The Edmonton Oilers made some roster cuts on Sunday, the most difficult of which might have been the decision to send Noah Philp back down to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Philp impressed in camp and arguably earned a spot on the roster.
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Head coach Kris Knoblauch talked about the cuts made as the Oilers get down to their opening night roster. He said it was tough to tell some of these players they were going home after working so hard and expecting to be on the team. In some cases, the Oilers expected more from players who didn’t make it, but Knoblauch noted that it’s not easy anytime to tell a player who has set their goal the whole summer and trained in participation on being on the team and then tell them that they’re not quite ready.
When asked about how close Philp was to making the team, Knoblauch confirmed it was the hardest choice of the group.
“Of all the players who came in here and made a positive impression, he was definitely on top of that list. You know, I just think it’s important that he goes down and plays significant minutes for a while. He’ll determine when he comes back and joins us.”
Oilers Decided Philp Was Better Starting In The AHL With Big Minutes
Knoblauch added that it doesn’t make sense for Philp to be on this team playing a few minutes. “I don’t think that’s beneficial for him.” He added, “I think there’s still the little details that are important for him, mostly just being able to touch the puck and feeling pressure and making the right play.”
“I think he’s really close, I’m sure we’re going to see him at some point in this season.”
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