Is It Time For A Bakersfield Condor Call Up For The Oilers?

In my opinion, there are only a few players that could come up to the NHL and potentially make an improvement. It being early in the AHL season there isn’t much to go off of, but the NHL preseason wasn’t that long ago either.

Raphael Lavoie

Coming into the season there were lots of eyes on Raphael Lavoie his growth and time since being drafted put him into the wheelhouse of perhaps making this team out of camp. After the preseason though the final roster spot was given to Adam Erne so Lavoie was sent down.

Lavoie is off to a decent start this season for the Condors as he has 2 assists in two games for the AHL club. His size a shot could be an asset that could make a difference on the NHL club if he is called up.

Roster moves involving current and former Edmonton Oilers

A look into some of the recent roster moves which have been made, involving both current and former Edmonton Oilers players.

Markus Niemelainen

Markus Niemelainen has played some games in the NHL over the past few seasons and used to be the number-one callup before the emergence of Vincent Desharnais. Niemelainen plays with a  layer of grit and toughness and if put in as the 6th or 7th defenseman could turn the momentum in a game with a big hit.

Calling up Niemelainen would also put the rest of the d-men on notice that they’re not safe in their role which could cause the team’s overall defense to improve, which is much needed.

Lane Pederson

Lane Pederson was the player who I thought was going to make the NHL team out of camp prior to camp. In a similar story to Lavoie Pederson was beaten out by the play of Adam Erne. Pederson is also off to a solid start.

In the 2 games Pederson has one goal for the Bakersfield Condors. Now he would not be looked at by the Oilers to provide offense, but I think he could bring some stabilization in the bottom six.

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Another Added Wrinkle For The Edmonton Oilers

Another issue the Edmonton Oilers are faced with when it comes to roster moves is the fact they are tight to the cap and likely won’t be able to just add a player so someone will need to get sent down.

In the worst case, the Connor McDavid injury from the Winnipeg Jets game is serious and he is out for the long term. Then the Edmonton Oilers may be in the market for more than just a call-up. An LTIR McDavid solves the Edmonton Oilers cap problems though.