Well, here we are for round four of the Battle of Alberta. The Flames have already taken the season series with their win just a few days ago, but the Oilers have a lot to play for and could really throw a wrench into Calgary’s playoff plans.
Speaking of playoff plans, are the Arizona Coyotes going to fall out of the race? Their goalies can’t seem to stay healthy and the status of their best defender is up in the air… Might they turn around and flip Taylor Hall if things continue to go poorly for them?
Getting back to the Oilers/Flames game tonight, I reckon there’s still some score-settling to be done. Leon took that massive slash from Tkachuk in OT and the McDavid/Giordano “hockey play” most likely will be re-visited. I’m not sure if Monahan will want to have a talk with Archibald as well. Then there’s the Rittich “Stick Flip” celly to boot and the full-on swing he took at Alex Chiasson that went unpunished as the ref stood right there to make sure Chiasson didn’t retaliate…
The rivalry couldn’t be hotter right now.
A Trade the Oilers Mustn’t Make
A bit of chatter recently about the defense of the Oilers and who should be sacrificed in order to usher in the Evan Bouchard era. Not surprisingly Kris Russell and Adam Larsson are at the forefront of those talks but Matt Benning is someone that has come up as well.
It’s obvious why Kris Russell’s name is in there. He’s getting passed by Caleb Jones on the depth chart, his TOI is decreasing, and his $4M per year is simply too much to pay a depth defender. That said, the word around Edmonton is that his contract might be problematic with regards to trading him.
Do the Oilers want to pay $2M or more for a 6/7 defender next season? That’s where they are sitting with Mr. Benning. As good as he has been, they have a decision to make because ideally, Evan Bouchard should be on the 3rd pair across from Caleb Jones next year.
Now, I would trade Matthew Benning before I’d even consider moving Adam Larsson. The Iron Swede provides Edmonton with something no other player in their organization can provide. A tough-as-nails right-shot shutdown defender who’ll do anything to stop the opposition from scoring. Of course, when you’re this type of defender there tends to be a lack of offense and for me, I’m 100% okay with that. He’s so important to the Oilers’ PK and also the play of Oscar Klefbom.
The worst trade Ken Holland could make would be to trade Adam Larsson before the 2020 NHL entry draft. As we witnessed against the Blues last night, when playing heavy teams, you need to have an element of that toughness in your own lineup to counteract what the opponents are throwing at you. It can’t all be rookie defenders who are undersized but pass well. The post-season is a different beast where defenders like Larsson thrive and the moment Edmonton does trade him, they’re back looking for that same player… Again!
I’d argue that Edmonton should keep Benning and Russell for the time being as well for the depth on defense going into the playoffs instead of trading for it like most teams do. But if there’s an option to upgrade, you have to do what you have to do. Coach Tippett likes lefty/righty d-pairings mind you.
It’s Time to Re-Sign
I talked to my main source last night to see if there was anything going on with regards to the trade market and I was told the Oilers are always talking but that they are working very hard to get Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald signed to new contracts. No numbers as of now but I think something will emerge sooner than later.
These two have come into Edmonton and done a bloody good job in their roles. Even when Archibald’s has changed as he was moved to the top line with McDavid, he was still as effective. They’ve been a MASSIVE part of the team’s revamped penalty kill. I’d like to see these players re-upped for another two to four years, you? Let me know in the comments below!
Three Players to Watch For the Flames
- #58 Oliver Kylington – This guy was a treat to watch in the last edition of the BoA. His skating is both smooth and powerful. And to think, he was on the trade block this year. I think Calgary would be nuts to move this guy with how young he is and how well he moves the puck.
- #13 Johnny Gaudreau – He’s been an absolute non-factor for Calgary against Edmonton in the last couple of BoA games. It really hasn’t been his year, I wonder if he wakes up for round 4?
- #88 Andrew Mangiapane – This little guy broke out of his slump with a brace (two goals) in the last match-up between these two teams. He’s quite the goal-scoring predator and the Oilers will need to be aware of him and stay within a stick’s length so he doesn’t… burn them again. Thank you! I’ll be here all week!
#Flames tonight vs. Edmonton:
Mangiapane-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Gaudreau-Monahan-Robinson
Lucic-Ryan-Dube
Bennett-Backlund-RiederGiordano-Brodie
Hanifin-Hamonic
Kylington-AnderssonRittich
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) February 1, 2020
Three Players to Watch For the Oilers
- #97 Connor McDavid – That attempted trip from Mark Knee-ordano will most definitely still be at the forefront of Connor’s memory and I expect him to exact revenge in the form of goals. Many many goals.
- #6 Adam Larsson – Arguably played his best game of the year last night. I’ll be looking to him to provide some more of that Swedish muscle against Calgary tonight. I can’t believe people are considering trading him… SMH.
- #56 Kailer Yamamoto – This guy just keeps producing. Did you see that pass he laid out for Leon for the game-winning goal last night? He’s in Edmonton to stay folks! Time to grab a jersey me thinks!
Edmonton’s lines aren’t quite up yet and I can’t even speculate as to what they’re going to look like since Tyler Benson and William Lagesson didn’t play last night. I’ve asked around with various sources close to the team and nadda. I think James Neal will still be out with a foot injury and it’s probably safe to say that Mike Smith will get the call in net since Mikko Koskinen played the previous evening against St. Louis.
I think what I’ll do is give you MY projected lines and we’ll go with that if you don’t mind.
Archibald-McDavid-Kassian
Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Benson-Sheahan-Russell
Gagner-Haas-Chiasson
Klefbom-Larsson
Nurse-Bear
Jones-Benning
Smith
Koskinen
The Next Ten Games (51-60)
- vs. St. Louis Blues (31-12-8) – I’m not 100% sold that the Oilers will be focused on this game seeing as they play Calgary the next night. They have played well against the league’s best this season at times though. Can McDavid and Draisaitl beat the Blues in this one like they did at the All-Star game? (WIN) WIN
- @ Calgary Flames (27-19-6) – If you thought last night’s game was fun with all the fights and cheap shots, this game is going to be bonkers. It always seems to be in Calgary. Losing three times to the Flames and that post-game celly by Rittich will be eating away at the Oilers. They’ll be doing their damnedest to bring home the two points. (WIN)
- @ Arizona Coyotes (26-21-5) – The Oilers put up a touchdown on the Coyotes right before their bye-week and I don’t imagine that sat well with Taylor Hall and co. That said, they’re on a bit of a slump in their last ten (4-5-1) and Edmonton is flying high as of today (6-2-2). On the other hand, just when the opportunity presents itself to the Oilers they usually take the night off. (LOSS)
- vs. San Jose Sharks (22-26-4) – Man, this Sharks team is bad. With Vlasic, Karlsson, and Burns on the back-end no less… Can you believe the Golden Knights fired Gerard Gallant to hire San Jose’s old coach? I think this will be a scheduled win for McDavid’s boys. Watch out for shenanigans from Evander Kane and Timo Meier. (WIN)
- vs. Nashville Predators (23-19-7) – Since the Preds hired NJ’s old coach, they haven’t been scoring much and that’s not a good sign when you go into Edmonton. Couple that with Pekka Rinne’s game falling right off of a cliff and the Oilers should be able to walk away with two points. (WIN)
- vs. Chicago Blackhawks (24-21-6) – The Hawks are coming on as of late and I think they could pull this one off in Edmonton. Maybe Drake Caggiula does the ex-Oiler thing and scores. (LOSS)
- @ Tampa Bay Lightning (30-15-5) – This will be a fine test for the Oilers. Tampa has found their stride at the right time and are looking very dominant. Might we see another ex-Oiler in Pat Maroon score or drop the flippers? I expect McDavid to be flying in this one. (LOSS)
- @ Florida Panthers (28-16-5) – This match-up is going to be a fun one. The Panthers have some really fun players to watch like Huberdeau, Barkov, and the very underrated Vincent Trochek. Which Sergei Bobrovsky might we see if he gets the call though? (WIN)
- @ Carolina Hurricanes (29-18-3) – It’s hard not to like what they’ve build in Carolina. Andrei Svechnikov is already a scoring phenom at 19-years-old and it’s hard to overlook the wonder Finns (Aho/Teravainen), right? How will this team be sans Dougie Hamilton though? Can the Oilers sweep back-to-backs again? (WIN)
- vs. Boston Bruins (29-10-12) – Edmonton goes from one team who doesn’t lose in OT to a team that seemingly only loses in OT. The Oilers gave the Bs a pretty sound beating last time they played and we’re close to the trade deadline here so I’m not sure what the rosters will look like. I like Boston for this one though. (LOSS)
(Standings as of January 20th, 2020)
