Edmonton Oilers Talk: Kassian Out for Game One, McLeod’s Missed Chance, and Does Perlini Really Need to be Jere Lehtinen 2.0?

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: Kassian iffy for season opener following head injury

Kassian, who had a terrific camp with newcomers Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan, remains on the 23-man roster but could be moved to injured reserve and miss the opener Wednesday against the Canucks.
The Oilers will have 15 forwards if and when Sceviour signs and Kassian is healthy, which is one too many. One of Sceviour or Benson could go on waivers or Ryan McLeod, who doesn’t have to clear, could be sent to Bakersfield.
Dmitry Samorukov (broken jaw), who could be ready to play in Bakersfield in three weeks.
The Canucks have decided not to sign tryout winger Alex Chiasson, the ex Oiler who played on the Canucks’ top power play throughout camp.
The Canucks dumped draft mistake defenceman Olli Juolevi, their first-rounder (No. 5) in 2016, to Florida for D-man Noah Juulsen and winger Juho Lammikko.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers have a lot of forwards, so it’s fine if they take their time with Kassian. Game one vs. Vancouver should be an interesting one given the Canucks are going through their own health crisis as well with Sutter and Boeser not being 100% either.

If Samorukov is slated to return to the ice in three weeks, would it be fair to say he should be up to game speed in about five or six weeks? How long until we seem him up in Edmonton for a cup of coffee?

That’s too bad about Juolevi. In his draft year, he was fantastic for Finland at the World Juniors and London (OHL). Injuries got the best of him, but there’s still a player there I feel. He just needs to find his confidence.

Cult of Hockey

Unlikely Oilers make major move to grab jobs ahead of Ryan McLeod and Tyler Benson

Kyle Turris and William Lagesson have cleared NHL waivers, which means Lagesson is heading down to play with Bakersfield. Turris? Still practicing with the team — and Edmonton is likely to jump through several salary cap-related hoops before its opening night roster is set.
The team’s practice lines may not be the opening night lines, but I’m starting to think we’ll see more of Draisaitl and McDavid together than I’d anticipated.
Who has not noticed and loved Perlini’s shooting and scoring? He’s also got size and speed. One thing will dictate his success in Edmonton, though, his defensive fundamentals.
As for Sceviour, he strikes me as a slightly slower version of Archibald who hits less.
Tyler Benson and Ryan McLeod had some good moments in the final game against Vancouver, but didn’t play with enough swagger and intensity to push their way onto the roster.
Slater Koekkoek appears to have beat out Kris Russell on the left side for the third-pairing. This makes sense as Koekkoek has been arguably Edmonton’s most consistent d-man in pre-season. He’s also a bigger player and better puck-mover than Russell.
If Keith can keep up that kind of puck-moving and show that he’s still fast and tough enough to cover off things on defence, he will be a huge asset for the Oilers. I’m greatly assured by that puck-moving skill but my questions about his defensive play remain.
As for Ceci, he’s big enough and fast enough, but I’m still getting a read on his decision-making and positioning… I’ll also be keeping an eye of Filip Berglund in Bakersfield, the top right d-man call-up on the team, to see how close he is in case either Ceci or Evan Bouchard stumble or get hurt.
If McLeod does go down, he can file this 2021 training camp under his “lost opportunity” file.

BLH’s Thoughts: Am I the only one that doesn’t think Brendan Perlini needs to be the next Doug Jarvis? What I mean is, this guy is obviously the 4th line’s trigger man and his role should be to to find the soft ice in the offensive zone and bury the biscuit when it arrives on his blade. The pressure is really on Shore and Turris to get him the puck.

Does a hockey team’s 4th line have to be one in the more traditional sense? Yes and no, I say. In my opinion, it really depends on who they’re lining up against. If they’re on the ice vs. the other team’s top-six, then surely the coach is going to want them to be at the top of their games defensively, but if the other team has their 4th line out, why not flip the switch and go for the goal?

Leon and Connor are going to play together more often in the following scenarios,

On the road when they’ve got last change.

When the team is down on the scoreboard and a goal is needed.

Can you argue with Tippett sending the NHLs two best centers on the same line in those situations? I can’t, not with the depth that the Oilers currently have.

Spector’s Hockey

NBC SPORTS: James O’Brien considers the New York Rangers out of the Jack Eichel trade market with their signing of Mika Zibanejad yesterday to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 million per season.

NEW YORK POST: Before the Zibanejad signing, Larry Brooks was skeptical of the Rangers acquiring Eichel. On Oct. 9, he suggested the only way the Blueshirts could afford Eichel and Zibanejad was if the Buffalo Sabres absorbed 40 to 50 percent of the 24-year-old center’s $10 million annual cap hit.

OTTAWA SUN: Ken Warren believes Senators GM Pierre Dorion will take a close look at the waiver wire to see if he can add another center with Colin White on injured reserve.