As dominant as Leon Draisaitl looked during the Edmonton Oilers rookie camp, his performance during the big club's exhibition games was always going to be the sole determining factor as to whether or not he would start the 2015-16 season in the Alberta capital. In order for him to make the cut, the 19-year old was going to need to send a very clear message to Todd McLellan and his coaching staff that he was ready to contribute at this level.
From the moment he made his NHL debut against Vancouver Canucks in April of 2011, Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has more or less been riding solo. While Shawn Horcoff helped with some of the heavy-lifting during the former Red Deer Rebels’ rookie campaign, it has essentially been a one-man show when comes to generating offence from the centre position in Edmonton.
Following another disappointing season in 2014-15, the writing appeared to be on the wall when it came to the Edmonton Oilers and Justin Schultz. Coming off a year in which the club failed to make any inroads in the Western Conference Standings and the player continued to struggle to find his way as an NHL defenceman, there was only two ways this situation was going to play out.
It may not be what fans of the Edmonton Oilers want to hear, but chances are Peter Chiarelli is done upgrading his blueline for the 2015-16 campaign. While many appear to still be holding out hope on the pipe dream of acquiring Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook, it looks as though Todd McClellan has a pretty good idea of what he will be given to work with during his first year behind the Oilers bench.
