No matter if they're young or old, new or returning, Knoblauch is ready to see how things begin to shape out in the pre-season.
"We want to implement our system so there's an opportunity to do some coaching and get the guys comfortable," he said. "It's not just 'this is what we're doing and let's roll with it'. It's ongoing and will be right through April, May, and even June, but definitely this time of the year, it's very important that we're telling the guys what we want them to do. It's very important that there's a lot of evaluation, no matter if it's a guy who's just coming within the organization, or someone new.
"For me, it's about where guys fit into our lineup or if they do, so it'll be nice to see the guys have that game tomorrow."
Sunday will also be an opportunity for young prospects Matt Savoie and Isaac Howard to take further steps at the pro level against stiffer competition, which will only intensify as pre-season continues and we draw closer to opening night.
Knoblauch wants to see those younger players contribute and complement their teammates – whether that's in a top-six or bottom-six role – while putting them in positions to succeed and showcase their talents. At this point, the bench boss said too much has already been made about what line they could potentially play on for the Oilers, and the focus is firmly on figuring out how they could fit into the lineup moving forward.
"Ultimately, we just want them playing good hockey, getting the puck out, good defensive hockey and being able to make a play under pressure," he said. "Both of them will have opportunities to play on the power play... they need to contribute playing their game, and do they complement the other guys that they're playing with? I've seen a lot of third lines that outscore the second lines and so it's not necessarily. Yeah, I don't know. I just think too much is looked into what line you're on.
