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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Cult of Hockey
Player grades: Edmonton Oilers use same old thrilling winning script to beat Vancouver Canucks
- Evander Kane, 7. He led the Oil with eight hits, and one of them was crucial to the outcome. His nasty and unpenalized high stick on Quinn Hughes led to Edmonton’s first goal.
- Connor McDavid, 8. Three goals, one assist, eight major contributions to Grade A shots, and he didn’t really reach top gear this game. He played 23:36, with the Oil down one forward.
- Dylan Holloway, 4. Welcome to the NHL, kid! Rancid own-zone turnover, leading to Elias Pettersson deking goalie Jack Campbell for the game’s first goal. He got bumped down the line-up pronto.
- Zach Hyman, 8. The Oil’s best player on the night. Two assists…
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 7. He played 5:31 on the PK, the most of any forward, and was generally effective.
- Darnell Nurse, 7. He led the Oilers in ice, playing 26:19. Not his best game, but plenty to like in the end…
- Ryan Murray, 7. He kept a clean sheet, not one major mistake on a Grade A shot against at even strength, the only Oilers d-man to do so.
- Jack Campbell, 8. Good game in his debut. Not perfect, a few iffy plays, but lots of big saves.
BLH’s Thoughts: I read Daniel Nugent-Bowman saying that Edmonton’s form in this game was a product of being down a man and I call bullshit on that.
“Uneven games happen. You’d hope not in Game 1. But they happen. This should be a great team, so let’s not go overboard here… No, this is about the Oilers having to begin the season by dressing 17 skaters because of injuries to wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele.” (link)
The Oilers played plenty of 11-7 games down the stretch last year and it didn’t seem to bother them. My feeling is that it’s early days in the season and the refs are just trying to get their feet sorted too. One man wasn’t going to be the difference between Holloway delivering that pizza up the middle for EP40 or Leon Draisaitl coughing up the puck at the other team’s blueline for an odd-man rush against.
Speaking of Hollywood, I’d love to hear more about how Holloway deserves a spot in the top-six over Jesse Puljujarvi after that one and you can’t scream at me “It was just one game!” after getting all hard for him during the preseason. But hey, It’s useless to say ‘I told ya so’ because this is just how fans in Edmonton are. They get mesmerized by a handful of good games against inferior competition and go on to crown a rookie a king.
I’ve noticed Darnell Nurse’s snarl is back. I like it.
Just getting back to Puljujarvi, he was one of the team’s best 5v5 skater on the night. Had the team’s leadership core found a way not to take so many penalties, maybe we could’ve seen more. But Jesse was a wrecking ball whenever he touched the ice. He was extremely disrupting to Vancouver’s d-zone exits, he applied massive pressure to the puck carrier at every moment possible, and he was hitting everything in sight. I am very confident in saying that he had at least double the amount of hits that the NHL recorded him having, which was five.
This is the kind of JP that Ken Holland needs to gain significant leverage when it comes to moving Pulju and we know that’s a given because if Jess has a good season, who will they sacrifice to re-sign him with Evan Bouchard’s contract expiring as well and all the kids bubbling under in Bakersfield.
I’ve got to say, Nuge was very quiet last night. I can’t remember a single notable shift of his and for $5.5M/yr, that’s got to change.
I kept getting Ryan Murray and Tyson Barrie Mixed up because their numbers are pretty close but I read that Murray took six hits (!) last night. That can’t continue with his reputation of not being able to stay healthy. That said, he was better than I expected.
Jack Campbell. First impressions with me are that he was okay. Made a couple good saves, let in a couple of questionable ones, but on the whole was decent and that’s all this team really needs is a guy who won’t give up the weak ones or the late ones.
I’m glad Edmonton’s PK units were in mid-season form but I hope the officiating calms the fuck down going forward here or else these games are going to be bloody boring…
Trade Rumors
Spector’s Hockey
- TSN:Pierre LeBrun believes there’s a “decent chance” the Chicago Blackhawks trade Patrick Kane by the March 3 deadline.
- He suggested the New York Rangers and New York Islanders as “decent possibilities.”
- SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports Jakob Chychrun still hasn’t received clearance to resume practicing with his Arizona Coyotes teammates as he continues to recover from a wrist injury. He wonders if anyone is willing to trade for the 24-year-old defenseman before he’s fully healed.
- Elliotte Friedman said a couple of sources used the word “stalemate” to describe Bo Horvat’s contract extension talks with the Vancouver Canucks.
- THE HOCKEY NEWS/SPORTSNET: Mike Stephens and Luke Fox wondered what’s next for Wayne Simmonds after the Toronto Maple Leafs winger cleared waivers on Monday.
- Stephens and Fox both cited rumors that have Simmonds returning to the Philadelphia Flyers…
- Fox also cited Nick Kypreos claiming the Ottawa Senators could have some interest.
- He (Stephens) cited rumors suggesting the Philadelphia Flyers as a destination for Foligno, who played for Flyers coach John Tortorella when the two were with the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re said to be seeking some veteran leadership.
- Reilly’s skills as a mobile defenseman could make him attractive to a club like his hometown Chicago Blackhawks, who could later flip him at the trade deadline for future assets.
- 32 THOUGHTS PODCAST (stick tap to “NHL Watcher”): Elliotte Friedman still believes the Ottawa Senators intend to add a defenseman. “I believe they’ve talked internally about it, and my expectations is they’re still going to do it.”
BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers are also going to be big game hunting this year but the feeling I get is that they will be more calculated in their approach. I don’t know if there’s an appetite to gut the club’s cupboards in order to bring in a big name unless it’s a massive one and if I had to guess, I think the primary target will be a defenseman like John Klingberg (as we’ve discussed before).
