Hey guys! I’m back from a one week hiatus (I had a Basketball Coaching Clinic last Sunday).
During that one week break….the Oilers didn’t lose a game! They also didn’t win a game. Or lost in Overtime. Or the shootout.
There were no Edmonton Oilers games this past week. A weird blip on the schedule as the All Star Festivities are taking place in Nashville this weekend.
The most notable Edmonton Oiler event was the Skills Competition which took place last Sunday.
Which, if you’re like me, who missed out completely, here is the Skills Competition in it’s entirety.
Edmonton Oilers Three Stars
There are none. Nobody gets a gold star due to lack of participation.
Seriously though, kinda hard to give three stars when there are no games.
IF I had to give one, I’ll go with Taylor Hall since he is representing the Edmonton Oilers today in the NHL All Star Game. Surprisingly, it is his first NHL All Star game. A bit shocking, but considering his injury woes and his career best year of 2013-14 had the olympics, it’s reasonable.
Edmonton Oilers News and Rumors
There’s some rumblings out there concerning the Oilers.
First off, last week the Edmonton Oilers claimed Adam Clendening off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. Clendening is now officially on his fifth NHL team since last season (7th professional team if you count the AHL)
What does he bring? Clendening is a Right handed shot, offensive defenseman who is on his last year of his Entry Level Contract. His downside is that he is a bit slower and struggles defensively.
Personally, this guy is the Justin Schultz replacement. He brings the same skill set as Schultz and is 3.2 million dollars cheaper in terms of cap.
Another rumour out there: Hamonic to Edmonton from Elliotte Friedman. Friedman was on Oilers Now saying to host Bob Stauffer that he believes the Oilers are working hard to get the deal done, with Jordan Eberle being the most likely candidate. He also mentioned Justin Schultz being on his way out, possibly to Buffalo.
Now it’s important to note that Friedman would tell Staples, the author of the link, that it was more of him speculating. I wrote at Oilonwhyte a few months ago that Eberle would be the most likely piece to be moved, depending on the fit. With it sounding that the Islanders are having trouble working on an extension with Kyle Okposo, maybe a fit is there?
Around the League
John Scott has an awesome Players Tribune Article.
Sticking with the Players tribune, Taylor Hall was part of the “What the Blank” series.
Commissioner Gary Bettman signed an extension to remain Commissioner thru 2022.
Highlights
It’s an NHL All Star Clip Show!
Weber nearly breaks Chara’s hardest shot record, recording a 108.1 MPH Shot
John Tavares showed why he’s one of the best snipers in the NHL
Subban won the Breakaway Challenge because he was Jaromir Jagr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmDBwmoAxvQ
Here’s a throwback: Gordie Howe’s final NHL All Star Game at Joe Lewis Arena, which was also Gretzky’s first NHL All Star Game
The week Ahead:
Connor McDavid’s Return on February Second against the Columbus Blue Jackets! (Or at least, it looks like it)
On Thursday, the Oilers visit my second favorite team, the Ottawa Senators.
Finally, on Saturday, on Hockey Day in Canada, The Oilers visit the Montreal Canadiens at noon.
That’s all for the week that was. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. Have a wonderful week Oil country!
