This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!
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The Cult of Hockey
Oilers ace d-man prospect out for six weeks with broken jaw
- Glad to hear it was not Samorukov’s shoulder again.
- Six weeks takes Samorukov’s comeback time to early November.
- …it’s good to have plenty of NHL-calibre d-men on the 50-man squad, as many as possible d-men who can survive in the Top 4…
- In Bakersfield, Broberg and Berglund have no North American pro experience, but both are seasoned Swedish league d-men now. Lagesson will be a bull in the Bake, a super solid AHLer, while Niemelainen and Kesselring look capable of holding their own.
BLH’s Thoughts: I was actually worried he might’ve been concussed on one of the hits. A broken jaw isn’t good, but it won’t stop him from training during the recovery. Mind you, he might lose a bit of weight if he’s forced to eat soft food or go on a liquid diet.
Bakersfield is stocked to the brim with defenders, so this will relieve some of that pressure down on the farm as TOI for every player signed is concerned. Things will get very interesting when he returns though if the Condors have Lagesson, Broberg, Niemelainen, and Kaldis all in the mix at that time…
Lowetide.ca
MASH AND A WIN
- Yamamoto’s contract is signed and that’s great news for Oilers fans. He’ll slide in on one of the top three lines, with the Draisaitl line the most likely spot.
- Many are down on the young man after the goal-scoring drought in the second half, but I think the lead story there is that all of the other metrics, from assists to five on five goal differential while on ice, to possession, stayed the same.
- His game didn’t fold because pucks we’re going in. Will he need to be more consistent? Of course. Valuable young player at an insane price. What’s not to like?
BLH’s Thoughts: LT, as much as I love his content, is leading us on a bit with this statement about Yamamoto, “… all of the other metrics, from assists to five on five goal differential while on ice, to possession, stayed the same.”.
They. Did. Not. At all… In fact, as you’ll see, the numbers match the eye test…
Kailer Yamamoto saw some DRASTIC drops in many different advanced categories but you would only have noticed that IF you looked at the RELATIVE form of said statistics.
Year CF% FF% SF% GF% xG% SCF% HDGF% 19/20 7.2 6.09 5.95 1.96 6.03 6.25 22.92 20/21 1.58 1.63 1.92 0.01 0.76 1.56 -5.81 Yamo did see improvement in HDCF%rel as it rose from 2.87 to 3.52 and if you get more specific, the “against” metrics also saw improvements. I would assume that’s because whatever was ailing him didn’t prevent him from completing his defensive duties.
From my very amateur scouting position, this year will tell us who the true Kailer Yamamoto is IF he can stay healthy. Last season was shit, the season before he was playing WAY above his ability, and so this year should be the one where he makes his mark in the sand.
Now, the trick is for Killer to take what he learnt defensively last season, continue applying it this year AND return to the form that saw him as nearly a point-per-game player two campaigns ago. If he can do that, the sky’s the limit for him, but if he can’t, he’s not a lost cause either because he’s got that defensive acumen to fall back on.
The Daily Goal Horn
Tarasenko to start season in St. Louis
- “I expect Vladi to play for us. I’m going to treat him like every other player. And yeah, he asked to be traded, and things happen, but again, you know, we want Vladi to play good hockey for us,” Berube said. “He’s going to have a role on the team like he always has, we’ll deal with it internally and we’ll go from there. That’s what it boils down to.” – Craig Berube, Blues Head Coach
Jack Eichel reportedly headed to training camp
- The Sabres will be opening training camp and Jack Eichel will be there. A report from the Associated Press spoke with a person who asked for anonymity that confirmed the 24 year-old center will be there for a pre-camp physical.
- Elliotte Friedman provided an update this week we may be getting an answer on the medical front. “I had heard Wednesday that there was hope that we might have an answer on the medical path by Friday,” he said. “The last I heard, the Sabres have gone back to the position that he doesn’t need surgery.”
Flames low-key offseason
- There was a lot of talk that the Calgary Flames were going to shake things up this summer. Two players many thought were going to be used to make it happen remain. Both Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau are still with the team and it’s possible the latter may be extended.
- “I can’t click my heels and make things happen. You have to have a trade partner,” GM Brad Treliving said via Sportsnet.
