Yahoo Sports 3 Oilers Call-Up Candidates If Arvidsson Can't Play
EDMONTON -- It's the most wonderful time of the year, game day.
The Edmonton Oilers play host to the Nashville Predators on Thursday night, and it's a big night, too.
Connor McDavid sits at 999 career points. Unless something bizarre happens, the captain will collect his 1000th point and break a record of two.
Elsewhere in Oilers Land, Viktor Arvidsson has a 50/50 chance of playing tonight. There was mention that this could lead to a call-up or playing 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
In the event of a call-up, here are the three best options.
Drake Caggiula
Drake Caggiula is a safe bet for a call-up. He's played many NHL games and can provide energy and pace to the bottom half of the Oilers lineup. In 284 career games, he has 92 points, suggesting that he could offer some offense.
If this is the play, that could be the break that one Jeff Skinner desperately needs to slot back into the top six. It would be seamless to put Caggiula on the fourth line and elevate Skinner to Leon Draisaitl's wing.
Noah Philp
Noah Philp is obviously another option in the bottom six. Similar to Caggiula, he would slot in effortlessly in the fourth line. This, again, would allow Skinner to be elevated higher in the lineup.
Philp has shown well in the NHL, especially in the preseason. But with the rigors of the NHL regular season in full swing, the better play might be to leave him in the AHL and call up Caggiula or the final option below.
Matt Savoie
Calling up Matt Savoie would be the ballsiest move of the three. If the Oilers go this route, Savoie would slot immediately into the team's top six, right alongside Draisaitl.
Which is exactly where you want to play a prospect like Savoie.
His explosiveness would be a great asset on that line and wouldn't alter the dynamics of the second line as drastically as adding Skinner would. With eight points in 12 games, Savoie is leading the Bakersfield Condors in scoring and could bring that offensive flair that the Oilers would love to inject into the top end of the lineup.
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