Edmonton Oilers add top prospect to new lineup unveiled at practice

Matthew Savoie and Derek Ryan joined the Oilers for practice yesterday, and despite no official roster move yet, it's expected Savoie will be called up to play before the trade deadline.

All the Oilers who played at the 4 Nations Faceoff were still absent from today's practice, and were replaced by temporary placeholders in the lineup. At least for now, Savoie was put on the right wing next to Vasily Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl.

It's unclear if Savoie will actually make his Oilers debut next to Draisaitl. When Viktor Arvidsson returns to the lineup, it's very possible he bumps down Savoie to the third or fourth line.

Hopefully Savoie is able to keep his spot in the top six for his trial run with the team, because his offensive skills would be best suited to playing alongside other offensive players. Savoie has the potential to be a high end scorer, as he has at every level - if given the proper opportunity.

One more regular Oiler will have to come out of the lineup for Savoie's debut with the team, and it'll be a hard choice for Knoblauch. The prime candidate will be Kasperi Kapanen, who has still played solid hockey this season.

The Edmonton Oilers will begin a 5 game road trip coming out of the 4 Nations Faceoff break, beginning on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.