Edmonton Oilers Make More Cuts, Trim Roster Down to 33 Players

The Edmonton Oilers training camp cuts continued Monday morning as the roster begins to take NHL-ready form.

Edmonton placed defenseman Mark Fraser on waivers for the purpose of re-assignment. They also assigned forward Tyler Benson to the WHL Vancouver Giants and forward Jere Sallinen to the Bakersfield Condors. The Oilers’ roster now sits at 33 players.

As they prepare for the NHL season, the Oilers need to seriously evaluate performance from this point forward, considering injuries. Oscar Klefbom remains out for maintenance as a precaution, and Patrick Maroon is also day-to-day.

Brandon Davidson was fortunate to make it out uninjured after a huge blow to the head in Sunday’s game. However, Iiro Pakarinen was not, and will be out for at least a month with a leg injury. This creates a roster spot on the Oilers’ right side.

Tyler Pitlick, Anton Slepyshev and Jesse Puljujarvi are right wing hopefuls still remaining on the roster. They all continue to make a push for the NHL; Kris Versteeg has already proven himself worthy of a spot. Pitlick and Slepyshev still have a lot to prove, but look solid and could slot in on the fourth-line RW. Puljujarvi, however, is the best pick for this spot, just due to his speed,

Pitlick and Slepyshev still have a lot to prove, but look solid and could slot in on the fourth-line RW. Puljujarvi, however, is the best pick for this spot, just due to his speed, strength and skill displayed so far.

On the other hand, the Oilers could give the spot to a more tenured player who has been in the system. This would give Puljujarvi more time to develop in the AHL and give Pitlick or Slepyshev a taste of the league.

Nail Yakupov seems to be becoming the odd-man out, but did look solid against Los Angeles. What will the roster look like? Time will tell.