Oilers sport what's likely to be opening-game lineup at camp practice

Calgary Flames forward Walker Duehr, right, knocks down Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid during NHL preseason action in Edmonton on Sept. 23, 2024. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press)

The Edmonton Oilers' training camp roster sports 47 players as of Tuesday afternoon following two split-squad games the night before and the assignment of four prospects to their junior teams.

But while head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff still have two weeks of training camp to decide who stays and who goes to cement the 23-man roster for opening night, onlookers saw what could well be the makeup of the squad come Oct. 9's home game against the Winnipeg Jets.

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During practice Tuesday, Connor McDavid skated between wingers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, often the star captain's linemates.

Leon Draisatl centred a unit featuring newcomers Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson.

Adam Henrique played centre between Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown on a line that proved effective during the latter stages of last season's playoffs.

Derek Ryan was between Corey Perry and summer acquisition Vasily Podkolzin on a fourth line.

Defensive pairings included last year's top blueline duo Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse and new Oiler Ty Emberson in a second pairing, veteran Brett Kulak teamed with former Coyote Josh Brown, and Troy Stecher alongside professional tryout hopeful Travis Dermott.

Stuart Skinner, who has yet to play through three exhibition games, and Calvin Pickard are destined to return to the Oilers' net ahead of hopefuls Olivier Rodrigue, Collin Delia and Connor Ungar.

The line of Henrique, Brown and Janmark is a unit Knoblauch says he wants to start the season with.

"We liked how that line played in the playoffs," he told media. "We're going to start with that and hopefully they can gain some momentum from where they left off."

Knoblauch said Tuesday training camp is about "evaluating who is best for our team," including the likes of prospect winger Raphael Lavoie, who played in a handful of NHL games last season, and veteran tryout forward Mike Hoffman.

Lavoie left Tuesday's practice session with a lower-body injury and will be out of action for a" couple of days," said the coach, who highlighted the 24-year-old Oilers' 2019 second-round pick's calling cards as "a big strong body who can skate."

"We need that speed, and we need that physicality, so there's a player that can give us some of that," Knoblauch said.

The 34-year-old Hoffman, who played last season with the San Jose Sharks, has scored 228 goals and 259 assists for 487 points in 745 career NHL games with five teams.

Knoblauch said Tuesday he expects Hoffman to play up to three more games in preseason.

McDavid said Monday after the Edmonton game the challenge of the early part of camp is adjusting to the rigours of game play.

"I think the legs got better and better as the game went on. I think it's more the battling and stuff that you're just not used to," McDavid said.

"You could skate up and down the rink all day. It's just the battling at that level that is tough, but obviously not good enough all around and lots to work on."

The Oilers face the Jets in Winnipeg on Wednesday in their fourth NHL pre-season game of the fall.