Oilers make head-scratching move after Quinn Hutson call up

Edmonton Oilers' Quinn Hutson move is certainly questionable

Even if an argument can be made that Hutson isn’t a fit in the Oilers’ top six because no one deserves to come out, putting him on the third line would be better than placing him with two players who are unlikely to crack eight minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Perhaps this is as much about getting Frederic going as it is about adding a scorer like Hutson to the lineup, even if that seems far-fetched.

Reactions to the line combinations at practice reflect what most Oilers fans are thinking.

David Staples of the Edmonton Journal writes, “The player is a scorer not a checker, so would it not have been a better idea to start him off on a line with Andrew Mangiapane and Adam Henrique, one where he’s more likely to make combination plays with fellow attackers and get more than seven or eight minutes of ice time?”

In much the same way that Ike Howard wasn’t terribly effective in a fourth-line role for the Oilers and was eventually sent down to Bakersfield, Edmonton arguably should have just stuck with Max Jones or brought in another grittier, energy guy to play such small minutes in a non-offensive role.

It would be one thing if the Oilers were going 11-7 and double-shifting stars like Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. At least then, the rotation would see Hutson playing with gifted and elite offensive stars. And sure, while earning one’s spot has some merit, it makes little sense to plug a scorer in on a checking line.

If the idea is to provide a spark in the bottom six, that’s one thing. But if the Oilers are expecting Hutson to motivate that fourth line into suddenly producing offense, they’re asking a lot of a player who has exactly two NHL games on his resume.