Edmonton Oilers: Right Wing Issues Has Worked Itself Out Unexpectedly
By Phil Gretzky
The Edmonton Oilers had a right winger issue that was addressed recently and this article will address this topic head-on.
Edmonton Oilers: I don’t think it’s much of a leap to say that most of us assumed that Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi would be competing against each other to see who would be riding starboard side shotgun to Connor McDavid and who would be riding starboard side to Leon Draisaitl.
But, early on in the season, this is proving not to be the case.
Instead, Yamamoto and Puljujarvi have both faltered and demoted, and we’ve seen a couple of guys step up that we didn’t expect.
Let’s look at who we’re talking about here.
Line 1 – Ty Rattie
Rattie might be the least of the surprises on the list, but it’s still nice to see that in the early going he has picked up right where he left off last year on the 1st line as he came out of nowhere at the end of last season. Before his injury, he had an excellent start to the season – 1-1-2 in 5 games per game logs on the Oiler’s website.
Not everyone can play with Connor McDavid, but Rattie has shown he can. He might not put up the flashiest numbers, but if he can continue lapping up Connor Mcdavid’s crumbs he’ll be fine – and fortunately, as the best player in the league, Connor produces a lot of crumbs to lap up.
His linemates may be much more well known around the league, but Rattie leaves us with the assurance that if teams key in on Nuge and McDavid that he’ll be free to keep the sniping going on the 1st line.
Rattie is precisely the type of unheralded player the Oilers need to employ going forward seeing as how we’re going to be a cap team for years to come now.
Line 2 – Alex Chiasson
Chiasson may be the biggest surprise on the list. He was signed to a PTO to be an afterthought, an extra guy to deploy on the bottom six as needed.
He started with spot duty on the 4th line, then up to the 3rd line, and now…
With the aforementioned Yamamoto and Puljujarvi faltering in the early going, Todd McLellan decided to try the 28-year-old veteran next to Leon Draisaitl.
Thus far, it’s worked out beautifully, as Chiasson has produced six goals in 10 games and found instant chemistry with his center. In fact, per game log, Chiasson’s guns have gone silent for two games straight for the first time all season.
Not sorry for a PTO guy whose career was hanging in the balance. Never underestimate a guy with a fire under his butt.
Now that being said, Chiasson is in his 7th year in the league and has a reputation for being inconsistent.
In the future, that may kick him off the 2nd line if he continues to produce goose eggs in each game, but right now we’re riding the wave and happy we’ve FINALLY found someone who can play with the Strudel Sniper which is something to be pleased about.
Line 3 – Drake Caggiula
It’s lucky for Caggiula that Yamamoto and Puljujarvi have both pooped the proverbial sheets, because if even 1 of them had succeeded in keeping a roster spot, then Caggiula probably would’ve been either traded, waived down to Bakersfield, or been relegated to the extra forward.
As such, since things haven’t worked out for our two hotshot RW prospects, Caggiula has stepped in on the 3rd line, and although he, Strome, and Lucic haven’t exactly lit the lamp a lot, they seem to have developed chemistry and have developed an ability to at least creating chances.
That might be the 1 line that’s struggling on the team thus far as not finishing chances is still a problem – especially considering they face the softest minutes out of any of the scoring lines.
Still, on the plus side, it’s better to be generating chances than to be leaking chances against.
Caggiula, though, really rose to fame when Ty Rattie was injured and he subbed in for him on the 1st line. During that time Caggiula scored five goals (game log). It’s good to know that we have, at the very least, a sub-in 1st liner playing on the 3rd line, and possibly a regular as he gains experience and enters his Prime Producing Years (PPY).
In the meantime, it’s only a matter of time before those chances start going in for the 3rd line. His offense has gone cold again since Rattie came back and he went back down to the 3rd line yet, but give it some time, and I’m sure they’ll start coming.
The million dollar question now is…..
So now that, at least in the short term, we have plausible options on all three lines that do not include Yamamoto and the Swedish Pizza Party, the question then becomes WHY THE [EXPLETIVE] HAVEN’T THEY BEEN SENT DOWN TO BAKERSFIELD YET?
I mean, come on Peter Chiarelli. It should be evident to everyone that this is where they need to be. It doesn’t help them here to play 12 minutes a night on the 3rd line and then sit out for 3-4 games or more. That doesn’t support their development. That’s a good strategy for underachieving veterans, but not developing prospects.
Both have talent, but they are in over their heads right now. As both players are 20-year-olds, there’s no shame in that. Most players their age are either wrapping up junior careers or playing in the AHL developing/just starting their pro careers.
It’s time we stop this experiment and send both to the AHL. The Nuges, Taylor Halls, and Connor McDavid’s of the world that can skip the AHL are the exception, not the rule.
We don’t need them in the lineup right now, and we’re trying to win now, not rebuild anymore. Let’s do the right thing and send them down to slow the game down for them and bring more snipers to the farm who could use them right now.
POST-SUBMISSION EDIT: Mere hours after I submitted this, both players were assigned to Bakersfield. At last……