Recent Oilers Signing Likely to be Waived, Team Expected to Call Up Young Forward

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Ryan Hall
October 27, 2024 (1:53 PM)

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It was noted recently by Dave Staples of the Edmonton Journal that the Edmonton Oilers are leaning heavily on there two oldest veterans in Corey Perry and Derek Ryan which may lead to Travis Dermott being waived for an AHL call up.

Staples feels that it may be time for a change in the forward lines and to see a younger player come up to give some relief to the older forwards which could lead to a demotion of Travis Dermott.

«Corey Perry and Derek Ryan are playing a lot of games for older players. It might well be time to send down a d-man to the AHL and bring up a forward, so Edmonton can rotate in some fresh legs. That would mean sending out Travis Dermott, I expect.

Would he clear waivers? I suspect so».

This idea certainly has merit as the Oilers have been deemed the oldest team in the NHL going into this season as they carry an average age of 30.27 years according to eliteprospects.com. The loss of defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway certainly did not help their cause as the team appears slower and less energetic than it did last year.

If the Oilers were to make this move, there are two players that had strong camps that should be considered for the Oilers lineup. Center Noah Philp had a very strong camp and showed that he was ready to move into the NHL on a full-time basis. He has played six games for the Bakersfield Condors and has two goals and one assist for three points and is a + 2 with four penalty minutes. Philp took a year off from hockey and was re signed by the Oilers and hasn't skip a beat.

Another forward to consider is Matthew Savoie who was acquired this summer from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio. Savoie has speed in his game and can put the puck in the net which could help the bottom six of the Oilers and help take pressure off the older forwards.

Time will tell if the Oilers make a move, but in my view, this sort of exchange is necessary as the team continues to look slow and needs a jump start.