1 Roster Spot Oilers Still Must Address

The Edmonton Oilers' roster is not yet complete, and that's on top of signing Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod. They didn't do much this offseason because not much was to be done. Connor Brown was brought in to play the right wing in the top-six and the Oilers added a bit of depth. Although Lane Pederson and Drake Caggiula are capable of playing in the NHL in some capacity, they shouldn't be seen as the best options available to the Oilers.

Edmonton recently missed out on signing Tomas Nosek who they were reportedly interested in, but the Oilers need to bring in someone who will cost a league-minimum salary for a year to shore up the fourth line. As of now, one of Dylan Holloway, Derek Ryan, or Mattias Janmark will play the wing on the third line, and the other two will play on the fourth line. This means there is still a spot in the lineup that needs a player.

Pederson would be best used as a 13th forward and Brad Malone is another option that shouldn't get more than 15 games in the NHL. Both can play center, but so can Ryan if Raphael Lavoie makes the Oilers out of training camp. He is surely betting on himself, but we have to wait and see how things play out. If he doesn't make the team, the Oilers will most likely lose him to waivers. So with this information, the Oilers would be best off bringing in a depth centerman, preferably one who's strong defensively and in the faceoffs. Pickings are getting slimmer and slimmer the longer things drag out, but the Oilers can't commit to anyone until their RFAs are signed.

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