Edmonton Oilers Top Six Is Already Taking Shape

With the Edmonton Oilers players back in town they have started to have some captain's skates. Captain skates are informal skates where the team skates together without any coaches. These skates are to help get the team in shape and work on some chemistry, there are not an X's and O's in these skates.

The thing we did get to see yesterday in the skate is what the top two lines could end up looking like. While it is extremely early in the pre-season the lines, they showed could very well be what we see on opening night, plus it gives us something to look forward to.

For the top line, they had Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman skating together. This line could have possibly been the best first line in all of hockey last season. With Hyman scoring over 50 goals and McDavid's play making ability this line has the potential to be one of the best lines this upcoming season as well.

For the second line, Leon Draisaitl was skating with the new guys. Both Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson signed as free agents this offseason hoping to have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. For these two players being on a line with Draisaitl gives them a great chance to do just that. Both Skinner and Arvidsson have proven to have offensive success in the past, so I would expect to see this continue surrounding Draisaitl.

While this is not what I thought the lines were going to be, I expected one of Skinner or Arvidsson to be on the line with McDavid, but I do understand why they kept McDavid with Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman. I just hope during the preseason they take an opportunity to try and switch things up between all the players in the top 6. I would like to see what type of different combinations they can come up with and see if they find the perfect mix of these 6 players.