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
- 6. I watched Josh Brown of Ottawa with interest. He’s a rugged 6-5 220, an ingredient the Oilers lack. But he’s also right-handed. Who on Edmonton’s right side would he play ahead of? Although who wouldn’t have taken his 1-Assist, 3-Hit, 12:57 performance from last night? Brown will be a UFA and the Sen’s aren’t close to being a playoff team.
- 5. Ethan Bear was a healthy scratch for Carolina Saturday. One hand, it does support my opinion that some people over-value what Bear would have meant in Edmonton this season.
- 3. The Oilers are too easy to play against. The active roster as it sits today (especially the bottom 6) isn’t well enough equipped to answer back when their opposition intimidates. We saw it on the road trip against both St. Louis and the Islanders. But they’re also not as physically assertive as you’d want to be against a team like Ottawa… I’m willing to bet the best players on the club know it. The players usually know before anyone else.
- 2. The Oilers 3 rd pairing was absolutely eaten alive Saturday night. The buck does stop with the players… These 2 guys have less than 100 NHL games of experience between them. If it isn’t Jim Playfair’s job to put his guys in a position to succeed…then what is it?Dave Tippett is the man who gives Playfair all the responsibility and latitude with the D, so some of this gets on Tippett, too.
- 1. It remains to be seen whether the current NHL investigation into Evander Kane will even allow him to be an option in Edmonton… The saving grace (if you will) could be that if the NHL nods o.k. and you get it done with Kane and it is strictly a short-term deal. A free agent “rental”, if you will. Because anything past that (until you see more evidence for yourself that this leopard has changed his spots) isn’t just a risk. It’s a bigger, broader gamble with deeper implications.
BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if the Oilers are looking at moving Tyson Barrie out to Seattle for a package including Carson Soucy and then making a play for Josh Brown. That would bring in some significant muscle to their blue line but they’d also be up the river when Evan Bouchard gets hurt or is having on off game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFIXnRXnmOw
I do agree with Leavins that the team doesn’t have enough physical assertiveness or size in their bottom six though.
Kass is who he is and I just think at this point in his career that he’s changed his identity. Also, considering his history with substance abuse, I wonder if he’s even able to play that style anymore because we know a lot of players need to get shot up or take a pill to be able to survive the grind that is the NHL. Now, consider a player who’s paid handsomely to be a banger who lives that lifestyle…
So with that said, we know Kass is an Ontario boy and he’s got a young family, why not see if there’s a fit with the Sens or Maple Leafs and do him and the Oilers a favor before something terrible happens. And for what it’s worth, Stauffer has mentioned Brown’s name in the past.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V26XqYT_uo
Do you get the feeling that the script is changing on Tippett and Playfair in Edmonton amongst the pundits? Stauffer’s not happy with how Barrie’s getting more TOI over Bouchard, Leavins taking shots at Playfair’s handling of the D pairings, Gregor is all over the goaltending debacle…
They’ve all towed the company line regarding a coaching change (Stability! How many coaches is too many?), but when they’ve bared their true feelings, it’s coming out like they want somebody else behind the bench.
So the fanbase has been pushing for this change for a few weeks now and now the pundits close to the team are sinking their teeth in… It might only be a matter of time. My advice would be to keep your ears peeled on Edmonton talk radio for subtle remarks if you want a heads up on what might happen in Edmonton.
Just for me, this feeling around the club is really reminiscent to when McLellan was fired. Things are getting too tense, nobody has the answers, but the media still has questions. It’s a pressure cooker waiting to blow and I don’t know if Ken Holland’s patient demeanor is going to be able to fix it.
https://twitter.com/ryanwhitney6/status/1482698409442226179
Cult of Hockey
Player grades: Edmonton Oilers collapse in miserable loss to Ottawa Senators
- Connor McDavid, 7 . He made major contributions to 10 Grade A shots but didn’t get one point. This wasn’t his night.
- Leon Draisaitl, 8. He also was great on the attack, making major contributions to ten Grade A shots.
- Zach Hyman, 7. One of his better games. His hard work in the first saw him puck protect to set up McLeod, who sent a cross ice dart to Bouchard for a shot off the post.
- Darnell Nurse, 8. He ripped nine shots on net to lead his team. I liked this new partnership with Ceci…
- Duncan Keith, 7. Super solid game. He made a wickedly fine cross ice dart of a pass to set up Yamamoto for a slot shot in the second. Even better he walked the line like Johnny Cash late in the second, then fed it into the slot to Perlini for a goal.
- William Lagesson, 2 . He lost an n-zone battle to allow Ottawa in for its second goal. Big mistake in a big moment. He also failed to take the man on Ottawa’s third goal. If his agent wonders why he’s not in the line-up more often, it is plays such as these two.
- Evan Bouchard, 3. He put a slot shot off the post after moving in deep in the first. He got sucked over a bit to the puck carrier on Ott’s second goal, allowing the pass over to Adam Gaudette. On Ottawa’s fourth goal, he screened Skinner.
- Stuart Skinner, 3. An iffy game. Not good enough…
- Derek Ryan, 4 . Bad mistake on the first PK, allowing a wide open slot shot to goal scorer Josh Norris.
BLH’s Thoughts: So Skinner got a taste of the Koskinen Curse (let in the first goal of the game) AND the Smith Curse (bad play behind the net that leads to a goal)… Man! That is a tough night, but adversity, right?
The best line of the night was the 2nd line of Hyman, McLeod, and Puljujarvi and I’d like to think it wasn’t even close. The fancies agree as they finished the night with a 39.3% xGF%. I mean, they were the best trio by almost every advanced measure. Check it out for yourself here.
So my question is, what the f*ck happened in the third period? I mean, we can’t boil it down to Bouchard and Lagesson having some tough luck and a rookie goalie. There has to be more to it than that, surely! I mean, for Christ’s sake, they dug deep and came back to tie it at 4 without McDavid or Draisaitl scoring!
What in Sam’s sorry Hell is going on with these guys? This is Decade of Darkness BS.
Like I said weeks and weeks ago, for the this team to snap out of it, it’s not going to be because they found their mojo again. The other teams they play are going to have to underestimate the Oilers and have a shit game because I simply don’t trust whatever Dave Tippett has going on in that locker room.
Embrace the suck! Am I right?
https://twitter.com/BeerLeagueHeroe/status/1482770945828073476
NHLRumors.com
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: A look at the top 12 2022 unrestricted NHL free agents.
- 1. Johnny Gaudreau – Has a five-team trade list. Given the Flames’ position in the divisional standings, it doesn’t make sense to trade him.
- 2. Tomas Hertl – Has a three-team trade list. GM Doug Wilson has said he wants to get a contract done.
- 3. Kris Letang – Holds an 18-team trade list.
- 4. Nazem Kadri – A 10-team no-trade list. Both sides appear to be okay with letting this season play out. The Avalanche likely don’t have the cap room to re-sign him.
- 5. Filip Forsberg – Could he get $8 million on the open market?
- 6. John Klingberg – The Stars have already invested in three other defensemen – Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Ryan Suter.
- 7. Patrice Bergeron – Bruins GM Don Sweeney has said they will hold extension talks after the season.
- 8. Evgeni Malkin – Joe Pavelski‘s three-year, $21 million could be a comparable.
- 9. Jack Campbell – There is a mutual interest from both sides, but the Maple Leafs don’t have a lot of cap space.
- 10. Bryan Rust – Underrated player and maybe GM Ron Hextall most important decision.
- 11. Hampus Lindholm – What will the interim GM do at the trade deadline if they are in the playoff race?
- 12. Darcy Kuemper – Avs and Kuemper may let the season play out.
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t expect the Oilers to be in on any of these players. That said, I am kind of holding out a little bit of hope with Jack Campbell. Seeing as he’s already in Canada, there shouldn’t be any COVID-related issues, he’s got a former teammate in Zach Hyman who could help with the sell job, and if TO flops out of the post-season in the first round again, he might be inclined to move on.
It’s a far-fetched bit of optimism, so don’t roast me too badly.
I also wonder about Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, or Rickard Rakell from the Ducks… They’d be foolish to leave right now, but you never know how Anaheim feels about keeping them around too. Edmonton needs a dependable two-way 2nd-pairing defender on the left-side and they could use some muscle on the right-side too… Philip Broberg doesn’t need to be rushed into NHL action either.
I suppose we’ll see what Edmonton’s new coach has to say this summer about any potential additions to the team… It could be a different story between say… Jay Woodcroft’s wishes and Paul Maurice’s… If Dave Manson is up in Edmonton, would that entice his son to come up and join him?
