she said in her speech
Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris has conceded the U.S. election to Republican Donald Trump.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.
Canada orders wind up of TikTok's Canadian business, app access to continue
Canada ordered the dissolution of TikTok's Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform.
Kingston, Ont. doctor fighting OHIP clawback of $660K in pandemic vaccination payments
A Kingston doctor is in a dispute with the Ontario Ministry of Health, which is trying to clawback more than $600,000 in OHIP payments.
Read the full transcript of Donald Trump's victory speech
The former U.S. president and now president-elect addressed a crowd of supporters at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., shortly after 2:30 a.m. EST, Wednesday morning.
Various popular brands of bread and buns have been recalled in Canada
Dozens of popular brands of bread have been recalled in Canada after pieces of metal were discovered in some of the products.