Anton Slepyshev To Miss Training Camp With Ankle Injury

It’s the first week of September and Anton Slepyshev has “injured an ankle in training”. According to Sportsnet’s Mark Spector, Slepyshev is out for the entirety of training camp, and is questionable for October’s regular season opener against Calgary. With the season opener almost a month away, Slepyshev’s injury sounds bad enough to warrant some concern. With any luck, Slepyshev will be out for as little time as possible.

In case that’s a few more games than we planned, here’s what I have without Anton Slepyshev

Patrick Maroon - Connor McDavid - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Milan Lucic - Leon Draisaitl - Jesse Puljujarvi

Drake Caggiula - Ryan Strome - Zack Kassian

Jussi Jokinen - Mark Letestu - Iiro Pakarinen

• Ooof. Without Jordan Eberle, that right side is thin-thin. The Oilers are hoping for a breakout season from Slepyshev, who has just eleven career points in the NHL so far.
• The lack of current top six right wings is a big reason why I’ve moved RNH over to 1RW for now. I’m still a big believer that Chiarelli has got 93’s on his lips when trade talk comes around. Why not fatten his point total if this is the case?
• I’ve seen lineups that suggest Ryan Strome might get first crack with McDavid this season. For now, I’m sticking with Chiarelli’s comments in July about Strome getting a long look at centre.
• It wouldn’t be a total shocker to see Jesse Puljujarvi up with McDavid. With missing training camp, Puljujarvi’s chance to make the opening night roster is all but guaranteed.
• OBLIGATORY JAROMIR JAGR PLEA: If you’re going to sign a veteran to play right wing, right now might be a very good time to do so.
• There’s Iiro Pakarinen. I guess it could be Ty Rattie, but Iiro’s my 13F.