Edmonton Oilers Face Tough Roster Decision: These Veterans Could Be Pushed Out by Hungry Young Stars

The Edmonton Oilers had some openings on their roster entering preseason, but following a second impressive outing against the Winnipeg Jets, the battle is heating up.

Noah Philp, Quinn Hutson, and Ike Howard are all young forwards who have impressed, and David Tomášek and Matt Savoie are also pushing their way into the discussion. The battle for positions has been one of the leading narratives of camp.

Philp, a close call for the lineup last season, is making an early impression with a two-assist performance. Not one of the younger prospects in the group, he is still taking his game to a new level and proving himself worthy.

Hutson has been the most consistent of the bunch, scoring in three of his four games since rookie camp and continually increasing his stock.

Howard, on the other hand, has made giant strides. He followed a subdued rookie camp by becoming more comfortable with each contest, culminating in his best outing to date.

His ability to move without the puck and find open ice makes him a threat whenever he's on the ice.

These kids are making it increasingly difficult to justify lineup spots for older, declining-value veterans such as Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique.

Veterans usually enjoy the benefit of experience to win out in the minds of coaches, but the performances of Philp, Hutson, Howard, and Savoie are commanding attention.

With Zach Hyman out, there may be space for a few of these kids to make the opening night roster.

The question is whether or not the Oilers are willing to roll the dice on inexperience, or even go so far as to demote a veteran, in order to reward a younger player for their efforts.

The one thing that's for sure: these kids aren't waiting for a chance, they're taking it.