With the news of Connor McDavid’s earlier-than-anticipated return to the lineup tonight, the Oilers announced they’ve reassigned center Noah Philp to AHL Bakersfield. They’re no longer carrying an extra forward and have two open roster spots.
Philp, 26, made his NHL debut in McDavid’s absence. The Alberta native skated in all three games that Edmonton was without McDavid, centering the club’s fourth line between Corey Perry and Drake Caggiula, who was sent back to Bakersfield yesterday.
The 6’3″, 198-lb pivot didn’t look out of place, especially for a player who sat out the 2023-24 season entirely. He recorded his first NHL point, an assist, and recorded a +1 rating while averaging 10:13 per game and going 14-for-29 in the faceoff circle (48.3 FO%). The Oilers didn’t control shot attempts with Philp on the ice at even strength but did manage to come out on top in terms of possession quality, controlling 56% of expected goals.
Philp, the younger brother of Capitals minor-league forward Luke Philp, landed with the Oilers in 2022 out of the University of Alberta. He landed an NHL contract despite playing just eight combined regular-season games over the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons due to COVID-19 and injuries. Bakersfield made him a regular in the AHL lineup out of the gate, recording 19 goals and 37 points in 70 games in 2022-23.
After the season, ex-Oilers general manager Ken Holland said Philp had informed the team he was retiring due to personal reasons. However, a few days later, they issued him a qualifying offer to retain his signing rights, and Philp evidently never filed official retirement paperwork with the league. Still technically a restricted free agent this past offseason, he returned to the Oilers organization by inking a two-way deal ($775K/$90K) on July 1.
Philp earned a long look in training camp, and Edmonton waited until the day before opening night rosters were due to cut him from the roster. He got his first NHL call-up after scoring twice with a +2 rating in six games for Bakersfield to start the season. Considering he’ll remain waiver-exempt this season if he plays fewer than 60 NHL games, he’ll likely get another chance on the roster whenever another injury strikes the Oilers’ forward group.