A Fanbase’s Unrealistic Expectations, Which Oilers Prospects Will be at the WJHCs, and More NHL Rumors!

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Lowetide.ca

Much of the verbal you’ll read today from Oilers observers is about what the Oilers aren’t doing well, and that’s fine. However, the goal differential for the five regular defensemen is either 50 percent or above, the team save percentage (.914) is No. 14 across the league and the special teams are absolute fire.
One of the problems with the Oilers having an analytics-driven fanbase is that the expectation is perfection.
So. Are the Oilers good? Yes. Are they competitive in the Pacific Division? Yes. Is the Pacific Division better than expected?… Are the Oilers flawed? Of course. Is this team successful?
Arguing for the sake of arguing. It’s a thing.

BLH’s Thoughts: What?! Oilers fans “arguing”? Analytics ultras vs. Eye-test mob? That’s not the fanbase I know… I mean, expecting Connor McDavid’s “against” metrics to be as good as his “for” stats? That’s completely reasonable.

The Hockey Writers

4 Oilers Who Could Play at World Juniors

Luca Munzenberger: At World Juniors 2021, Munzenberger helped Team Germany finish third in Pool A to qualify for the quarterfinals, where they were defeated 2-1 by Russia.
Xavier Bourgault: The Shawinigan Cataractes forward is tied for the QMJHL lead in both goals (15) and points (30), in 16 games. The 19-year-old also had a league-best eight power-play goals, and was tied for first with four game-winning goals.
Matvey Petrov: …his explosive Ontario Hockey League (OHL) debut with the North Bay Battalion has surely put the winger into serious contention for Team Russia. The 18-year-old has played 16 games, racking up 12 goals (third in the OHL), 21 points (10^th in the OHL) and 62 shots (fifth in the OHL).
Tyler Tullio: He leads the OHL with 19 assists, and also has five goals, giving the 19-year-old 24 points in 15 games, to sit in a tie for third in the league.

BLH’s Thoughts: My feeling is that Munzenberger is probably the only lock for his country’s national junior team. As good as Bourgault and Tullio are playing, Team Canada is bloody deep and they tend to take skaters with World Junior experience, older players, and potential first overall picks like Shane Wright or Connor Bedard, for example.

Now, there is one scenario where one or both of Bourgault and Tullio could make the team and that’s the one where the NHL teams refuse to release their WJHC-eligible players for the tournament.

Cole Perfetti (WPG), Quinton Byfield (LA), Seth Jarvis (CAR), Cole Sillinger (CBJ), Mason McTavish (ANA), Hendrix Lapierre (WAS), and Tyson Foerster (PHI) are all playing in the NHL or the AHL.

Reckon all of those players will be released? I don’t and maybe, just maybe Bourgault and Tullio’s chances are a lot higher than I expect.

The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Free Agents likely to be available

John Klingberg (D): Klingberg, 29, scored 36 points in 53 games last year for Dallas, and is headed towards UFA status.

Phil Kessel (F): Kessel, 34, can still produce and has asked to be traded out of Arizona.

Ryan Strome (F): The 28 year-old is still in his prime and has 8 points in 11 games this year. Cap issues will make it difficult for NY to re-sign him.

Marc-Andre Fleury (G): The reigning Vezina winner is probably wishing he choose retirement before agreeing to play for the Blackhawks. That may be the case after this season for the 37 year-old netminder. But if Vegas or Pittsburgh are interested in a 1 year deal, I’d think he’d stick around.

Possible NHL Free Agents

Johnny Gaudreau (F): Gaudreau, 28, earns $6.75 million against the cap and is in the final year of his contract… but with 15 points in 15 games, his demands are likely climbing.

Evgeni Malkin (F): The 35 year-old has yet to play this season. Will Malkin eventually take his career 1104 points to another city?

Kris Letang (D): It appears with 9 points in 10 games, the Penguins may want to extend him.

Claude Giroux (F): He has 12 points in 13 games this season and I find it hard to see him anywhere else.

Tomas Hertl (F): With 10 points in 14 games, the Sharks have said they’d like to keep him but we’ll see come the trade deadline where they are.

Filip Forsberg (F): This season, he has 7 points in 9 games and is currently week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The Preds already have big contracts on the books and Forsberg could be a casualty.