NHL reporter raises questions to the absence of Leon Draisaitl line in preseason
Photo credit: NHL.com
Preston Hodgkinson of the Daily Hive tweeted a noticeable absence of the Oilers second line during preseason games.
The second line is expected to be centered by Leon Draisaitl with Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson.
Hodgkinson also brings up the fact that the top line of the Oilers has played two games compared to the Draisaitl line which has only played one. It seems odd that head coach Chris Knoblauch would not give this line more time as Skinner and Arvidsson are both new to the Oilers and their systems.
For some time last year, the Oilers had trouble finding players that could work with Draisaitl on a consistent basis which includes now injured Evander Kane. For long periods of time the Oilers always would pair Connor McDavid with Draisaitl to spark offense but as the team has developed and grown over the past couple of years, it was important to get that second line some much-needed spark.
Bring Skinner and Arvidsson into the mix will certainly do that as these two wingers will give Draisaitl consistent goal scores provided both players can stay healthy. It's likely that Knoblauch is allowing all three players to work together during practice to build their chemistry on their off game days as the team continues to look at its prospects who some including Sam O'Reilly have made an impact and deserves a longer look by the coaching staff.
This amount of depth is certainly great work by former interim general manager and current CEO of the Oilers Jeff Jackson. During the early days of July, Jackson was instrumental in making several moves including bringing Skinner and Arvidsson into the lineup without any loss of prospects or draft capital.
Both players in the fold, it will be a treat to watch these three players play together and give the Oilers a second strong scoring line which will bode well during the regular season and the playoffs.
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