Oilers send down promising rookie to the minors
Breaking news in Oil Country as the the team announces they have sent down fan favourite Noah Philp to Oilers AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
With that being said, this comes as no real shocker as the team officially announced superstar captain Connor McDavid will be suiting up tonight's game after being sidelined due to a lower body injury.
With Connor McDavid back in the lineup, the Oilers had a total of 13 forwards on the team, and management clearly doesn't want anyone watching from the press box tonight.
Noah Philp, 26, notched his first ever NHL point during his first ever NHL game. Although he received some respectable praise from head coach Kris Knoblauch, he struggled in the face-off circle against the Calgary Flames, averaging just over 10% on draws.
Furthermore, the Oilers fourth line as a whole struggled terribly the past two outings, being on the ice for an whopping 39.4% goal share.
Despite Philp's solid first game, the Oilers are obviously indicating that the rookie would benefit from some extra time in the AHL to refine his game.
Although Philp was one of the "feel good" stories of the NHL preseason, perhaps he wasn't quite ready to cement a full time role in the Oilers bottom 6 quite yet.
With that in mind, with every action, there is a reaction. Having Connor McDavid back in the lineup against their divisional rival Golden Knights should give the team an added burst of offensive pedigree.
Although it's somewhat bittersweet to see Noah Philp pack his bags back to Bakersfield, Oilers fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing their captain will be back in action tonight.
