The Edmonton Oilers announced Saturday that they have placed 4 players on waivers for purpose of assignment to the Bakersfield Condors. The group includes goaltender Calvin Pickard, defensemen Phillip Kemp and Cam Dineen, and forward Brad Malone.
The move leaves the Oilers with 14 forwards, 9 defensemen and 2 goalies left in camp. The two remaining camp battles boil down to the 12th forward and 7th defenseman spots.
Here is what that battle will look like:
Roster Breakdown
Starting on the backend, Marcus Niemelainen will likely be sent down. The final defenseman spot looks to be coming down to a decision between Ben Gleason’s strong preseason and the big body and penalty killing ability Vincent Desharnais showed last year.
Kemp, who was part of the waiver assignments, was an Oilers’ 7th round draft pick in 2017. After 3 seasons at Yale, the American prospect just finished his entry level contract with the Condors, posting 6 goals and 15 points in 71 games during his third campaign last year. During the summer, he signed a 2 year extension with a 775K AAV. Kemp showed okay during the preseason, with a 50% goal share but an underwhelming 33.9% expected goal share. Kemp will be the Oilers’ first recall if a right shot defenseman is needed.
Dineen came to the Oilers’ organization as part of the Nick Bjustad trade last year after being selected by Arizona in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft. Last year, he potted 4 goals and 31 assists in 50 games with Tucson before joining Bakersfield, where he had 2 goals and 10 assists in 19 games. Dineen only player 2 games during the preseason, playing under 40 total minutes with a 40% expected goal share while being on for 3 goals against and none for. Based on his the offensively based game he plays and the depth of left shot defenseman in the organization, it’s unlikely Dineen will be in line for a recall during the season.
Moving up front, at this point in time, Raphael Lavoie appears to have an edge on Lane Pederson and Adam Erne for the final forward spot.
Malone, who was waived this morning, has been a favourite of Jay Woodcroft’s for a while and looked to be in line for an NHL spot. The 34 year old played 10 games with the Oilers last year, playing just 64 minutes at 5 on 5 but posted a team high 59.6% expected goal share. The veteran forward also played 41 games for Bakersfield, putting up 4 goals and 17 assists in that time. Malone played 4 preseason games this year, with a 50% goal share and 53.48% expected goal share at evens. Malone remains a reliable depth option without much upside if the fourth line centre position continues to be unstable further into the season.
In goal, Pickard hadn’t played since the second preseason game, being used as a way to get Skinner and Campbell rest by not having to back up on their off nights. Based on the preseason game each played, there is a decent chance that Oliver Rodrigue has passed Pickard as the 3rd goalie on the depth chart, but the veteran would still likely be used in back up only situations in the NHL.
Only a few cuts remain before the final roster is set.
