Edmonton Oilers Talk: Check Out these Eerie Similarities between the ’94 Red Wings and This Year’s Oilers

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Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen and the Edmonton Oilers young defencemen

Philip Broberg, William Lagesson and Markus Niemelainen all have been forced to play some fairly significant minutes for three players with minimal pro hockey experience.
Broberg, 20, has likely been the best of the trio.
- He’s appeared in seven games and with him on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers have been doing well.
- They control 53.13 percent of the shot attempts, and 46.12 percent of the expected goal share.
- The Oilers have scored two goals with him on the ice, while giving up eight.
Niemelainen, 23, is the next on the list to talk about. At 6’6, he’s laid 16 hits in just three games played.
- The Oilers defence has been soft to play against and Niemelainen is a player who forces opponents to have their head on a swivel. That’s a good thing.
- Small sample size of just three games, but at 5×5 the Oilers have controlled 48.39 percent of the shot attempts and 51.18 percent of the expected goals.
- Niemelainen has been on the ice for no Oilers goals, but on for two goals against.
Lagesson is an interesting case. At 25-years-old, the Oilers likely know what they have in him — a middle-of-the-road seventh defenceman who can fill in admirably in a pinch.
This year, things have been better but again, we’re looking at a five game sample size.
At 5×5, the Oilers have controlled 54.76 percent of the shot attempts, 66.67 percent of the goals, and 50.44 percent of the expected goals.
…the Oilers still have a number of good players in the system. Beyond the aforementioned trio, guys like Dmitri Samorukov, Michael Kesselring, Philip Kemp, and Filip Berglund will all be knocking on the door soon, too.

BLH’s Thoughts: Tell ya what, Broberg hasn’t been the best of the trio, it’s been Niemelainen. The challenges and rigors of the NHL are starting to hit Broberg hard and his game is falling off a cliff. Edmonton needs Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci to come back quickly to get this train back on the tracks.

Neemo doesn’t move the puck or skate like Broberg, but Phil doesn’t bring the physicality like Niemelainen either. I reckon seeing as the Finn is three years older than the Swede, that plays a factor when it comes to on-ice maturity and decision making.

The Athletic

Oilers may find inspiration from 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings

The 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings were an offensive dynamo who were a little below average defensively. The team was strong at centre, building a young and complete defence and boasting a young goalie who would play a depth role in the team’s championship in 1997.
What did Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch do in 1993 to bring the Cup closer?
- Ilitch had determined removing Bryan Murray from his coaching position was the way forward…
- Ilitch was impatient because the team was exiting the playoffs early each spring, a scenario that haunted Murray when he coached the Washington Capitals in the 1980s.
Who are the current candidates who have the reputations of Bowman and Arbour in 1993? They don’t really exist.
- One former Red Wings player who gets plenty of play when discussions about prospective head coaches in waiting occur is Lane Lambert.
- Another is Jay Woodcroft, coach of the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
Finding another Lidstrom is an impossible dream, but identifying players who can impact the game offensively and defensively while playing big minutes will be key.
- Edmonton needs Broberg or similar to offer support for Nurse, replacing what Oscar Klefbom did before his injury.
- The club also needs Bouchard to continue to develop as a useful player in all game states.
In 1985, Ilitch instructed Devellano to sign the seven biggest college names that year to contracts. It was an unheard-of strategy, but Detroit signed five of seven: Adam Oates, Ray Staszak, Dale Krentz, Chris Cichocki (currently an Oilers pro scout) and Tim Friday.
- Edmonton won’t land that kind of haul in any college free-agent signing season… One player worth tracking is Omaha-Nebraska forward Taylor Ward, son of former NHL player Dixon Ward. His size and skill would make him an attractive target.

Holland is in his third season with the Oilers, and at 66 may be looking at candidates to replace him in a few years.
- The top replacement candidate is assistant GM Keith Gretzky, himself a candidate for the role in 2019 when Holland took the job.
- Bill Scott would be another internal candidate, his role as an assistant general manager and cap specialist increasingly important with each passing year.
- Brad Holland, the general manager’s son, worked for NHL hockey ops and the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Oilers as a pro scout in 2019.
Daryl Katz purchased the Edmonton Oilers on July 2, 2008. Next Canada Day, he will have been the owner of the club for 14 years minus one day.
- Mile Ilitch purchased the Detroit Red Wings on June 22, 1982. His team won its first Stanley Cup under his watch on June 7, 1997. He had been owner for just shy of 15 years.

BLH’s Thoughts: After ten games in the ’93/’94 season, the Detroit Red Wings had a record of 3-7. After twenty games it was 8-10-2… They finished the year 46-30-8 (yup, 84 game season) and then they lost in seven games to the upstart San Jose Sharks who were lead by a couple of Russians named Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov.

The previous season, Detroit had 103pts and even had a 10 game stretch in Nov/Dec where they couldn’t only muster two wins. In the playoffs, the Red Wings were beat out in the first round by Wendel Clark and his Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.

So, if our Oilers are anything like the Red Wings, we should be about ready to see them hit their stride. Also, maybe we shouldn’t get too down in the dumps when the team has a tough stretch as we know, even the best teams go through some rocky weeks.

You know who brings the reputations of Bowman and Arbour? You’re not going to like this, but Joel Quenneville. It wouldn’t shock me if some whispers started to get out regarding when his unofficial suspension is set to end and they begin to get loud enough, maybe we’ll see him reinstated.

Look, the NHL’s lack of morality goes back decades. Winning is winning and a whole lot of old rich white guys will do whatever it takes to get their organization to the top and the fans will go along with it. The NHL sending it’s best to China for the Olympics as a live advertisement to procure future investment opportunities should be proof enough…

For what it’s worth, Scotty Bowman is the greatest coach in NHL history and he didn’t get that title because he was a “nice” guy who did everything by the book and I’m not talking about the rule book…

The Daily Goal Horn

The Rangers are rolling lately with 10 wins in their last 11, so there’s absolutely no urgency to get something done soon. Drury will bide his time, especially when it comes to a middle six winger. Many speculate they are waiting for Vegas’ pending UFA Reilly Smith to be become available… As for a veteran third pair defenseman, I still feel that Mark Giordano is on their radar. However, Larry Brooks is speculating that Montreal’s Joel Edmundson could be a good fit.
With the firing of GM Jim Benning, it’s unlikely that interim GM Stan Smyl is going to make any rash trades. First off, the ownership believes that the talent is there and wants to give it room to show itself under Boudreau.
Unlike the Canucks, the Flyers are aging and looking worse by the game. Mike Yeo made his debut last night as well and Philadelphia continues to be a mess in their own zone as the Avs spanked them 7-5… At some point, moves will need to be made and pending UFA Claude Giroux is going to be a good place to start. Other veterans that will be unrestricted this summer are Keith Yandle, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Braun, and goalie Martin Jones.