There is no secret that right now for the Edmonton Oilers injuries have them weighed down. The good news is it sounds like everyone, including Evander Kane, will be healthy for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This will be the first time all season that the Oilers will have everyone able to put in the lineup. With all the extra players I have a couple of options on what the lines can look like. Depending on who they are playing will also have an effect on the lineup.
Lineup built for speed
When the Oilers will be looking to beat a slower team they will want more speed in their top 6 in order to advantage of their superior speed. So that would mean that you would have the faster skating people in the lineup higher up. So for this I would expect to see players like Podkolzin or even Kapenen in the top 6. While these players may not be as skilled as some of the other options they are fast on their feet. They have the ability to get to loose puck fast and set up the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl.
This would also make your bottom 6 very hard to play against as it would move Frederic or Kane to the bottom 6. While they aren’t the fastest players their size makes them the perfect type of player in the bottom 6 in a matchup against a slower team.
Big and strong lineup
This would be the exact opposite of the speed lineup. For this lineup you would see Kane and Fredric in the top 6. In a game where there is lots of board battles these two players will be able to grind it out in the trenches. While Connor McDavid and Draisaitl have the ability to battle along the boards, they aer better served making moves when the Oilers have possession of the puck.
This is what I think the Oilers are going to be rolling for most of the playoffs. In the playoffs the games are a lot more tight checking and more clutch and grab style of hockey. Having a tough guy with skill on your top lines stops the other team from taking liberties with McDavid and Draisaitl.
Who knows what Kris Knoblauch will do, but I think he is going to have way more options once all these players come back and are healthy. While Kane and Frederic haven’t played games in a while, especially Kane, they have shown that they have the ability to play a game that straddles that line, this is something that the Edmonton Oilers are missing right now. Whether that is utilized in the top 6 or bottom 6 is something that we will have to wait and see.