Ben Gleason must be wondering if he’s ever going to get back into an NHL lineup.
On Tuesday (Oct. 1), the left-side defenceman was one of six players cut from Edmonton Oilers training camp, as the NHL team continues to reduce its roster with the start of the 2024-25 season fast approaching.
Gleason, along with fellow blueliner Phil Kemp, forward Lane Pederson, and goaltender Collin Delia was placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Oilers also loaned forward James Hamblin to Bakersfield and defenceman Beau Akey to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
The #Oilers have placed defencemen Ben Gleason & Phil Kemp, forward Lane Pederson & goaltender Collin Delia on waivers for the purpose of assignment, loaned forward James Hamblin to the @Condors & loaned defenceman Beau Akey to the @OHLBarrieColts. https://t.co/7QmwreUX64
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 1, 2024
Nearly six years have passed since Gleason last suited up for an NHL regular season game, as a member of the Dallas Stars on Nov. 21, 2018, and the 26-year-old now knows that long streak won’t end when Edmonton opens its 2024-25 schedule by hosting the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place on Oct. 9.
In four appearances this preseason, Gleason notched one goal and three assists. Through Edmonton’s first six preseason games, he had played the most minutes of any Oilers skater and was tied for the team lead with a plus/minus rating of plus-1.
It would be completely understandable if Gleason was beginning to feel a bit frustrated with his situation. This is the second consecutive year the 6-foot-1 blueliner has performed terrifically in training camp with the Oilers, only to be handed a ticket to Bakersfield.
Gleason Came to Edmonton for an Opportunity
On July 3, 2023, Gleason signed a two-year contract with the Oilers. After having spent several seasons toiling in the AHL as a member of the Stars organization, he was looking for an opportunity.
“There are ups and downs in every organization and sometimes you need a change of scenery,” the Michigan native said during training camp last fall. “I would have loved to be in Texas, I would have loved to play a lot of places, but Edmonton felt like a place that was a right fit for me, and I kind of wanted to play for a Canadian team and it worked out good for me.”
Related: Oilers’ Gleason Making Case for Spot on Roster With Strong Preseason Play
In the 2023 preseason, Gleason played six games, tied for the most among any Oilers player, and equalled superstar captain Connor McDavid with a team-high rating of plus-8.
He stuck around in training camp until the end of Edmonton’s preseason schedule, before being among the final cuts, as the Oilers elected to start the season with Mattias Ekholm, Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak and Philip Broberg as their left-side rearguards.
Gleason was briefly recalled by the Oilers in December, but didn’t draw into the lineup. He wound up playing 62 games for the Condors in 2023-24.
Gleason Ranks Among Oilers’ Preseason Leaders
Last year, it could at least be said that Gleason got a lengthy audition in the preseason. This year he was cut with still two games remaining on Edmonton’s preseason schedule.
Gleason couldn’t have done much more to make an impression on the Oilers decision-makers over the last week and a half: In Edmonton’s preseason-opening 3-2 overtime victory over the Jets at Rogers Place on Sept. 21, he set up Raphael Lavoie’s power-play goal midway through the third period and was the only Oilers skater to play more than 20 minutes.
The next night, Gleason was a rare bright spot in Edmonton’s 6-1 loss to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where he had the primary assist on the Oilers’ lone goal, a power-play tally by Mike Hoffman, and showed his character by coming to Max Wanner’s defence when his blue line partner was hit from behind.
At home against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday (Sept. 28), Gleason assisted on Lavoie’s game-winning goal with just under three minutes remaining in the third period. And in what would prove to be his final preseason outing, Edmonton’s 3-2 shootout victory on Monday (Sept. 30) over the visiting Vancouver Canucks, Gleason scored on the power play, firing a wrister from the high slot.
Gleason was named second star of the game between Edmonton and Vancouver, earning praise from Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch.
“We trust him with a lot of responsibilities,” Knoblauch said during his post-game media availability on Monday. “I think he’s an exceptional puck mover. His strengths are moving the puck, whether it’s on the breakout, finding the wingers to get it to, or getting a shot on net, like tonight on the power play, being able to sift that through the traffic. I think for him to play well, that’s part of his game. Another one is maybe he’s not as big and quick as maybe some other guys but I think he’s a smart player who can read the play and gets to spots to break up what the opposition is doing.”
Gleason Faced Tough Competition in Camp
Admittedly, Gleason was something of a longshot to make the season-opening roster in Edmonton. With Ekholm, Nurse and Kulak firmly established as the team’s top three left-side rearguards, Gleason’s best hope to make the cut was probably as the seventh defenceman.
Edmonton opened training camp two weeks ago with more than a dozen veterans with some NHL experience. Gleason’s top competition among left-side defencemen appeared to be Cam Dineen and Travis Dermott. Dineen was placed on waivers on Sept. 29 and has since been assigned to Bakersfield, but Dermott remains in camp.
The 27-year-old Dermott, who has played 329 games over parts of seven NHL seasons, signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the Oilers on Sept. 10. Given the number of defencemen already set to attend camp, the addition of Dermott perhaps suggests that the Oilers did not feel they had the depth defencemen they were looking for among the existing crop of left-side blueliners, a group that includes Gleason.
Dermott struggled early in the preseason, but has looked good in his last couple of outings. Going into Edmonton’s game in Seattle on Wednesday, he had played four times, picking up one assist and registering a minus-1 rating.
While the first year of Gleason’s deal with the Oilers was a two-way contract, it is a one-way contract this year. Based on how he’s looked in the preseason so far, it’s not totally out of the question that he gets claimed on waivers, which would be a shame for the Oilers. For Gleason, on the other hand, that might be the best thing that can happen if it means he gets a chance to finally play in the NHL again.
