The Edmonton Oilers’ main camp starts in 58 days on Sept. 16.

They play their first preseason game on Saturday, Sept. 19, and for the first time in franchise history, the Oilers start the regular season with a game in September. The NHL season is approaching quickly, and with Colton Dach signing last week, the Oilers have their entire roster signed. General Manager Stan Bowman could make a trade before the season begins, but it seems more likely he will be patient and give opportunities to some young players.

Which leads me to 10 burning questions.

1. Who will Matt Savoie play with to start the season?

Matt Savoie finished the season strong with 19 points in the final 24 games after the Olympic break. Savoie scored 14 points at five-on-five in those games. Here is a breakdown of his season playing with Connor McDavid and/or Leon Draisaitl and without them.

Player

Player

Player

GP

TOI

SF

SA

SF%

GF

GA

GF%

Savoie

McDavid

Draisaitl

65

20:52

10

52.63

75

Savoie

McDavid

w/o Draisaitl

82

315:55

165

141

53.92

18

15

54.55

Savoie

Draisaitl

w/o McDavid

65

173:04

97

74

56.73

12

63.16

Savoie

w/o McDavid

w/o Draisaitl

82

481:43

209

205

50.48

15

22

40.54

He skated 48.5 per cent of his time away from either superstar. However, in the final 24 games he played more with them, and his production increased.

Player

Player

Player

GP

TOI

SF

SA

SF%

GF

GA

GF%

Savoie

McDavid

Draisaitl

10

0:27

Savoie

McDavid

w/o Draisaitl

24

202:34

110

87

55.84

13

65

Savoie

Draisaitl

w/o McDavid

10

42:37

29

19

60.42

55.56

Savoie

w/o McDavid

w/o Draisaitl

24

76:37

29

35

45.31

60

In the final 24 games, Savoie played 76.4 per cent of his time with them, and 62.7 per cent of his five-on-five TOI with McDavid. He and Vasily Podkolzin played the most with McDavid in the final 14 games when Draisaitl was out of the lineup. I’d be surprised if Mike Babcock started them as a trio this season. Podkolzin and Draisaitl are a great duo, as are McDavid/Hyman, so I’d build around those two pairs and fill out a winger on each line.

Savoie played the third-most minutes at five-on-five among forwards after the Olympic break, and his 14 points were second-most behind McDavid. Savoie should........

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