The Edmonton Oilers announced on Tuesday that they have made an additional three cuts. Forward Xavier Bourgault was loaned to the Bakersfield Condors, while forwards Seth Griffith and James Hamblin were placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the AHL.
None of the players were expected to crack the opening night roster, but in the case of Bourgault, the timing comes as a bit of a surprise. The former first rounder scored two goals on three shots in 11 minutes of ice time during Monday’s preseason matchup with Seattle, in addition to drawing a penalty. It was a good sign for Bourgault, who has lacked a finishing touch in previous outings.
Who’s still left standing
After the cuts, the Oilers are left with 16 forwards, 11 defencemen, and three goalies in camp. The main roster competition appears to be for the final forward spot, which appears headed towards a decision between Raphael Lavoie, Adam Erne, and Lane Pederson. On the back end, Ben Gleason and Philip Kemp have played well, throwing some doubt into how the bottom of the d-core will shake out between the likes of Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg. Calvin Pickard is on the roster, but has not appeared since the second preseason game and has been taking the load off Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell in the nightly back up role.
The Oilers have two remaining preseason games as the final cut needs to be made. Edmonton plays Calgary on Wednesday and Seattle on Friday at Rogers Place, where a heavy NHL contingent is expected to play. Forward Ryan McLeod and defenceman Mattias Ekholm have been banged up, but reports indicate they would get into one preseason game before the regular season starts on October 11.
