AWOL Aberg opens door for Rattie
Oilers’ call-up from Condors may get to play alongside McDavid against Panthers
Ty Rattie doesn’t know for sure yet whether Pontus Aberg ’s loss is his gain, but if he slots in alongside Connor McDavid Saturday in Florida, it will be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Aberg didn’t show up for Friday ’s morning practice and, as a result, won’t be playing for the Edmonton Oilers against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, so Rattie filled in for him on the first line.
Oilers head coach Todd McLellan isn’t sure yet whether Rattie, who just got called up Thursday, stays there against the Panthers, but he did say he’s going to give the Bakersfield Condors leading scorer a good look.
“We’ll have to look at the structure of our lineup in the morning, but we’ll give him an opportunity to play and play with some good players and see if he can produce some offence.”
Rattie said he had to do a double take when he walked into the dressing room Friday and saw the lines for practice.
“When you see your name on the board with McDavid, it’s tough not to be taken back a little bit,” he said. “That’s the best player in the world. If I’m lucky enough to play with him, it would probably be hard to go out there the first couple of shifts and not just look for McDavid, which isn’t a bad idea to begin with, but you just have to be yourself and do everything you can to stay in the lineup.”
That’s the ultimate goal for anyone called up from the American Hockey League: don’t go back. This also happens to be a good time to be auditioning for a job with the Oilers given failed seasons always create job opportunities.
“They ’re not where they want to be in the standings, so it’s an evaluation process right now,” said the six-foot, 195-pounder. “Unestablished guys like myself can really prove something and maybe make some positives out of this.”
Of course, the real auditions happen in training camp next year and are largely dependent on what the organization does in the off-season, but this is at least an opportunity for Rattie to show who he is and what he can do so they don’t forget about him in the summer.
“The players dictate where their careers go and where they play,” McLellan said.
“The coaching staff makes the decisions. We can’t keep everybody, but the players usually make those decisions based on how well they perform. We’re hoping he comes in and plays really well so he can push.”
WHERE’S PONTUS?
McLellan would not go into detail when asked about the Aberg situation, only repeating that the newly acquired winger “missed practice and will not play tomorrow.”
It wasn’t a very smart time to miss the alarm given Aberg just got here in the three-way trade deadline deal with Nashville and was playing on a line with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He played 17:38, his highest total as an Oiler, and had an assist in his last game.
Now he’ll have to start from scratch, from the doghouse.
BOUNCE BACK
McLellan is expecting Leon Draisaitl will be much better against Florida, which is a pretty safe bet given he can’t be much worse than he was in a minus-3 performance against San Jose the other night.
“He had a tough night and he’s the first to admit it,” McLellan said. “But I know that when Saturday shows up, he’s going to play (hard) and that’s the best thing you can have in a young player. You don’t have an individual who’s going to pout or sulk, he’s going to come out and give us everything he has. That’s what we’re counting on and we know that’s what he’s going to deliver.”
INJURY NOTE
Defenceman Kris Russell is doubtful for Florida (he is banged up after blocking a shot) but they are hoping he will be good to go Sunday in Tampa.