The Edmonton Oilers brought out their 'A squad' for practice on Saturday, indicating that the team will likely field nearly a full roster of stars for their game on Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks. 

Unfortunately, one player was missing from the group as Jake Walman was not on the ice. This was just hours after head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed in the media scrum following Friday's win over Winnipeg that Walman was "currently unavailable." 

Walman's not participating in practice suggests that something is bothering him enough to keep him from taking part. His status for Sunday is unclear as the coach said it was "day to day."

The rest of the top stars were in, with a squad that looks close to what fans might see when the regular season begins. 

The Oilers went with Darnell Nurse and Troy Stecher, the same pairing that played as the top pair versus the Jets in the 4-0 win. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard were the top pairing in practice, with Brett Kulak skating with Ty Emberson. 

As for the forward lines, it appears the Oilers are going back to the trio of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Trent Frederic. That line didn't produce much in the 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken, often looking dangerous, but also disjointed in their own zone. 

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was centering a line with Ike Howard and Andrew Mangiapane, while Adam Henrique moved to the wing on a line centered by David Tomasek. Matt Savoie was on the other wing. 

Mattias Janmark skated with Curtis Lazar and Kasperi Kapanen, while Noah Philp -- who had a solid game on Friday -- centered Josh Samanski and Quinn Hutson. 

For fans going to the game on Sunday at Rogers Place, this lineup will be as close to the opening night lineup as the Oilers have iced thus far in preseason. 

Oilers Make A Few Roster Moves

Roby Jarventie and Josh Brown join James Hamblin on waivers for the Oilers today. 

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