BLOG: Woodcroft expecting to experiment during Training Camp

EDMONTON, AB - It's all quiet on the off-season front, but you can guarantee that many conversations are happening behind the scenes around the NHL in preparation for the new campaign.
We are in the dog days of summer around the League with the Draft completed and the initial frenzy of Free Agency over as teams look to put the final pieces of their rosters together before the start of rookie camps, which signals that the 2022-23 NHL season is right around the corner.
A month from now, the Oilers will be in Penticton, B.C. for the return of the Young Stars Classic before opening Main Camp a week later and hosting their first pre-season game on September 25 -- a Sunday meeting with the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place. From there, you're just two-and-a-half weeks from getting the regular season underway.
It may feel like it's a long way away, but the new season is right around the corner.
"I think this is the quiet season when it comes to the hockey year," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft, speaking with Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer on Monday, said. "I think things kind of pick up towards the end of August and beginning of September as teams put the final touches on their training camps and who's coming and whatnot.
"I think there might be some movement around the NHL late August or early September, but I think that's what you do. You make sure that you're continuing to peck away at your projects. You understand who's available and you're in constant conversation about ways to improve your team."

Beyond keeping tabs on the market in consultation with Oilers GM & President of Hockey Operations Ken Holland for any potential depth additions to strengthen the squad, Woodcroft will have been hard at work this off-season with his coaching staff constructing his lineup for the start of Training Camp later in September.
The Oilers bench boss emphasized preparing for the 'start' of camp because more often than not, the combinations that are assembled for the first skates look much different than the ones that eventually line up for the opening game.
"How it shakes out, I think those things are decided in Training Camp," he said. "I think Training Camp is the time of year to experiment a little bit and see who fits with who. We've always maintained that we might have a starting point on something, but we want to make sure we're light on our feet, that we're using our eyes, that we give situations enough time to develop, and that we have the patience to let things play themselves out.
"But ultimately, in the end, I think players through their play show you what the best combinations are. It's our job to make sure that we're paying attention."

On the blue line, the retirement of Duncan Keith opens up playing time for one of the club's young defenders -- Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, Dmitri Samorukov and Markus Niemelainen to name a few -- to step up in Training Camp and establish themselves as a consistent NHL option.
"I think everybody's excited about the opportunity for these young D-men and the work they've put in to put themselves in a position to be in that conversation," Woodcroft said. "I think all of them represent different skillsets, represent different ingredients, where they're at in their personal cycle, how many years have been invested in them since their draft year, and everything like that.
"I can tell you that everybody's excited about watching these younger guys try to battle it out for an NHL opportunity."
The re-signing of Brett Kulak means the Oilers will see four veteran defencemen from last season return to the blueline (Kulak, Tyson Barrie, Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci), with Evan Bouchard looking to take another step in the final year of his entry-level contract potentially alongside another young d-man in Broberg to allow two of the pairings from Edmonton's run to the Conference Final to remain intact.
But as Woodcroft alluded to earlier, those types of decisions can naturally solve themselves in Training Camp.
"I think those conversations are still to be had and worked through heading into Training Camp," he said. "I'd be remiss to pigeonhole anybody or limit anybody's opportunity to limit their chance to move up the lineup or whatnot.
"We're going to try and work that through in Training Camp and ultimately put players in the best positions they can to have success; not only personally, but for us to have team success. I think that stuff plays itself out. There might be times where we experiment with a pairing that looks like that, but we'll see. We'll let it play itself out at Training Camp."

Training Camp is where you can find a few surprises in the form of pairings, lines, and players who stand out and change the complexion of your thought process. Restricted free-agent centre Ryan McLeod was one of those last season for the Oilers, earning more opportunities as the season progressed and making deepening Edmonton's depth at the position even further with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins already established in the lineup.
"For me, what Ryan McLeod displayed down the stretch and into the playoffs is that he was capable of handling more," Woodcroft said. "He showed that and we utilized him in different fashions, whether he lined up as a fourth-line centre, ended up playing some shifts on the wing or he garnered more ice time on the power play or penalty kill. He forced or hand to give him more because he shows an ability to handle that."
Woodcroft is looking forward to getting into his first full Training Camp as Oilers head coach to see how it all shakes out and who surprises.
"I think what that does is that allows you a way to move pieces around the chessboard to make sure people are getting enough," he said. "Sometimes that means players play their second position rather than their first position, but I believe that good players want to play with good players and they have the ability to make it work."
The bench boss also said he believes that both Nurse and Draisaitl, who played through injury in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, will be healthy and ready to go for the start of Training Camp.