Matheson feels that Mattias Janmark may be demoted to the fourth line and play center to make room for Arvidsson who will likely be on the bottom six as he is recovering from a serious injury. He also states that Connor Brown will likely move up to the third line as he has scored over the past three games straight.
Arvidsson has not had the season he had hoped since signing with the Oilers during the summer. Former interim general manager Jeff Jackson had high hopes for Arvidsson as he felt that he would bring an element of scoring that would help bring more balance to their lineup.
This has not been the case as the 31-year-old has only played sixteen games this year, scoring two goals with three assists for five points and as a +2. The last time he played for the Oilers was on November 12th against the New York Islanders and during that stretch he only recorded one goal and was a + 2.
It appears the Oilers have finally turned the corner in their season and have found the consistency they were looking for.
Even with the loss to the Panthers which showed both sides outscoring one another, the Oilers have played sound defense and have looked more like the team that the fan base and the pundits across the league felt they would be this year.
With the team now back in a playoff spot and holding their ground, the Oilers will get back to work as they will host the struggling Boston Bruins who had just come off a win against the Vancouver Canucks.
The game will take place on Thursday December 19th and game time will be 9:00 PM eastern.
POLL | ||
Do you agree or disagree with Knoblauch's choice to demote Mattias Janmark for Viktor Arvidsson? | ||