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!
The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!
If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!
Give us a follow on the socials!
- Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
- Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
- Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
- Facebook: Beer League Heroes
The Hockey Writers
Oilers Should Be Embarrassed Over Dmitri Samorukov NHL Debut
- Just one game after making his long-awaited debut for the Oilers and in the NHL — a game in which his wife was flown in to watch — Samorukov is already on his way back to Bakersfield of the AHL. Having played a mere 2:28 of game action and he never saw the ice again after a second mistake that led to a goal by the Blues.
- The Oilers likely didn’t expect the defenseman to make the costly mistakes he did. And, yes, they were bad. That said, there wasn’t really a need for Samorukov to be playing in this game… they had Philip Broberg available who already played well in a handful of games.
- At this point, he’s probably going back to the AHL and wondering if he’ll ever get the confidence of the team again. What did Samorukov learn from this experience? Whatever it is, it’s probably not good.
- …the NHL isn’t a developmental league. That said, there’s a difference between benching a player and giving that same player a chance to redeem himself. The Oilers went overboard…
- Had Tippett — or in this case, Jim Playfair, because Tippett said it was Playfair’s decision to shorten the bench — insulated Samorukov and got him out there in softer minutes against more comparable players, the blueliner might have been able to move on from his early gaffes and played a solid eight or nine minutes. Instead, the rest of the Oilers’ blue line got overworked and they too played less effective hockey. It was a rough game for Duncan Keith as well.
- This situation is eerily similar to one that happened with Ethan Bear not all that long ago.
BLH’s Thoughts: Thank you, Jim. These are my exact thoughts as well.
The one thing with Broberg is that I think he wasn’t playing for financial reasons. His contract was worth more than Samorukov’s against the cap.
Now, should Samorukov have been benched in the first place? The first goal would’ve never been an issue had Evan Bouchard not hung his d-partner out to dry with that giveaway at STL’s blue line and the second goal, he got beat by a potential all-star, but maybe Evan Bouchard should’ve attacked Kyrou instead of bailing at the last second and Mike Smith should’ve done a better job protecting his net.
It was the Russian’s first game in the NHL and he got caught out doing what’s natural to him, being an aggressive defender. Obviously his nerves were rough, whose wouldn’t be in that scenario?
Edmonton came back to tie the game and that’s when Samorukov should’ve been given some time to get settled. The game wasn’t one that needed to be won at all costs and Jim Playfair/Dave Tippett overreacted.
What I found interesting is that Tippett threw his assistant coach under the bus after the game and that is very telling. It tells me that there are some fractures that have formed within the coaching staff and if that really is the case, then there will be cracks in the foundation of Tippett’s relationship with the playing personnel as well…
To add to that, when’s the last time the Oilers won a game with Tippett behind the bench? The last two victories came with Glen Gulutzan running the show and I distinctly remember the team playing with a helluva lot more heart and tenacity in that time.
The Athletic
Can the Oilers fix their defence with the current personnel?
- Things are working on special teams, but the even-strength totals are trending in a negative direction. Here’s the team’s goals against per 60 minutes in each discipline so far this season:
| YEAR | EVEN STRENGTH | POWER PLAY | PENALTY KILL | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2019-20
|
2.88
|
1.80
|
5.15
|
3.00
|
|
2020-21
|
2.61
|
0.88
|
6.16
|
2.74
|
|
2021-22
|
3.05
|
0.44
|
5.99
|
3.11
|
- Keith with Ceci at five-on-five this season is losing the goal differential 12-17 in 295 minutes. The second pair is bleeding, and the only veteran replacement option (Tyson Barrie) is not a suitable option due to his offensive-leaning skill set.
- If general manager Ken Holland is looking to replace one of Keith or Ceci on the second pairing, internal options are going to be rookies from the farm, Lagesson or Slater Koekkoek. None of these options are promising.
- The bottom line is this: Edmonton’s defence is currently giving up too much offensively at even strength. This past summer saw a lot of reconstruction on defence, not all of it (Adam Larsson’s exit) planned.
BLH’s Thoughts: LT made an interesting observation that the constant interruptions to Edmonton’s roster has probably made it difficult for anybody to settle in and get comfortable and I think that makes sense.
That said, Keith isn’t going anywhere with Tippett behind the bench. He loves his vets and will play them a shit ton despite glaring mistakes or obvious signs of fatigue.
What’ll end up happening I imagine is Ken Holland will move futures for somebody that is an upgrade on Slater Koekkoek and Kris Russell and with more experience than the Bakersfield bunch. Your Ben Chiarot or Carson Soucy types, right? Plus I think he’ll be looking to add some size because the defense is still lacking a bit of beef, so Chiarot and Soucy fit the bill there too.
NHLRumors.com
- Eric Francis of Sportsnet: ‘bold predictions.’ The Calgary Flames could be looking for a top defenseman ahead of the trade deadline and coach Darryl Sutter wouldn’t mind adding a puck mover or some more offense from the backend.
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet: ‘bold predictions.’ Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher basically implied that he wants to win and not into the idea of a rebuild if that is the road Jeff Gorton decides to go down.
- One Canadiens winger who could be moved is Tyler Toffoli. He has two years left on his deal at $4.25 million per.
- Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The emergence of Pittsburgh Penguins winger Evan Rodrigues may make winger Jason Zucker available. Zucker has a year left at $5.5 million and may not be easy to move… Penguins forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Danton Heinen and Brock McGinn could also be moved.
