Oilers' Newest Addition Makes Debut At Practice

Today's practice carried a little more intrigue than usual.

Most notably, John Klingberg skated with the team for the first time since signing a free-agent contract on Friday. Klingberg skated in the full practice as a seventh defenceman, still dipping his toes in as he returns from major hip surgery.

Klingberg is expected to replace Troy Stecher in the lineup once he's fully ready to go, but we still don't know when that will be. What we do know is that he's moving well in practice, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.

We also learned, thanks to the number on his helmet, that he'll wear #36 as an Oiler. His usual #3 is retired for original Oiler Al Hamilton.

Also notable was Connor McDavid's presence, despite having a disciplinary hearing with the Department of Player Safety scheduled for this afternoon. McDavid received a match penalty for cross-checking Vancouver's Conor Garland in the face in the dying seconds of their game against the Canucks on Saturday night.

McDavid's hearing will be over the phone, capping a potential suspension at five games. Considering similar incidents from recent years and the fact that the Oilers and Canucks play again on Thursday, it seems likely that both McDavid and Vancouver's Tyler Myers will receive a two-game suspension for their cross-checks. That would keep McDavid out for this week's games against the Capitals and Canucks.

As for the rest of the lineup, the only change from Saturday night is Jeff Skinner replacing Mattias Janmark on the third line while Janmark slots into the fourth. Skinner has been a healthy scratch in four of the Oilers' past five games as his disappointing season continues.

The Oilers' next game is Tuesday, as they welcome Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals to Rogers Place.

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