Edmonton Oilers: Looking at the Fourth Line

The Edmonton Oilers have depth down the forward lines, which is vital while the team is fighting for a playoff spot. However, the fourth line has not exactly seen as much stability as the top nine.

Besides Mark Letestu always slotting on as the fourth line centre, Edmonton’s been through a carousel of players, including Matt Hendricks, Drake Caggiula, Iiro Pakarinen, Jujhar Khaira and Anton Slepyshev. Each player brings different attributes, which adds versatility and depth.

Matt Hendricks

Hendricks has been the heart and soul of the last couple of the seasons where he just seemed to try and will the team to wins. This type of relentless and chaotic play has taken its toll on Hendricks, as his speed has diminished this season.

The veteran winger is still a leader, on and off the bench, and shows his passion for the game every night. He sticks up for his teammates and helps set a positive tone. However, when it comes to his on-ice play, he is not too impressive.

He is slower against quicker teams, and also loses his man in the defensive zone. And despite his physicality, he cannot add to much offensively. Still, he is valuable to ahve against bigger and heavier teamsm.

Drake Caggiula

Caggiula has been a pleasant surprise for the Oilers as an NCAA signing. He brings speed and tenancy to the fourth line and recently he has chipped in with extra offense. Not only that, but Caggiula has gained plenty of confidence with his improvement of late.

The 22-year-old forward thinks the game very well, but the concern is how much hockey he has in him. College seasons are significantly shorter, and Caggiula has played plenty of gamees this year and may run out of fuel. However, he has proven versatile and to be an asset for the team, and he puts in that extra effort.

Overall, Caggiula’s versatility is vital, as he can act as a centre or forward and be a weapon on special teams.

Iiro Pakarinen

Pakarinen plays a physical game with speed and is relentless on the forecheck. He can play a bruising game against the heavier teams but also has the speed to play with quicker teams. Pakarinen doesn’t bring a lot of offense but goes to the tough areas and chips in when he can.

He’s a jack of all trades but not a master of any. Pakarinen can be effective on the penalty kill but is mostly destined to be a limited fourth line player. Still, he has proven to come in clutch at unique times, and has scoring potential in him, though he goes underrated.

Jujhar Khaira

Khaira is a mountain of man who plays a heavy game and can lean on other teams and wear them down. He does possess some offensive skill, and can further capitalize f his AHL numbers transition into the NHL.

However, he needs to be consistent at both ends of the ice to stick in the lineup. He has not impressed too greatly in recent games, and is struggling to keep his spot in the lineup each night. Khaira needs to improve defensively and use his size and physicality to play a more aggressive two-way game, balanced between both zones.

Anton Slepyshev

Slepyshev is the most offensive option, as he possesses a heavy shot and has added more physical play to his game this season. He has the speed to be affective at the NHL level, and has the potential to make it beyond the bottom six.

However, Slepyshev just needs more awareness in his defensive zone and to be more aggressive. He cannot shy away from the play, or lose track of the puck. Overall, he must do a better job of controlling the tempo of the game.

Moving Forward

Todd McLellan has been rotating these wingers on the 4^th line for the last month and it seems to be working for now. It helps to have depth and different players for different situations but Todd can only make these lineup decisions before the games. He will most likely stick with the guys who are producing and playing well no matter the opponent.