October 6, 2021 by Ryan Lotsberg

There were three players expected to be chosen at the top of the 2016 NHL Draft; Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Jesse Puljujarvi. The Columbus Blue Jackets surprised the hockey world by picking Pierre Luc Dubois third-overall, leaving Puljujarvi available for the Edmonton Oilers with the next pick.

Puljujarvi wasn’t the only prospect to fall to the Oilers in that draft. Tyler Benson broke minor hockey scoring records in Edmonton. Benson was touted as a potential first-round pick in 2016, but he fell to the Oilers in the second-round due to an injury.

His injury woes continued to plague him throughout the early days of his professional career. Local product Sam Steel, Benson’s childhood friend and rival, was taken two picks before Benson in the 2016 draft. Steel has played 129 games for the Ducks. Benson has only played seven games for the Oilers. Benson has the talent to be an everyday NHL player, but he has yet to crack the Oilers roster on a full-time basis.

The biggest knock on Benson has always been his skating. I’m certain that his injuries limited his skating. Apparently, he had a great summer of training where he worked on getting quicker. He definitely looks quicker at Oilers’ camp. He’s addressed the biggest criticism of his game. Benson was a point-per-game player in the AHL last season. Everything seemed to be lining up for Benson to make the Oilers this season, or at least that’s what I thought heading into camp.

Several other Oilers prospects walked into Calgary and handed a more veteran Flames lineup their their lunch in the first game of the Oilers pre-season. While Benson didn’t get any points in that game, he made several passes that few players in the world could make. He was impressive that night.

I had the privilege of attending the Oilers’ second pre-season game against Seattle, which also happened to be the first Oilers game where fans were allowed since the pandemic began. The Oilers iced a star-studded lineup against a poor man’s version of the Seattle Kraken, and it showed. However, Benson was pretty quiet in that game. He looked disinterested on the offensive side of the ice. He seemingly refused to engage in any kind of contact in the offensive zone, and the puck was a dangling carrot that eluded his reach all night long. He did get some work on the penalty kill though.

Benson dressed again for the Oilers’ third game in Winnipeg. He was more willing to get involved physically in that game, but he was still quiet. The team struggled as a whole, so head coach Dave Tippett juggled the lines in the third period. He put 2021 first-round pick Xavier Bourgault on a line with Benson and veteran PTO recipient Colton Sceviour. That line was actually pretty good in the third period. They had multiple shifts in the offensive zone, and Benson was spotted in the blue paint on at least one occasion. Putting Benson with a more skilled player seemed to pique his interest. After the game, Tippett was asked about Benson’s effort and he said that he worked hard, but he didn’t get much accomplished.

As many of you are aware, the stream on the Oilers’ website failed them during their visit to Everett to play the Kraken on Friday. I wasn’t able to watch that game, but Benson apparently wasn’t bad that night. He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad either. He didn’t get any points, but he scored in the shootout.

There’s still time left in camp for Benson to step his game up, but he hasn’t grabbed the opportunity like I, and many other people, thought he might. I would’ve expected him to have put up a couple of points in the early part of camp where other teams iced rosters with mostly AHL players, but he didn’t. I would’ve expected him to bring a physical game and for him to be better on the forecheck because he’s competing for the fourth line left wing spot on the Oilers. That hasn’t happened nearly often enough yet.

Meanwhile, the other man in contention for the fourth line left wing spot, Brendan Perlini, is having the pre-season that I thought Benson might have. The 2012 first-round pick had previous stops with the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings before finding himself playing in Switzerland last year. He took time to re-evaluate his game, and he dedicated himself to getting better at the finer details of the game. Whatever he did, it’s paying off for him in spades right now. He has five goals and an assist in five pre-season games. He’s shooting from everywhere, and he’s playing on a line with Devin Shore and Kyle Turris that spend the majority of the time in the offensive zone.

Tippett said that they would get the camp roster down to something closer to what the team will be by Sunday, and they did that. They also announced that Josh Archibald will be out for the foreseeable future after being diagnosed with myocarditis, a heart condition that came as a result of a bout of COVID earlier in the summer. There are currently 14 forwards that have contracts and Sceviour at camp. Both Benson and Perlini are still around, which is a great sign for both players.

14 would be the maximum number of forwards that could make the team, so we know that at least one won’t be in Edmonton for opening night. The easy cut would be Sceviour since he doesn’t have a contract, but he’s shown well so far in camp. Tippett likes his game, and he can kill penalties. Ryan McLeod played playoff games for the Oilers last season, but he’s not necessarily a lock to make the team out of camp either. He’s been mediocre at best in camp, and he’s waivers exempt. He can start the season in Bakersfield and be recalled later. I’d say that those two would be the most likely to be the last forward cut.

Turris didn’t play well for the Oilers last season, but he’s put on some muscle this summer and he’s been effective thus far in the pre-season. Tippett has said that they might use him on the second power-play unit, which is a tell that Turris is likely to be on the team. Sceviour could beat him out for a job, but I don’t think that will happen at this point. 

Neither Perlini, nor Benson are locks to make the team, even though their odds are pretty high with two preseason games remaining. Perlini’s play will be hard to ignore. Though he’s on a two-way contract, which means that he’d cost less if he were to somehow clear waivers and be assigned to Bakersfield. 

General manager Ken Holland made it clear that no young players would be given jobs this season. They would need to beat veterans for jobs in training camp. He brought in Perlini and Sceviour to be competition for Benson and McLeod. I don’t think that Benson has beaten Perlini to this date, nor do I think that McLeod has beaten Sceviour.

They have a big decision to make with Benson. He’s no longer waivers exempt. If they want to send Benson back to Bakersfield, then they’ll risk losing him on waivers. Holland just signed left wingers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman to 8-year contracts, and he acquired Warren Foegele and subsequently signed him to a three-year deal. All of those players play the same position as Benson. That might’ve been a tell by Holland as to what the Oilers think of his long-term NHL projections.

However, he’s been given every chance to show management what he can do in this camp, and he’s made the top 15 forwards. He could start the season as an extra forward and bide his time. If he’s on the team, my expectations for him would be to play sound defensive hockey and to chip in with the odd point while playing on the fourth line when he gets an opportunity. There’s an argument to be made for keeping the talented second-round pick that the organization has spent five years developing. Losing Benson for nothing would be a tough pill to swallow.

I personally think that Benson has top six potential. His playmaking would be a great fit on a line with Leon Draisaitl, in my opinion. He could also be a great fit with Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi. However, I know better than to think that Benson will get there this season. If he makes the team, he’ll be stuck on the fourth line, unless an injury opens up an opportunity to play higher in the lineup.

My thought on Benson is that his skill set isn’t suited for the fourth line. He’s a creative playmaker whose skills are best utilized with other skilled players. The fact that his night turned around once he started playing with Bourgault in Winnipeg is evidence of that. I believe in putting players in positions to succeed, and the fourth line isn’t that place for Benson in my opinion. I also see merit in starting at the bottom and working your way up the lineup, and I understand that’s the position that Benson will be in given the Oilers’ depth at left wing.

I’ll be interested to see how he handles a fourth line role if he makes the team, and I do think that he’ll make the team. I just can’t see them risking losing him on waivers. Sceviour doesn’t have a contract and isn’t a vital cog on the team, and McLeod could start the season in Bakersfield. There are two more desirable alternatives to putting Benson on waivers.

I’ll close by saying that I’m really looking forward to this season! Fans will be back in attendance, and we’ll get to see the Oilers play against American opponents again! I’m also excited to be joining the Heavy Hockey Network as a contributor. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone and to watching the season play out with everyone.