If Edmonton Oilers have serious plans for Noah Philp, they are opaque

Over the last two weeks, the Edmonton Oilers have made a transition that some have predicted for quite some time. Derek Ryan, a well-respected but aging veteran, had already seen his ice time drop to single-digit minutes each game. He was removed from the penalty kill unit, and his superb right-shot stick in the faceoff circle received less calls. The utility forward’s weekly games were reduced to one: December 16, 22, 29, January 4, and 11, respectively. Then none at all.

Phase Two began on January 14, when the Oilers summoned Noah Philp, Ryan’s fellow University of Alberta alumni and heir apparent, from their AHL club in Bakersfield. Philp had a three-game trial earlier in the season and performed admirably, but this second recall was borne of the winds of change. Philp was placed into the lineup at Ryan’s old 4C spot for the following three games. Ryan watched the first three from the press box before getting waived on Sunday. He subsequently cleared and reported to Bako.

With the trade, the Oilers became younger: Philp is 26 and Ryan is 38. They’ve also grown in size: Philp is 6’3, 198 pounds, while Ryan is 5’10, 185. They lost a lot of experience: Philp had three NHL games when recalled, and Ryan had 603 when sent out. But what, exactly, has changed? So far, not very much. Philp has certainly played in the last four games, with ice time of 8:42, 7:42, and 10:17 in the first three. With Connor McDavid absent due to suspension on Monday, the four remaining pivots, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique, and Philp, were expected to take on more responsibility.

That wasn’t the case for Noah Philp, who played only 5:15 against the Washington Capitals, the only Oiler under 10 minutes on the night. It was his shortest ice time to date, and less than Ryan’s lowest total (6:13) in 33 games. My Cult of Hockey colleague, David Staples, summarized his performance in our standard player grades: Noah Philp, four. He didn’t play often and was silent when he did. GAS: ES +0/-0, ST 0/0 What did this player do during those five silent minutes? I chose to go through each of his nine shifts and focus my attention on the promising young Oiler. Here are the resulting shift notes.