The Edmonton Oilers have announced another round of training camp cuts as the team enters the midway mark of the preseason.
After defeating the Seattle Kraken last night, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch initially said that the team would wait until after Monday night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks to make further cuts, but it appears that is not the case.
Five players have been cut loose from the roster, including top prospects Matt Savoie and Sam O’Reilly. Savoie has been loaned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors while O’Reilly will return to the OHL’s London Knights to play out the 2024-25 season.
Defencemen Connor Carrick and Cam Dineen were placed on waivers for the purposes of assignment to the AHL while Seth Griffith has been released from his PTO and will also report to the AHL.
The #Oilers have released forward Seth Griffith from his PTO & he will report to the @Condors. We have also placed defencemen Cam Dineen & Connor Carrick on waivers for the purpose of assignment & loaned forward Matt Savoie to Bakersfield.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 29, 2024
Savoie is perhaps the biggest name in this round of cuts. The 20-year-old offseason trade acquisition was expected to push for a spot in the NHL lineup throughout training camp but struggled to make a strong first impression. The skill is certainly there for Savoie, but lots of minutes in the AHL seems like the best course of action.
Another top prospect cut loose is O’Reilly, who was selected 31st-overall by the Oilers in the most recent draft. He had a stronger-than-expected first NHL training camp in Edmonton and was rewarded with an extended look. O’Reilly was always going to be a long shot at making this roster, but he showed well and will have a lot of eyes on him in the OHL this season.
The other cuts were not too surprising. Both Dineen and Carrick had their moments in the preseason but were not considered likely candidates to work their way onto the NHL team. If they clear, they will provide veteran leadership down in the AHL and could be potential injury call-ups at some point in the season. The same can be said for Griffith, who has been a great AHL forward for the Oilers but has not been able to break through the NHL level.
This narrows Edmonton’s roster to 17 forwards, 12 defensemen, and four goaltenders.
Notable players who are still with the Oilers include Noah Philp, Raphael Lavoie, Lane Pederson, and James Hamblin.
More cuts are expected after tomorrow night’s contest against the Canucks.