GENE'S BLOG: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

EDMONTON, AB -The pre-season is done but the work on crafting the 2019-20 Edmonton Oilers isn't.
Even if the exhibition season wrapped up on a Saturday night in Calgary, Sunday was certainly not a day of rest. Well, a day of rest for the players but not for the management and staff.
Instead, they would be talking, discussing, meeting and eventually deciding - by at the latest 3:00 PM on Tuesday - what the opening night roster will look like when Vancouver comes to town on Wednesday to kick off the regular season.
I have to say this camp has felt and looked different than previous ones.
The look is always different when the off-season brings in a new general manager and a new coach, but I think what is most noticeable is a new way of thinking. By now we know Training Camp is no longer the place where you get in shape.
It's where you go to get in even better shape. However, like most NHL teams, a lot of roster spots are spoken for even before the first video session or skate. The Oilers certainly have players that aren't going anywhere for a long, long time (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl come to mind) but they have also taken a very open-minded approach to players hunting for jobs.
I would point to Ken Holland and Dave Tippett for being the leaders of this attitude adjustment. Before Camp began, both men were clear in stating there would be an open competition and they've followed through with that mindset. It's made Camp competitive. It's allowed players who came into September on the outside an opportunity to begin October on the inside. There's no mistaking the clarity and honesty that started at the top and is filtering its way into the minds of the men trying to make the team.