New Oiler Noah Philp "Thrilled To Be Here" Ahead Of NHL Debut

One man's misfortune is another's opportunity.

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That certainly applies to new Oiler Noah Philp, who's scheduled to make his NHL debut tonight in Nashville after being called up in the wake of Connor McDavid's injury.

"I might sound like a broken record, but I'm just thrilled to be here," he told reporters upon his arrival in Nashville on Wednesday. Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed today that Philp will draw into tonight's matchup with the Predators.

It's been a long time coming for Philp, who took the entire 2023-24 season off for personal reasons. Philp signed with the Bakersfield Condors in 2021-22 after two seasons with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, joining Knoblauch and Derek Ryan as Golden Bears alumni on the Oilers.

He'll be joined on the Oilers' fourth line by fellow call-up Drake Caggiula, who will make his first appearance for the Oilers since 2018-19. They're the newest components of an Oilers lineup that's been reworked in Connor McDavid's absence.

The usual second line of Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl, and Viktor Arvidsson will move up to the first line, while Jeff Skinner takes McDavid's place next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

Further down the lineup, the 2023-24 playoff checking line of Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown have been reuinted on the third line. The Oilers hope they'll rediscover their playoff form, because that their results together this regular season have been far from ideal (44.4% expected goals share per MoneyPuck).

Knoblauch confirmed that both Philp and Caggiula will draw into the lineup tonight, which judging by yesterday's practice lines means Derek Ryan will be a healthy scratch as the two newcomers join Corey Perry.

Knoblauch also confirmed that Calvin Pickard will make his third start of the season between the pipes. Pickard has won both of his last two starts, allowing only two goals in each. He backstopped the Oilers to a 4-2 in their last matchup with the Nashville Predators on October 17th.

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