I’ve been asked to create a list of takeaways from the Edmonton Oilers’ first day of training camp. Well, I’m not sure if I do.

It’s a camp the size of two full rosters, but nevertheless, it is the first seed of ideas for this new coaching staff with this group of players. Here’s what Mike Babcock said about whether fans should read into anything into these line combinations. 

“I wouldn’t a bunch because I wrote them on the back of a napkin in the summer,” he said after the skates. 

So, there you go.

“I haven’t stood there. This is the first time I’ve watched them. I can watch them on video. But until you’ve been through it a bunch, I have lots of surprises here today… you’re not judging them on this, either.”

So, we’ll take away and then maybe give some back. That’s the way it goes. 

McDavid and Draisaitl playing together

We saw some mock lines at Captain Skates with them together. There’s been chatter ever since exit interviews about playing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together in the name of ‘giving more to others’. That all sounds good until you puzzle with the other three lines and wonder: is there actually enough scoring depth here? For the time being, Vasily Podkolzin is the preferred choice on their right wing. 

Playing 97 and 29 together feels like the eternal recurrence for the Edmonton Oilers. The more some things change, the more they stay the same. 

Jason Gregor

@JasonGregor

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