Edmonton Oilers Talk: Oilers Struggling to Attract Fans to Opening Night?

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Lowetide.ca

PACIFIC HEIGHTS

WAIVERS

RD Ryan Murphy, Detroit. Undersized defender with skill chosen No. 12 in the 2011 draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, he was in the KHL one year ago and then the AHL last season. His NHL career can’t be over at 28, can it?
LW AJ Greer, New Jersey. Greer is a player I’ve followed since his draft, he has a Patrick Maroon type career going so far. Big, strong, you’d call him a power forward if the offense was more dynamic. Greer posted .656 per game last season in the AHL (age 23), Maroon was just shy of a point per game at the same age.
RD Steve Santini, St. Louis. A big shutdown defender who has been spending the last several seasons on the fringes of the NHL. I think a team might take a chance on him, he has played 119 NHL games and is 26.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers have enough internal depth that is better than what Mr. Lowetide is suggesting here with this trio of candidates. All these guys are on their 2nd or 3rd team by now too, no?

Edmonton Sun

JONES: Attendance a question as Oilers set to play in front of fans again

Will the team that sold out 551 consecutive games during the decade of darkness have a single sellout scene to celebrate the occasion?
There’s every reason to believe that this team, coming off a 35-19-2 season in the coronavirus pandemic shortened 56-game schedule, is about to begin a new era of 100-point seasons and significantly expand their collection of banners that hang from the rafters during the decade.
You may be about to watch the greatest power play this league has seen since the Montreal Canadiens inspired the rule change that resulted in the penalized player leaving the sin bin when a power play goal is scored instead of residing there the full two minutes.
Yes there are still questions. This team won one playoff game in the last two no-fans-in-the-stands Stanley Cup tournaments. The goaltending isn’t exactly set for any long stretch of success.
…in the city where the Oilers sold out those 551 consecutive games during the worst of times, as a result of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, you can forget about 41 consecutive sellouts to begin the expected and projected return to the best of times.
18,347 fans will be allowed back in the building. But you have to wonder at how many games they’ll be able to announce 18,347 to deliver the entire scene this ‘Here We Go Oilers, Here We Go’ run of seasons would normally guarantee from the git-go.

“The way back to full arenas in the NHL looks like it will take a while,”

2,000 tickets remain available for the opener and the first Battle of Alberta of the season and more than 3,000 for the Anaheim Ducks visit to follow.

“Much like other NHL markets, Oilers fans that have made the decision to remain on the sidelines at this point have generally fallen into two groups — those that have been impacted financially over the last 18 months and those waiting until later in the season when COVID and fan protocols are less dramatic.”

BLH’s Thoughts: If the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and its parent company OEG want a full house for opening night, they could have one. The questions are, do they really want one and would they be willing to go to the extent to ensure a sellout?

The Daily Goal Horn

There’s finally forward movement on the Jack Eichel trade front. TSN Insider Darren Dreger recently reported that a there’s some hope. “Sources say the Eichel saga may be shifting,” he tweeted.
“Teams that have circled back to Kevyn Adams and Adams has circled back to teams. What has happened in those discussions, I’m told, is that teams are saying we have to have a conditional component to any potential trade,” Pierre LeBrun said on the latest Insider Trading.
“They have talked all off-season long about an extension and have not been able to get one done yet but here is the wrinkle,” LeBrun explained. “I’m told that agent Kurt Overhardt and Ekholm have told general manager David Poile and the Predators that if he is not signed by the start of the season we want to shelve talks. We don’t want to negotiate during the year.”