CAMP: Top-six shuffle

EDMONTON, AB - As Edmonton Oilers Training Camp continues, Head Coach Dave Tippett is using the exhibition season to experiment with his line combinations.
On Wednesday at the Downtown Community Arena where the Oilers held a fast-paced, 45-minute practice, the absence of Kailer Yamamoto - who is day-to-day following a late hit in Monday's Battle of Alberta - prompted Tippett to shift and shuffle his personnel up front.
The bench boss reunited the National Hockey League's most dangerous duo - Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - alongside Jesse Puljujarvi to assemble a relentless and treacherous troupe, moving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the second line centre position between Zach Hyman and Kyle Turris.

Hyman has been glued to McDavid's left side all through Training Camp aside from a road outing against the Seattle Kraken in Kent, Wash., when he lined up next to Derek Ryan and Yamamoto. Wednesday's skate provided Tippett with the chance to view the free-agent acquisition next to a new set of linemates and to test-run potential combos that could develop in the regular season when bumps, bruises and injuries arise.
"There are times when we might play McDavid and Draisaitl together, so I want to see Hyman and Nuge together," Tippett stated Wednesday from the Oilers Hall of Fame Room.
"Hyman and Nuge are both smart players. Whether Turris is going to be there tomorrow or if we put Yamamoto back there, that could be a good line."
Tippett envisions Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins teaming up to be the squad's marquee penalty-killing unit and finds the twosome could be a good fit due to the cerebral game they play. Turris, meanwhile, is getting a boost after a dedicated off-season and strong showcase through two weeks at Camp. The three could tackle the ice together on Thursday when the Vancouver Canucks enter Rogers Place.

"I might look at that line with Nuge and Hyman tomorrow. Turris in there gives us a right-handed centreman with Nuge. He played solid down there on the fourth line and we're looking for a right winger," Tippett said.
Oilers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland made it a mandate to bolster the team's offence and provide coach Tippett with candidates as the next man up. Given the acquisitions of Hyman, Derek Ryan and Warren Foegele, the possibilities appear endless. From his office in the blue paint, goaltender Mike Smith already notices the flexibility of the forwards.
"Our identity definitely changed up front this year," Smith said. "We were driven last year a lot on Leon and Connor but when you add pieces like that, it changes the dynamic of our forward group and gives us a lot more depth, and some work ethic that maybe we lacked in the past."
Breaking out the blender and creating new combinations is not a fresh concept for NHL head coaches, who adjust their lineups regularly. But with Yamamoto on the shelf for at least one game, the tinkering has already begun.
"In the back of my mind, we could get to those positions during the year," Tippett said. "I'd like to give them all a bit of a test run right now."