Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan hopes Khaira's inclusion in the lineup - if he plays - will bring a higher tempo to his bottom six.
"Pace, speed (is what) we're looking for," he said. "Pace for that third and fourth line is what we're looking for and hopefully J.J. can give that to us."
The decision to bring up the 22-year-old came after McLellan thought his team's pace was outmatched early on against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
"I thought last night that the pace that San Jose played with throughout their lineup, especially early in the game was better than ours," McLellan said. "Perhaps went our way a little bit later in the game."
McLellan mentioned there's a "good chance," Brandon Davidson and Anton Slepyshev slot back into the lineup. He also said the goaltender situation will sort itself out over the next few days.
