It was at the Edmonton Oilers morning skate that Leon Draisaitl rolled his eyes when asked about playing with Connor McDavid on the first line… again.
“Guys, we’ve done this 10 years. 11 years, it’s going to switch. It’s going to go back and forth,” began Draisaitl. “I do think it’s probably easier to coach when we’re together.
“But I think we’ve done this for so long, we know exactly how to how to flip flop back and forth. So yeah, obviously, always excited to play with him. It’s a pleasure to to be on the same line as him. So, we’ll see where it goes from here.”
Answer: Drasaitl, McDavid, and Trent Frederic went -3 in a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Another answer: it was not Frederic’s fault.
It simply seems that the Oilers get as excited for preseason as the rest of us. Or maybe it’s simply the first time McDavid and Draisaitl have really gotten their legs warm since their last season ended.
“If you look at the stat line, (it) doesn’t look very good,” commented head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But they spent a lot of time in the offensive zone, and (Frederic) was doing what he was supposed to be doing.
“It’s early. You see it as they got shut out. They don’t get shut out very often. So you’re thinking, doesn’t work. But you know, we’re certainly going to try it a little bit longer.”
It’s what preseason is for.
It’s a little easier when it’s McDavid and Draisaitl gearing up for another regular season where they will likely dominate the scoring and lead all way-to-early hart-trophy predictions. But for the most part, preseason is full of lousy chemistry, low expectations, and names that no one—for the most part—has ever heard of.
And yet, Connor Clattenburg, an Edmonton Oilers fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft, found a way to stand out in a game (and training camp) where the two best players on the ice were doing everything to draw atttention to themselves.
The 6’2, 215lbs left-shot forward has made waves during the Oilers training camp for his unmatched energy and physicality, but went without a fight or penalty minute during last nights preseason loss.
“My message to him has been, ‘be physical, be mean, be ugly, and have a good stick on the ice’,” per Bakersfield Condors head coach Colin Chaulk following the Oilers rookie game where Cllattenburg spent a portion of the game in the box.
His performance was not anything to be ashamed off, but it was lacking the usual mosaic of fights, energy, and scoring opportunities.
Since Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard witnessed the defeat from Rogers Place press box, it was left to Clattenburg and other camp players to draw attention to where the Veterans could not. Alas, Clattenburg was not the only camp invite to leave expectations on the table in the Oilers first preseason game of the season.
