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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Edmonton Sun
OILER NOTES: Adam Larsson left Oilers for family reasons
- The Oilers offered Larsson a five-year deal in the high 3s a season, along with a four-year contract for virtually the same $16 million he got in Seattle as a free-agent. But he has said he didn’t leave over money, at all. There were other much more important factors, family ones.
- Larsson’s former hockey player dad Robert Larsson (sixth-round draft of Los Angeles Kings) passed away here in 2018 at 50 years of age, of a cardiac arrest, while he and his wife were visiting his son from their home in Sweden.
- His boy, who talked to his dad all the time about the game, was on the ice when told of his father’s medical distress while he was out for a walk, a few blocks from the rink. That memory will stay forever with a family.
“I think of my dad all the time, every hour, every minute. It’s going to take some time. I’m not going through this alone. My mom, my brother, my sister … So it’s not only my emotions that are important. When something like this happens you have to take care of your family.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Could you imagine going to work everyday and having to walk past the spot where a loved one passed away?
I think Adam Larsson deserves a lot more praise for what he had to go through with the Oilers fanbase and some of the media (local and otherwise) from the day he was brought in for Taylor Hall, to his father’s passing, and then to his departure from the club.
The Iron Swede will forever be one of my favorite Edmonton Oilers not only because of what he brought to the team on the ice, but how he handled playing in that market.
I wish him the best of luck in Seattle!
Edmonton Sun
Stars shine bright as Edmonton Oilers pound Seattle Kraken
- It was like pitting shotguns against nuclear missiles, and the mushroom clouds started early in a 6-0 Edmonton victory inside a fan-filled 13,627 at Rogers Place.
- McDavid was in superstar form all night, finishing with a goal and two assists, and could have easily put up three or four more points. If it’s possible that he’s found another gear himself after a full summer of training, he has.
- Hyman, who will start the season on the top line, found out early how much fun it is to be on McDavid’s wing as he scored an easy tap in late in the first period to make it 3-0…
- Puljujarvi scored the second goal and helped set up the third as he begins what the Oilers hope will be another step in his evolution. He is quickly emerging as a top power forward in the NHL and seems to fit in seamlessly with the best player in the world.
- Darnell Nurse opened the scoring for Edmonton with a seeing-eye shot at 5:50 of the first period and Devin Shore set up Brendan Perlini with a great pass for a sharp angle goal to make it 4-0. Perlini scored the 6-0 goal as well to give him three in two games.
- Mike Smith played the first 30 minutes in goal for Edmonton and turned aside all 18 shots he faced. Mikko Koskinen stopped the next 16.
BLH’s Thoughts: The rosters were a tad lopsided but that was always the plan on Joey Moss night, right?
In an interesting turn of events, Philip Broberg wasn’t manhandled by an forechecking winger last night but Kailer Yamamoto got obliterated on a couple of occasions and he missed a 10-bell sitter in the slot after a behind the net feed from Leon Draisaitl… Looks like that scoring slump wants to stick around.
Was anybody else nervous when Mikko Koskinen took the net in the third? He got absolutely peppered but stood tall and made some real beauty saves. Here’s to hoping he keeps up that form!
Remember back a couple of seasons ago when Ty Rattie lead the league in preseason scoring and then shit the bed in the regular season? Well, don’t get too aroused watching Brendan Perlini fill the net. He’s playing well, but we’ve seen this story before in Edmonton… Keep the expectations at a moderate level.
That said, Tyler Benson has his work cut out for him if he’s to make the club this year.
Cult of Hockey
Player grades: McDavid leads the way as Oilers’ skill, tenacity overpowers Kraken
- #13 Jesse Puljujarvi, 8. All over the ice, and the puck. Had a couple of nice combinations with McDavid early. Took the net front role on Edmonton’s 5-on-3 and it took him all of 9 seconds to convert, tapping home Nuge’s fine pass.
- #16 Tyler Benson, 5. 12 quiet minutes, mostly on a quiet line with McLeod and Sceviour.
- #25 Darnell Nurse, 8. Opened the scoring with an end-to-end rush on the penalty kill, or should I say an end-to-high-slot rush, from where he surprised Chris Driedger with a wrist shot.
- #42 Brendan Perlini, 8. Scored an excellent goal on a “give and stay” play where he drove down the right wing, fed the puck to Shore in the slot, but held his position for the return pass which he rocketed home.
- #86 Philip Broberg, 6. Has been something of a hit magnet, both through the two rookie games and now the two NHL games as well. That came to a head in the third period when he was on the receiving end of a questionable knee from Nathan Bastian.
- #19 Mikko Koskinen, 7. Came in midway through and shut the door the rest of the way, including the best stop of the night at either end when he robbed Morgan Geekie from close range.
BLH’s Thoughts: As I did last time the Oilers played, I’m only posting the CoH’s more notable player grades or players that I think are in a tough battle to win a spot on the roster.
The goal with 3:52 remaining in the first was one of the nicest goals I’ve ever seen. Hyman, Pulju, and McDavid were toying with the Seattle skaters on that entire shift. To their credit, none of the five Kraken are at any level close to the Oilers that were on the ice during that goal.
Speaking of Puljujarvi, he’s almost at full physical maturity and barring injury, the beginning of his reign of terror on NHL defensemen is about to start. He’s freakishly large and for a man of that size, there aren’t many who can skate like that. Nice goal shoveling in that net-front pass from Nuge on Edmonton’s 5v3.
Once again I was impressed with Filip Berglund’s composure and passing ability. He looked like a veteran NHLer for the most part.
I hope Josh Archibald has gotten his vaccination or gets it because Colton Sceviour simply doesn’t bring the same quickness and physicality.
The Oilers are in Winnipeg tonight and I’m expecting a different set of players to be playing in this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if Coach Tippett started sending some players back to junior and to the AHL after this one. I think the plan is to get the roster whittled down to the regular season version for the last three games of the preseason or so.
