Edmonton Oilers with the Most to Prove During the 2014-15 Preseason

The Edmonton Oilers made some significant changes in the offseason in an attempt to help the franchise move up from the bottom of the NHL standings.

General manager Craig MacTavish addressed the team’s defensive struggles from last season by adding veterans Mark Fayne and Nikita Nikitin to the group as well as two-way forwards Teddy Purcell and Benoit Pouliot.

With training camp in full swing, here is a look at the four players with the most to prove during the 2014-15 preseason.

Vladimir Tkachev

After going undrafted in the 2014 NHL entry draft, Vladimir Tkachev has sparkled in his preseason performances for the Edmonton Oilers.

Tkachev, a free agent invitee, may have been a long shot to secure a contract with the Oilers, but as each day passes, the diminutive Russian has asserted himself as one of the most impressive Oilers on the ice.

Perhaps it is the fact that Tkachev is listed at 5’9” and 141 pounds which led all 30 NHL teams to pass over the Russian forward in the draft, but the offensive skills he has demonstrated thus far into the preseason have warranted a closer look from Edmonton.

After spending the majority of the season in Russia, Tkachev joined the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the final 20 games of the season and appeared to thrive.

In those 20 games, he registered an impressive 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points.

Though Tkachev would be another small forward with explosive skill on an Oilers team that is heavy with players of the same ilk, it is rare a team is handed a “free” prospect with the intriguing potential Tkachev possesses.

While the Oilers appear to like what they have seen from Tkachev after signing him to a three-year entry-level contract, the small forward will have to continue to impress Oilers management if he is to stick in the NHL when the regular season begins.

Leon Draisaitl

It would be prudent for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans to exercise cautious optimism regarding third overall selection Leon Draisaitl.

All signs point toward Draisaitl being handed the reins to the second line, as the Oilers are organizationally thin down the center.

However, the Oilers will be well-served to consider the overall development of Draisaitl as a higher priority than the immediate future of the club.

He has shown flashes of the offensive awareness that helped him amass more than 100 points last season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, but he has also disappeared at times during the preseason games.

The big German center has all of the physical tools to compete against men. Due to his age, the 18-year-old would have to be sent back to the WHL if the Oilers cut him, so it will be interesting to see if the team decides The Deutschland Dangler is ready for the NHL right out of camp.

Darnell Nurse

Unfortunately for Darnell Nurse but fortunately for the Edmonton Oilers, the defensive depth on the team is perhaps as deep as it has been in years.

Subsequently, it will be hard for Nurse to crack the opening-night roster this year.

While he possesses above-average awareness for the offensive aspects of the game and has added some size to his already large frame (6'5", 193 lbs), another year of seasoning in the OHL may be the best course for the talented defender.

With Nikita Nikitin and Mark Fayne added in the offseason and Andrew Ference, Jeff Petry and Justin Schultz already established NHL defenders, only one or two defensive positions are available to the young Oilers prospects.

Nail Yakupov

Nail Yakupov had a season to forget during his second year in the NHL last season, as the young Russian struggled to adapt to newly assigned head coach Dallas Eakins’ philosophies.

With the sophomore slump behind him, Yakupov will look to have a bounce-back season this year and firmly entrench himself as one of the young core pieces in Edmonton’s future.

Already this preseason Yakupov has played on both the right and left wings, highlighting Eakins’ inability to find the right fit for the 20-year-old in the Oilers' top-six forward units.

The 2014-15 season will be an important one for Yakupov, as it is the last year of his entry-level contract and the Oilers will have to decide whether or not he is a long-term fit.