Laurent Brossoit will start in goal Friday night when the Edmonton Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks in a pre-season game at Rogers Place.
Brossoit appeared in eight games for the Oilers in the second half of last season after being called from the minors. It’s hoped he can play 20-25 games in 2017/18 to give starter Cam Talbot more rest. Talbot appeared in a league-high 73 games last season
“I’m a big believer that you need to almost learn how to practice and carry yourself at the NHL level before you become an NHL players,” said head coach Todd McLellan. “You have to learn how to manage your practice habits. I’m not just talking about LB. I’m talking about goaltenders in general. I think that he’s done those things.”
Connor McDavid is not expected to play so the line of Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic, and Drake Caggiula will be the Oilers chief scoring threat.
“I have some young legs with me,” laughed Lucic. “It’s been fun during the pre-season with them. Hopefully, we can get it going tonight.”
On the whole, the Oilers are expected to ice a relatively young lineup.
“We’ll give a lot of the on-the-edge guys the opportunity to step up and separate themselves from that group,” said McLellan.
“If they’re not really pushing for a spot, then we’ll be able to make some decisions over the weekend.”
First round draft pick Kailer Yamamoto is expected to play. Jesse Puljujarvi, the Oilers first round pick from 2016, will not be in the lineup.
Catch the Oilers and Canucks on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 5:30 p.m. The game starts at 7 p.m.
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