Oilers notebook: Alec Regula making a case to stick with the big club

EDMONTON — We get it.

Every team in the National Hockey League is fretting over some “prospect” who they’re not sure is going to make it through waivers, with rosters due on Monday at 3 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. ET.

And their fan bases?

Not only are they even more concerned about their favourite young player, the fans will be poring over the waiver wire and instructing their teams to claim everyone else’s “prospects,” or some veteran whose salary has landed him on waivers.

But hear us out on defenceman Alec Regula, the Edmonton Oilers‘ biggest issue, as Monday’s deadline approaches.

Regula — a much-valued six-foot-four, righthanded defenceman — has toggled between Original Six teams ever since Detroit drafted him, then dealt him to then-Chicago GM Stan Bowman a year later. Once Bowman was gone, Chicago moved Regula to Boston, but the moment he hit the waiver wire, Bowman snatched him back — bringing him to Edmonton last season, despite the fact Regula was in the midst of rehabbing a knee injury that limited him to zero games last season.

This fall, Regula has stood out. He’s been steady defensively, his skating has been excellent, his puck handling steady and his passes accurate. The Seattle Kraken TV crew mentioned him on several occasions as a standout in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss, where he logged 19:23 of ice time (3:06 while shorthanded) and was only on for one power-play goal against.

Regula is a third-pairing defenceman — maybe still a No. 7 at this stage. But a team scorned will often claim that player back out of spite — then figure out what to do with him after that.

Hit the “trades” button on winger Rafael Lavoie’s Hockey DB profile, and here’s what you’ll see:

• 2024-Oct-07: Claimed off waivers by Vegas Golden Knights from Edmonton Oilers

• 2024-Oct-09: Claimed off waivers by Edmonton Oilers from Vegas Golden Knights

• 2024-Oct-10: Claimed off waivers by Vegas Golden Knights from Edmonton Oilers

In May, Bowman signed Regula to a two-year deal with an AAV of $775,000. A big, right-shot defenceman, just 25 years old, pretty decent with the puck …

If he can play at an NHL level — and he doesn’t look like that’s a stretch — can Bowman afford to expose that player on Sunday, 24 hours before rosters are set?

Lining ‘em up

With one pre-season game remaining, Friday night in Vancouver, the runway for making a team is about done. Either you’re in by now, or you’re not.

Everyone, including head coach Kris Knoblauch, is talking like rookies Matt Savoie and Ike Howard are on the team. Howard had a pair of assists in Seattle Wednesday — he’s tied for the team lead with four pre-season points (1-3-4) — and Savoie has been even better, though his first point came on a goal in that 4-2 loss at Seattle.

“He’s made a strong impression right from Day 1,” Knoblauch said of Savoie, after the loss in Seattle. “He’s been working hard and his details have been good. Not only is he labelled as an offensive player, he’s worked on his details and he’s very responsible defensively. It looks like he’s ready.”

A year in the AHL last season has truly buttressed Savoie’s game. For now, he feels ready — we’ll see if his game can withstand the rising level of play between now and Nov. 15 or so.

“I think my game is in a really good spot right now,” he said in Seattle. “I’ve been working all summer, working all camp, to get to this spot, and I feel like I can be a contributor now and I’m working towards that.”

If Howard stays, as expected, and Noah Philp (1-3-4) stays as a fourth-line centre (also waivers-eligible), the Oilers will have to waive a veteran forward such as Curtis Lazar. If they keep eight defencemen, Troy Stecher stays. If they choose to protect Regula, Stecher may be exposed.

The injury loss of Zach Hyman will buy some time for one forward, but if Bowman opts against using LTIR, his salary remains on the books.

Let’s look at the opening night lines, and we’ll guess that the roster will include Hyman for cap purposes:

Draisaitl — McDavid — Frederic

Podkolzin — Nugent-Hopkins — Mangiapane

Howard — Henrique — Savoie

Janmark — Tomasek — Kapanen

Philp

(Hyman)

($54.36 million at forward)

Ekholm — Bouchard

Nurse — Walman

Kulak — Emberson

Stecher — Regula

($34.76 million on defence)

Skinner

Pickard

($3.6 million in goal)

Add in the $2.3 buy-out money going to Jack Campbell, and the Oilers come in at $95.02 million — just under the cap of $95.5 million.

One problem: If Max Jones ($1 million) isn’t healthy, he can’t be sent down. That could cause an issue, but he was expected to play Friday, at least when Knoblauch was asked earlier this week.

Liking Reichel

Talk out of Chicago is the Blackhawks are intent moving on from C/LW Lukas Reichel, the 23-year-old drafted 17th overall by Bowman when Bowman was running the Blackhawks.

As mentioned, the Oilers just aren’t in a position to acquire any waiver-eligible players without sending one back in the deal. We expect Reichel to move for draft picks before Sunday, the final day to waive players before setting rosters on Monday.

He’ll move for a third- or fourth-round pick, though looking at the Blackhawks roster, we’re surprised they can’t use Reichel as a component in a deal to strengthen their blue-line.