Noah Philp is on the verge of making his NHL debut. Philp has been very good in training camp and the preseason. The Oilers placed four more players on waivers yesterday — Collin Delia, Ben Gleason, Phil Kemp and Lane Pederson and loaned James Hamblin to Bakersfield — and Philp remains one of 15 forwards still in camp.
From my seat he is on the brink of earning a spot on the roster. Unless he looks out of place in Seattle or Vancouver, I don’t see why the Oilers would send him to Bakersfield.
Noah Philp doesn’t require waivers, and I understand the business side of the game, but he has performed better than Raphael Lavoie and Drake Caggiula at this point, and both of them have had strong camps, which is why all three are still here. If the Oilers elect to carry 13 healthy forwards, Philp should be one of them.
Philp has won 59% of his faceoffs. At 5×5, only Connor McDavid has produced more points this preseason. He’s used his 6’3″, 205 pound frame very effectively. He skates well, he has a good shot, he plays physical, has shown good defensive awareness and he can penalty kill. He’s done everything the Oilers could have asked for, and when they announce their final roster next Monday afternoon, Philp could be on it.
He will play tomorrow in Seattle, and if he plays like he has, I just don’t see how the Oilers can send him down. He isn’t an 18 or 19 year old who needs more seasoning in junior. He is 26 years of age and fully mature. If he is ready now, then he should remain in Edmonton.
Philp has opened a lot of eyes within the organization. They’ve seen how well he’s played and the potential he has. The first six preseason games weren’t close to NHL pace, and I don’t like to make strong statements on players because of it. My evaluation on Philp also includes his second half of the season in 2022-23 with Bakersfield, where he was excellent in the second half. Many felt that last year he was going to compete for a job in Edmonton, but he took the year off for personal reasons. It hasn’t negatively impacted him.
Philp actually hasn’t played hockey for two of the past four seasons. He didn’t play in 2020-21 with the U of A Golden Bears, due to COVID, and then sat out last year. Yet, the time away from the ice hasn’t hurt his development. I watched him very closely in practice this morning. It was the most up-tempo pace we’ve seen this year. There were 14 forwards and eight defenceman on the ice. Philp was the only one who’s yet to play an NHL game, but he didn’t look out of place. In fact, he looked very much like he belonged.
He was flying. He scored a few nice goals and he able to manage the NHL pace without any issues. If the Oilers opt to keep 13 healthy forwards, they’d still have just over 200K in cap space, and I think Philp’s play is deserving of him earning a spot. The fact he plays centre and kills penalties gives him an edge over Raphael Lavoie. Lavoie has had a solid camp, but from my spot, Philp has done more.
He will get another chance to strengthen his case for a spot on the roster tomorrow in Seattle, and I expect he will have another strong showing.
QUICK HITS…
- Lavoie didn’t skate today. Kris Knoblauch said it isn’t serious, but couldn’t say for sure if Lavoie will play tomorrow or Friday. He is hopeful he can.
- If you keep Philp, then you have more flexibility on the fourth line as Ryan can play centre or wing, but if Lavoie is here, then it is only him and Perry battling for the RW slot. I wonder how much that factors in.
- Calvin Pickard skated on his own this morning, but he won’t play tomorrow. Knoblauch said Friday is a possibility.
- Expect Knoblauch to be patient with the new Skinner-Draisaitl-Arvidsson line. McDavid even mentioned how success isn’t always instant, especially when many expect a line to click.
- Darnell Nurse will play at least one of the final two preseason games. He might play both, but Knoblauch will monitor his icetime.
- Stuart Skinner, the youngest of nine kids in his family, and his wife Chloe are expecting their second child this due February 1st. Almost two years to the day from their oldest son Beau’s birthday.
