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Oilersnation
Monday Mailbag
How much value do you put into early season results? It seems like teams are up and down throughout October every year while they get themselves going.
- “Games in October are worth the same two points as games in March are, so I put plenty of value in them.” – Brownlee
- “These are the losses that end up mattering most down the line, it seems.” – Baggedmilk
- “If the Oilers are getting smoked then yes we need to be concerned; however, when we get to March and they are comfortably in a playoff spot it won’t matter.” – Horrobin
- “Goalies need to be better and Oilers need to score more 5×5.” – Gregor
BLH’s Thoughts: Has a team every missed out on the playoffs because they lost a game in October? Has a team won the Stanley Cup and they traced the whole campaign down to a coupe of wins around Halloween? Jesus Christ man…
Gregor spouted out some stats and then deflected. So his reply was pretty useless.
Horrobin is the guy who’s the closest here. It sucks when your team gets its ass kicked by another club who shouldn’t even be in the games but there’s no way in Sam’s salty sweet hell that we’re going to look back at these two losses at the end of the season and give them any credit for where the Oilers wind up in the standings.
Now, with that said, if the team goes 4-9-2 to start the year but is solid the rest of the campaign, then we can look back at the first FIFTEEN games of the year as a possible reason as to why they ended up where they did.
The best comment on these two losses by an Oiler was from Zach Hyman and he basically noted that every team loses a couple in a row during the year, so what. Calm the fack down.
Lowetide
RAGE IN THE CAGE
- “I’m flummoxed about the rage in the cage over Dustin Schwartz. He got booed enough to notice on Saturday night during introductions. This despite the fact he had just coached a rookie goalie during a Calder Trophy nominated season.”
- “I’ve said this before, but the Bouchard contract length (two years) tells me we’re counting down like Casey Kasem on a trade that involves Nurse or Bouchard. Summer of 2025 or sooner. Pretty sure.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Good point on the Calder trophy but poor form not knowing why Schwartz was getting booed. Remember when Mike Smith came to town with his own guy… That should’ve been all you needed to know about how netminders outside of Edmonton feel about the Oilers goalie coach. What about last year when there was talk about bringing in Jack Campbell’s old coach from LA and Toronto, Dusty Imoo?
If the PP goes to shit, we’re free to blame the PP coach. If the PK is no better than a dog’s breakfast, we point at the PK coach, right? So why can’t we question the quality of instruction being given to the goalie coach?
I swear, there’s not been a season since probably well before the Chiarelli days that an Oilers campaign hasn’t been marred with the fanbase calling for the head of the goalie coach. I mean, can they just give Sean Burke whatever he wants and let’s be done with all of this? Or better yet, just bring in an all-star goalie! Novel idea, I know… Another groundbreaking notion might be to do something about the construction of the defense…
LT reckons we’re counting down to a Nurse and/or Bouchard trade? That’s about the best news of the day.
Commentary
Some line tweaks today.
Kane – McD-Draisaitl
Foegele RNH Hyman
Holloway McL Brown
Ernie Janmark RyanFoegele elevated for Brown
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 16, 2023
So… Lookie here. Jay Woodcroft is losing the plot TWO games into the season. Edmonton’s PRIZED summer signing has been demoted and Woody’s gone back to the well to reunite Connor and Leon. Sweet Jesus you’ve got to be kidding me. Even if this is just for a look-see, it’s telling and it tells me that one of the NHL’s best coaches, according to Oilersnation, is absolutely panicking with only a pair of games gone in the 23/24 season.
I mean, the next game is against Nashville and Leon always lights them up, but this is ridiculous. Foegele, Holloway, and McLeod were playing well. Why split that group up? I don’t see the point of shaking the lines up so early in the season if not for nothing more that sending a message. It’s amateur and if there is anybody that could add a bit of scoring to the top six, it’s Dylan Holloway! Demote Brown, promote Holloway…
Another interesting bonus is that after eight more games of Connor Brown, the Oilers will be on the hook for $4M next season… I can’t believe he’s yet to show up? He’s completely invisible out there and I think it’s fair to feel like Edmonton is getting ripped off here considering the pump-job the Oilers media gave him all summer.
It’ll be interesting who becomes Edmonton’s scapegoat now that Yamamoto and Puljujarvi are gone.
