Oilers promote young forward in new lines at practice, 2 regular players injured

The Oilers have also placed forward Max Jones on waivers today, and will need another move to submit their compliant opening night roster. For now, these appear to be close to the Oilers opening night lines.

According to reporters at practice, the Oilers moved Matthew Savoie into the top 6 alongside Nugent-Hopkins, and bumped Kasperi Kapanen down to the 3rd line.

Most other combinations were used in final preseason games, and can be expected for their opening night pairings.

It's great to see Savoie earn the bump up to second line minutes after a strong showing in the preseason. After a year of developing in the AHL, Savoie's honed his 200 foot game and will develop better with additional minutes, so this is great news for him.

In not so positive news, the Oilers may enter the season without Jake Walman and Mattias Janmark. Both players are still not skating at practice after sustaining injuries in the preseason.

Janmark has already been ruled out for opening night, but Coach Knoblauch has repeatedly said Walman is hopeful to play Game 1. It's a concerning sign that he's still not skating, and looks possible he may miss more time.

With the preseason finally wrapping up, players and fans alike will be ready to finally play some meaningful games. The regular season is just a few days away - hockey is finally back!