Oilers expected to make roster move before upcoming NHL break
The NHL's new Four Nations faceoff tournament is less than two weeks away and it appears the Edmonton Oilers may send rookie center Noah Philp back to Bakersfield as he has struggled with the Oilers since his call up.
Oilers gave Philp a chance to show what he's learned
The 26-year-old had returned to the Oilers and hockey in general after taking a year off from the sport. He had showed great promise with the Oilers organization that they decided to re sign him after he signaled that he was wanting to play hockey again.
His last five games with the Oilers have not gone well as he is only produced one assist and has had a tough time with ice time as head coach Kris Knoblauch has awarded him only a maximum of 10 minutes and 55 seconds back on January 23rd against the Vancouver Canucks.
With his struggles especially on the face off, it's safe to say the Oilers would be best to send him back to the condors so that he can play more minutes and take in what he has learned since his arrival with the team.
4 Nations tournament will give Oilers time to prepare for the trade deadline
The trade market has been heating up over the last 48 hours as several large trades have occured especially in the Western Conference. It appears the Oilers are being patient with what they'd like to do as there is a strong indication that many teams will be making trades in March.
General manager Stan Bowman has identified several areas of the Oilers that he'd like to improve including secondary scoring, better defence especially in the top four and more depth down the middle.
Being patient and evaluating the market is the best approach for the Oilers as the costs for certain players is starting to be revealed especially when it comes to draft picks.
The organization wants to be careful but effective when making their trades as they are looking for an upgrade in hopes that it will translate into playoff success.
Tonight's game will be a clash between the Oilers and the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs who have lost three games in a row and are looking to turn things around. Game time will be at 7:00 PM eastern.
