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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Oilersnation
Oilers Prospect Report: Konovalov starts in Bakersfield and McLeod is back in offensive form
- The Bakersfield Condors lost two out of three games this past week, but there were still plenty of positives to take away from it. Philip Broberg is the biggest one. The former 8th overall pick had two assists in back-to-back games against the Ontario Reign and Stockton Heat.
- Ryan McLeod is starting to show off his offensive abilities, again, after struggling to produce with the Oilers for 12 games. The former second-rounder has points in three straight games…
- Konovalov started in two games last week and came away with a 3.55 GAA and a 0.857SV%. While those numbers do not look good at all, he was unlucky against the Reign.
- Rodrigue did okay in his lone start. He played in the Condors 4-2 loss to Stockton, in which he stopped 20 of 23 shots.
- Matvey Petrov had a fantastic weekend in the OHL. The Oilers 6th rounder grabbed himself a goal and three assists in two games.
- Dmitri Samourkov played for the Condors against Colorado in his first game back from a broken jaw.
BLH’s Thoughts: You’d like to look at Konovalov’s start in Bakersfield and have yellow flags going up but he’s only had a couple of games and his defence is pretty raw. I read that he had some pretty unlucky bounces go past him too, so I think we’re just going to have to revisit his numbers month by month and go from there. I mean, it’s only fair to gut the guy some slack considering the drastic change in ice size and teammate quality. I’m thinking once Samorukov becomes a regular contributor and Holloway gets in the lineup, the Condors all-round play will improve. McLeod’s already there (and producing), Skinner will be back down soon (we hope), and now Marody is on a heater… Ol’ Konny’s gonna start rockin’ and rollin’ by Christmas I reckon.
How about Bourgault? That guy is ruining the “Q” right now. Just disgusting what he’s doing to the scoresheet recently… He’s got 13pts in his last three games FFS!!! If there’s anybody that’s going to replace Yamamoto someday, it’s that guy.
For you draft junkies, there’s a guy out of Finland named Joakim Kemell who’s lighting up the SM-Liiga as a 17yr old, but not like Pulju and Laine did. He’s giving Selanne a run I think with 12 goals in 16 games… He won’t be around when the Oilers are picking unless they luck out on some weird trade, but another Finnish ringer is coming…
Lowetide.ca
- For those of us who have followed the Oilers farm system for a time (over 40 years of hockeydb pages) this recent little run of success (2017-21) represents real progress.
- …when you have so many No. 1 overall picks or close (Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Nuge, Yak, Nurse, Draisaitl) it’s difficult to properly assess and ascend. I believe men like Teemu Hartikainen and Linus Omark had NHL talent, but the Oilers were drafting and then elevating talent like bleep through a goose in those days and suppressed their own talent.
- …I think we’ll see more than two players spend their careers in prominent roles. I’ll guess Puljujarvi, Bear and Marino but Yamamoto and Jones could as well. If five men land as ‘top flight NHL players’ who are comparable to Petry and Klefbom, that’s real progress.
- There’s more room to breathe for these kids now. If you’ve watched all of the Condors games this season, then names like Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen, Filip Berglund, Raphael Lavoe, Phil Kemp and now Dmitri Samorukov are all playing substantial roles. The farm system will produce plenty of talent in the coming years. Add some of those names to Bouchard and McLeod, and we may be looking at another golden era of Oilers rookies who spent at least some time in the minors.
BLH’s Thoughts: Personally, I’d like to see the Oilers grab one more draft class to bolster the cupboards, but we’ll soon be at that point in the team’s development where prospects will be sacrificed for immediate help. I mean, one might argue that started this past summer when Ken Holland moved Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear. Either way, as it stands, LT is correct in his assessment here. The Oilers have some NHLers on their way and no longer does the team feel the necessity to play teenagers in roles that are above the heads. Good times are here but also, good times will be here for a little while now.
Pro Hockey Rumors
Would Vegas really trade Theodore (as is being rumored since the Whitecloud and Hutton signings)? What else would they need to add to nab Eichel?
- As for Shea Theodore’s inclusion in a Jack Eichel trade, I think they would do that. First, I think the expectation of what Eichel will get in a return has swung far too much the other way; the Sabres aren’t moving him for pennies on the dollar. The pressure point is next offseason when his trade protection comes in, not now. If he sits the season, I don’t think they’re all that concerned; it’s not as if they’re actively trying to make the playoffs anyway.
Does Tarasenko still get traded? Does he push it or settles in with the Blues?
- I’ve never really thought Tarasenko was getting traded in the first place… If you have a player producing at a top-line level, you keep him. Winning and success can get rid of a lot of bad blood. Will that be the case here? I don’t know but considering that it’s often easier to try to swap big contracts in the offseason, that might be the time for something to happen on the trade front but not now.
So, do the Yotes claim Cory Schneider now that Hutton is hurt?
- Obviously, the answer to the specific question is no. Schneider cleared waivers and was sent to AHL Bridgeport… I do think the Coyotes need to add a goalie. I get the idea of having a bad goalie to ensure being in the mix for the top spot in the draft lottery but you can get someone that’s better than Carter Hutton and still accomplish that objective.
