Oilers show off brand new lines at training camp
The Edmonton Oilers took to the ice at Rogers Place for the first time at training camp this week, and with it came a look at the team’s new lines.
Edmonton’s roster is quite a bit different this time around, with several new additions expected to play in premier roles and a few key players departing the team over the offseason.
This makes new forward lines and defensive pairs inevitable heading into the season, a few of which we saw for the first time this morning. Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson were the two biggest new guys to hit the ice in Oilers threads this morning. They appear to be sticking together on the second line with superstar Leon Draisaitl.
#Oilers’ NHL lines/pairings based on first on-ice day of training camp:
RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Skinner-Draisaitl-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Brown
Podkolzin-Ryan-Perry
Savoie-Pederson-LavoieEkholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Emberson
Kulak-Brown
Stecher-Dermott— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) September 19, 2024
While there were plenty of changes throughout the roster, fans will be familiar with the top line, which saw captain Connor McDavid reunite with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That line was among the very best last season and it appears they will be getting another opportunity to build on that success to start off training camp.
Edmonton’s third line will also be recognizable as Adam Henrique centred the trio of himself, Mattias Janmark, and Connor Brown. Those three developed some wicked chemistry in last year’s playoffs and were critical in the Oilers pushing the Florida Panthers to seven games in the Stanley Cup Final.
New Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin slotted in on the fourth line with veterans Derek Ryan and Corey Perry. Rookie Matthew Savoie played on a line with Raphael Lavoie and Lane Pederson.
Darnell Nurse participated in every drill during the first on-ice session despite suffering from an injury. The departures of Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais mean Nurse will have a new defensive partner for this upcoming season. Trade pickup Ty Emberson seems to be getting the first opportunity to play with the veteran defender, being paired with Nurse this morning.
Meanwhile, Josh Brown played on the Oilers’ prospective third-pairing with Brett Kulak, while Troy Stecher took reps with PTO Travis Dermott.
With training camp just getting underway, there is a good chance that the lines Kris Knoblauch rolled out today will be changed a lot. However, it is notable that he decided to start with these line configurations.
We’ll see what sticks as camp continues.