The Edmonton Oilers pre-season is entering the final stretch, with three games left: one Monday against the Vancouver Canucks at home, another on the road Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken, and their final on the road against the Canucks.
As such, the Oilers will have several players to make decisions on, namely around the fourth line and their depth on defence. Edmonton hasn’t run into many issues with waivers in recent years, but this year, the waiver eligibility of many players could play into decisions of who makes the final roster, and who doesn’t.
The forwards
Drake Caggiula
Chances of being waived: High
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
At this point, Drake Caggiula is what he is: an American Hockey League forward. He signed with the Oilers as an NCAA free agent playing three years with the team between 2016 and 2019, before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s bounced around between them, the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, settling as an AHL’er with the latter of the four teams in 2022-23. He spent last year with the AHL Bakersfield Condors, scoring 13 goals and 37 points in 43 games, and will end up there again when the team waives him at some point this week. There isn’t much risk of him being claimed unless a team is needy for AHL depth.
Raphael Lavoie
Chances of being waived: Low
Odds of being claimed if waived: High
I think Lavoie has done enough this pre-season to make the final roster. He’s showing his offence off, scoring two goals so far this September. Among all forwards to play in the pre-season, he’s tied for third in goals, 15th in individual expected goals (1.21), second in high-danger scoring chances (14), and sixth for hits (seven), and sits second in shots (16). On top of that, the Oilers have dominated play with him on the ice at five-on-five, controlling 54.6 percent of the shot attempt share, 56.7 percent of the scoring chance share, 60.4 percent of the expected goal share, while outscoring the opposition 5-2.
To put it simple: he’s proved he belongs in Edmonton, and can be someone who can provide depth offence for the team. If, for some reason, he were to hit waivers, I find it likely a team would find a place for
Lane Pederson
Chances of being waived: High
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
Pederson finds himself in a similar spot as Caggiula. I would say his chances of making the team were higher than that Caggiula, but he is also a player who is nothing more than an AHL’er. The Oilers will look for him to be a veteran voice for the Condors, and to build off a 22 goal, 52 point season.
Corey Perry
Chances of being waived: Low
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
Perry, for the first time in his life, could be at risk of not making a team. The chances of him being waived and claimed are likely low, but this is someone looking to chase a Stanley Cup, not play in the AHL, so if he were to land there, I’d imagine the Oilers would either trade him outright to a contending team, or let him be claimed by one on waivers. Still, the team committed to him in the off-season with a one-year, $1.4-million deal, so I would be shocked if he wasn’t on the opening day roster.
Vasily Podkolzin
Chances of being waived: Low
Odds of being claimed if waived: Medium
Podkolzin has all but locked up a spot on the Oilers roster. He’ll be a fourth-line winger, and the team has experimented with him on the penalty kill so far this pre-season, although I would be surprised if he was a regular in that spot. He hasn’t killed penalties before in his NHL career with the Canucks, and the games where he did get a look were in ones where none of the Oilers regulars were in the lineup. If he were to land on waivers, I’d imagine there’s another team out there who would give him a look.
Derek Ryan
Chances of being waived: Medium
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
Similar to Perry, Derek Ryan runs an albeit low risk of not making the opening-day roster. He’s been a swiss army knife for the team in recent years, playing great hockey on the fourth line and as a penalty killer. His most direct competition for the fourth-line centre spot is Noah Philp, who isn’t waiver-eligible, but has had a tremendous pre-season.
The defencemen
Josh Brown
Chances of being waived: High
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
I still can’t quite figure out why the Oilers signed Josh Brown, one of the worst defencemen in the entire NHL last year, to a three-year contract. It’s understandable they wanted to try and replace some of the defensive bite that Vincent Desharnais brought last season as a big, strong defensive defenceman, but Brown is only good at the first part of that, and not the latter. He hasn’t done anything in my eyes to earn a spot on the Oilers opening night roster, and I think he’s destined for the American Hockey League. His chance of being claimed is nearly non existent, as I can’t imagine a team would want to take on the full length of his contract, even if it’s for just $1-million.
Ty Emberson
Chances of being waived: Low
Odds of being claimed if waived: High
Ty Emberson isn’t going to land on waivers. The Oilers acquired him this offseason to play on the right side of their blue line in the NHL this season, and he was named one of Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli’s top breakout candidates. He has a chance to play big minutes this year alongside Darnell Nurse, as he looks to improve on what Cody Ceci brought to the team.
Ben Gleason
Chances of being waived: High
Odds of being claimed if waived: Low
File Gleason away as a “veteran player who is destined for the AHL and unlikely to get claimed.” He has some offence in his game, and could be a call up option for the team.
Phil Kemp
Chances of being waived: High
Odds of being claimed if waived: Medium
Phip Kemp is another late-round draft pick who has developed in a nice way for the Edmonton Oilers. He earned his first NHL call-up last season, making his big league debut, while scoring two goals and 15 points in 64 games. He has size, at 6’3, 212 lbs., and a skillset that would be attractive to other teams so there’s a risk he could get claimed.
Troy Stecher
Chances of being waived: Low
Odds of being claimed if waived: High
Stecher is in the same situation as Emberson. The Oilers brought him back after acquiring him at the trade deadline, and are looking for him to play minutes for them this year. He’s likely slotting in alongside Brett Kulak on the third pairing, and will look to be a contributor on the penalty kill, too, having now played 5:22 there across two pre-season games.
