Oilers' Gagner could soon be odd man out with Perry in the fold
The Edmonton Oilers’ signing of Corey Perry makes them a better team, but it will also force head coach Kris Knoblauch to make some difficult decisions.
One such decision came yesterday when it was announced that Adam Erne had been placed on waivers to make room for Perry on the roster. The 28-year-old has suited up for 28 games with the Oilers this season, scoring a goal and two points.
While the Oilers won’t have to worry about reassigning any other players for the time being, the question now boils down to who comes out of the lineup to make room for Perry. James Hamblin likely would have been at the top of that list, but he was also recently assigned to the AHLĀ to make room for Dylan Holloway.
Of the players in the Oilers’ bottom six, one who is guaranteed not to come out with how he has played lately is Ryan McLeod. That leaves players such as Connor Brown, Mattias Janmark, Derek Ryan, and Sam Gagner as options. Both Brown and Janmark have been black holes offensively, and Ryan hasn’t been a whole lot better. That should mean that Gagner — who has five goals and 10 points through 20 games — is safe, but that likely won’t be the case.
What the other three all have on Gagner is the ability to kill penalties. Janmark ranks first among all Oilers forwards in minutes per game on the penalty kill, Ryan is third, and Brown is fourth. Gagner, as it turns out, is the only forward on the Oilers roster at this time who hasn’t played a second on the penalty kill this season.
Due to Gagner’s limitations as a bottom-six forward, he is likely the player to draw the short stick here. Injuries or team struggles could change that, but once Perry is deemed good to go, the 34-year-old veteran will likely be the one pushed out.
- You might also like:
- Oilers' need for a goaltender no longer a top priority