He’s also the one who singlehandedly checks off all the boxes on general manager Ken Holland’s list.
Since his arrival one week ago, Henrique has appeared up and down Edmonton’s middle-six forward grouping, playing both on the wing and centre, while having plenty of special-teams work on his resume.
“It’s incredible to have a player like that. Reliable, smart, contributes offensively,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who slotted Henrique as his third-line centre heading into Wednesday’s game against the visiting Washington Capitals. “Right now, I’d like to use him a little bit more, get him a little more ice time. I think it’s been lower than I would like it to be in the first three games.
“But it’s also difficult finding ice time getting all four lines involved, especially when Leon (Draisaitl) and Connor (McDavid) are on separate lines and playing 20-plus minutes a night. There’s not much ice time for everybody else.”
“So, it’s a balancing act, but I think his role will get a little more involved in the power play, a little more in the penalty kill so there will be some more responsibilities and time on ice,” Knoblauch said. “And just try to find the best linemates for him, too, to help contribute.
“He’s a wonderful addition to our team.”
And one that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his new teammates, even early on.
“Yeah, all of the above,” fellow Oilers forward Zach Hyman said of the checklist. “Definitely deeper, definitely more experienced. A guy who’s been in the league a long time and very versatile, he can play wing, can play centre, play up and down the lineup, play both special teams. So, it’s always great to have a guy like that.
“Just steady, I think. Listen, anytime you’re going from one team to another you’ve got to adjust system-wise and you’ve got to get to know a lot of different people and players, so that’s not easy. But with him, just steady. I think every time he’s been out there you just feel safe, you’re not going to get scored on. Early on, the word is steady and in the playoffs that’s what you want, somebody you can rely on in all situations because the margins are so tight.”
Not bad reviews for someone who was only making his debut in front of the home fans with his first game in an Oilers jersey at Rogers Place happening Wednesday night after the team returned from a four-game road trip out East.
“It’s been good, the guys have been great. We came in yesterday to check out the locker-room and everything to just kind of get used to the day-to-day here,” Henrique said. “But it’s been good so far.”
Even if the 1-1-1 record he started out with after catching up with his new club on the road could probably have been better.
“Obviously, you want to come in and try to win right away,” he said. “I felt good in the games. I think getting thrown in right away is kind of the best way to go about it. Just get in, go play.
“For us as hockey players, to stay on that same schedule on a day-to-day basis and just being on the road with the guys, I think that helped too. Just getting to know the group a little bit, being able to go for lunch or dinner depending where we were. The guys have been very welcoming and kind of helped us through the first few days.”
On the ice, it’s been every bit as much of a whirlwind as Henrique finds his footing.
“That’s always the biggest adjustment, I think, the language different coaches use as well,” he said. “Some of it’s similar, some of it’s a lot different. And the guys did a good job kind of walking us through the systems, and even the guys on the ice too, depending on the lineup, and who I’ve been playing with, guys have done a good job of just talking me through it.
“So far, we’ve been pretty comfortable with everything. Things are not a crazy amount different on the ice, so it’s just a matter of trying to settle in and find some chemistry with some guys and hopefully build off of that.”
