The Edmonton Oilers had that game in the bag, but just as they had the two points virtually locked up versus Philadelphia and Montreal, the wheels completely fell off. Again. The difference being they didn’t even walk away with one point last night.
It really is a bloody miracle that the Oilers are so close to the 2nd wildcard spot AND the bottom of the Western Conference. That can’t be making interim-GM Keith Gretzky’s job any easier.
CAM TALBOT DEMANDS TRADE
I was watching the game and messaging with one of my sources last night and before the game was out, I got this message,
Talbot is done. He just requested a trade. Heard it happened about 10 mins ago. Went up to Keith. He wants out.
Not that this message coincides with the tweet below from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug but it certainly points to a VERY frustrated goalie. A netminder who at the beginning before he was acquired by the Oilers said he didn’t even want to go to Edmonton…
It appears Cam Talbot did not return to the bench after getting pulled in the third period. That's a long stretch, and pretty unusual. 14:09 on the clock
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) February 6, 2019
It’s just the repeat story of another goaltender who’s come to Edmonton with arrows trending up only to watch his stock plummet after two or three seasons with the team. To an extent, we could say Talbot has joined the likes of Devan Dubnyk and Laurent Brossoit. But it’s hard when you’ve got one of THE most mentally fragile teams in the league in front of you not doing you any favors.
Last night, Talbot was playing fine until the 3rd period. Then it all fell apart. I think some blame can be laid at his feet (the Kane goal), but for the most part, the defensive breakdowns from the players in front of him (Darnell Nurse for at least two goals last night) are the cause of this apparent trade demand.
I’ve liked Cam Talbot since he joined the Oilers. He and his wife Kelly have been good citizens in Edmonton this whole time and as a person, I don’t think I could find a fault in him, but there are some things about his game that have driven me nuts throughout his tenure with the team,
- All the times the first shot of the game went in?
- How many times he got/gets beat glove hand hight…
How in the world does a professional goalie not fix these aspects of his game from one season to the next?
It was said when he was hired that Hitch is hard on his goalies and there were questions as to how long Talbot/Koskinen would be able to put up with it. One of my sources said this about it,
Hitch and Talbot dont get along.
Dallas got sick of him. That’s why this year he was an advisor by title. In reality? They told him to get the fuck out and go home.
Later in the evening after things had cooled down I was texting with a friend of the blog and we were wondering if Hitchcock’s “act” had already worn thin with the players?
Word around the organization is that he won’t be brought back. This experiment isn’t working and the team needs coaches who can get their message across more effectively with this new generation of players.
Even Bob Stauffer is circling around the subject recently on his show. Yesterday, he said if he were Hitchcock he’d try to bring as much positivity to the team as possible right now.
I’m of the belief that they’ll aggressively pursue Connor McDavid’s old coach from Erie, Kris Knoblauch, this off-season to replace Hitch. How many coaches will that be in the last 10 years for the Oilers? We know it’ll be Connor’s 3rd in 5 years when it does happen. Not good…
Follow-up question: has an interim coach ever been fired before the end of the season in which he was hired as a mid-year replacement?
Asking for no specific reason. https://t.co/tbdWK0RlTB
— T-Hup (@thupka1982) February 6, 2019
Hitchcock himself even sounds heartbroken these days during his post-gamers. Last night’s didn’t even hit a minute long. He got a question about his thoughts on the game and then the blown goalie interference call, then it got shut down. Even a man as experienced as himself doesn’t have the answers to what ails this team and now it seems like the roster is in full revolt.
It really is an absolute mess right now and I don’t think anybody knows what direction to go in.
So what IS the ingredient that causes a younger team like the #Oilers to fold like this, and blow leads 3 games in a row now? Something besides the obvious roster deficiencies is at work here.
— Kurt Leavins (@KurtLeavins) February 6, 2019
