Expect familiar, veteran lineups over second half of Oilers' pre-season schedule

Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman and goalie Stuart Skinner during practice at training camp on Sept. 27, 2024, at Rogers Place. (Credit: TSN)

There's one more week of pre-season games for the Edmonton Oilers before the National Hockey League team sets its roster for opening night a few days later.

And head coach Kris Knoblauch admits he needs to see more of the players who will likely form that lineup for the Oct. 9 season-opener, particularly the ones who weren't either regulars last season, who joined the Stanley Cup finalists this summer or who played in the Calgary half og the split-squad double-heder with the Flames on Monday (he was behind the bench in Edmonton that night).

"As we move forward in the last four exhibition games, I'll have the opportunity to see them (more)," Knoblauch told media after practice Friday at Rogers Place, referencing defencemen Troy Stetcher, Josh Brown and Ty Emberson.

"They'll be in the lineup a little bit more, and they'll also be here for all of the games, so (we'll get) a better feeling on how good they are."

There are still 38 players in camp, so 15 will have to be shed from the NHL roster in a little more than a week.

Knoblauch said for Saturday night's home exhibition against the Seattle Kraken (7 p.m.), he expects half the roster to be made up of hopefuls, the other half regulars.

Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who's been skating on a line with newcomer free-agent additions Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson over the first week of pre-season play, said the second half of training camp will be the time for regulars to fine-tune their play.

"You want to give younger kids a lot of different looks, but I think there comes a time where your vets want to get into it, too, and find their game," Draisaitl, who signed an eight-year contract extension last month, told media on Friday.

"We're a week out here, so (I'm) definitely looking forward to getting into some games. ... We're a new team, and we're going to have to find our identity and find our game as a team and what type of hockey team we are. Obviously, there are lots of positives we can take from last year, but every year is different."

Oilers veteran Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who often plays alongside Connor McDavid on the team's top line, has seen action in one pre-season game so far and would like to play two or three more to try to "get some chemistry back."

"It's good to get your lines together. I'm sure the (defensive) pairs feel the same, but definitely this next week, we're going to ramp it up," Nugent-Hopkins said Friday.

"The games kind of do that automatically, but I'm sure practices will get a little bit shorter, a little bit faster, and the games will pick up intensity, too, so it'll start feeling like the regular season, and that's what you need."

Following Saturday's game against the Kraken, the Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (7 p.m.) before road games Wednesday in Seattle and Friday, Oct. 4, in Vancouver (both 8 p.m. starts) to end their pre-season schedule.