NHL analyst exposes one big internal flaw after Oilers lose Noah Philp on waivers

Noah Philp, at the age of 27, hasn't played more than 30 NHL games, with most of them being forgettable.

Losing Philp on waivers isn't the end of the world, although it does expose a trend within the Edmonton Oilers organization, the improper development of players at the NHL level, according to analyst Tyler Yaremchuk.

Dylan Holloway, in his final season with the Oilers, appeared in only 45 five-on-five minutes with Leon Draisaitl. He surpassed 15 minutes on the ice only three times and under ten minutes ten times.

In 2023-24, it took the Oilers until the Western Conference Final series to recognize Philip Broberg as a good young defender, whereas Vincent Desharnais surpassed 1,200 minutes that year, and Broberg averaged merely 139 minutes. We all know what happened to Holloway and Broberg.

The Oilers' management and coaching staff always showed a preference for veteran players, per Yaremchuk. However, players like Adam Henrique, Andrew Mangiapane, and Trent Frederic did not live up to expectations.

Young players on a lower salary with potential were not given much of a chance. Sometimes, players like Tyler Benson or Raphael Lavoie did not turn out to be very good, but not giving them a chance has also been detrimental.

There are other prospects in Bakersfield as well who look promising, such as Isaac Howard, Quinn Hutson, and Roby Jarventie. For the Oilers to have future success, Yaremchuk players like these must get proper chances in the NHL.

The team can't keep hobbling along with underperforming roster players and instead needs to build affordable, talented complementary players to sit alongside players like McDavid and Draisaitl.