Oilers Shake Up Lines at Practice, Questionably Demoting Forward Jeff Skinner
The Edmonton Oilers had a complete meltdown last night against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Coach needed to shake things up at practice in response.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was demoted to the third line last night in favour of Jeff Skinner, but that's decision has now been reversed. Skinner will be back on the third line, and the rest of the bottom six may be mixed up too. Corey Perry took line rushes with Leon Draisaitl at times as well.
Moving Jeff Skinner out of the top six after just one game feels like an incredibly frustrating move for a team that's struggling to score goals right now. Skinner has consistently been a great offensive contributor in limited opportunities this season. This is a player that just two seasons ago, scored over 35 goals and 82 points. The puck hasn't started to go in too much for Skinner, but he's getting plenty of chances and deserves to see more.
Right now, Skinner has seen far too much ice time in the bottom six for him to play to his full potential. Bob Stauffer even lightly suggested Skinner as a trade candidate recently because he hasn't found his offensive groove yet this year. That would be a monumental mistake without giving him an extended run on the first line and powerplay.
Skinner has had some success driving the third line. Hopefully that continues and he can earn some trust for a promotion to the top six, because otherwise, it's just a waste of talent to play him so low.
The Oilers next play the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, and will be looking for a major bounce back effort after the collapse last night. The spotlight is really on the Oilers now after a continued mediocre start.
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