Edmonton Oilers Talk: Should the Oilers Give Benson, McLeod, and Marody a Run in 2021-22?

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Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Can Tyler Benson crack the Oilers lineup?

What does Tyler Benson have to do to crack the Oilers lineup once and for all?

To win that job, he might have to beat out a guy like Devin Shore, so showing that he can be trusted both at even-strength and on the PK will go a long way in him making this team. – Yaremchuk

BLH’s Thoughts: Might have to beat out Devin Shore? I’d say not only does he have to overtake shore but also Brendan Perlini and do we actually think that just because Jay Woodcroft had him on the PK in Bakersfield it means that he’ll get a chance on Edmonton’s? If so, that might be some wildly optimistic forecasting on your part.

As always, the caveat being Benson’s boots. IF he comes to camp and there’s an extra pep in his step, all bets are off and the reason for that is, the rest of his game is NHL ready (for the most part). The only thing holding him back is his quickness and if that doesn’t arrive this summer, maybe a style pivot would do the trick… Edmonton could always use a pest in its bottom six…

Now that Slater Koekkoek is signed, how do you see the depth chart looking on the left side on defence?

I think Koekkoek and Russell will split the time as the 3LHD for the most part, but we’ll have to see what happens. Koekkoek would probably be the better puck mover, but I can also see Tippett wanting to strap the cowboy to Evan Bouchard early on. – baggedmilk

BLH’s Thoughts: Ryan Murray would’ve been the ideal partner for Evan Bouchard, but that ship sailed when he chose Colorado.

Personally, I could see Koekkoek getting an extra look-see with Russell subbing in from time to time when KK gets dinged up. Barring a major injury, it’s doubtful that the young bluechippers in Bakersfield get called up before Christmas.

After Bouchard barely played last season, how worried are you that the lack of playing time affected Evan’s development and may have set him back for this season?

Not worried at all. He’s 21. He’ll start in the third pairing and have a chance to move up alongside Keith if all goes well. – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: Exactly. Bouch might look and sound like he’s 35 but he’s only 21. This is exactly how you develop a young defenseman and if he’s good enough, you’ll see him move up the depth chart very quickly.

Do you think it would be a good idea for the Oilers to at least try the line of McLeod with Benson and Marody?

No. I think it would be a bad idea. What lines would they play ahead of? McLeod is the only member of that trio with a shot to play with the top nine forwards. At best, two of the three make the opening night roster. I don’t see a place for Marody. – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: What?! No! There’s no way that trio should get a shot in Edmonton in the fall. Maybe in pre-season you could fire them out here should there be a split squad game, but aside from that, I don’t think they should be used in a regular season game. Brownlee has it right here.

What is your way too early prediction for how the Pacific Division shakes out?

The Oilers and Golden Knights are the top two teams in my opinion, then the middle tier includes Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, and LA. Those are the teams that I believe will be in the mix for a playoff spot. Anaheim and San Jose likely won’t factor into the playoff picture. The Kings have a chance to surprise a lot of people this season. I really liked what they did this summer. – Yaremchuk

BLH’s Thoughts: I wonder if we start to see the decline of the Golden Knights this year without their no.1 goalie, their enforcer, or a no.1 center. It’s a great team but Edmonton was on their asses last year and I expect the Oilers to surpass Vegas sooner than later.

The no.3 hole is the one that will be interesting. I think Vancouver bounces back and claims that spot. I like the additions of OEL, Garland, and Halak plus they should have Podkolzin in the lineup and he’s an absolute bulldog. Canucks fans are going to dig him.

The Cult of Hockey (McCurdy)

Oilers #18 prospect Maxim Beryozkin took a big step forward in 2020-21… or did he?

…as a 19-year-old, Edmonton Oilers prospect Maxim Beryozkin dressed for no fewer than 45 games in the Kontinental Hockey League this past season.
- In all, the big (6’4, 216 lbs) right-shot winger saw just 181 minutes of game action, a mere 4 minutes per appearance…
Beryozkin’s boxcar stats of 31 GP, 0-2-2, +2 don’t set one’s heart to racing, but given the context of role and ice time, shouldn’t be viewed as alarming either.
He did continue to perform in a part-time role with Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL, Russia’s version of major junior, playing 25 games and 420 minutes (ATOI 16:48). There his scoring plateaued at just over a point-per-game, very similar goals and assists rates as his draft year but in half the number of games.

“As for his NHL chances, to be honest he’s closer to ‘shot in the dark’ territory than he is to a sure thing. That said, he’s scored very very well in the junior MHL the last couple of seasons, and there are some really glowing reports out there on him in terms of skill and physicality. He strikes me as the kind of player that could have the penny drop and break out in a big way quite suddenly.” – Patrick Conway (@ChunkletsHockey)

Expectations for 2021-22: Splitting time with Lokomotiv’s teams in the KHL and VHL (Russia’s top minor pro league), but with considerably more ice time and opportunity in his 20-year-old season.

BLH’s Thoughts: I got nothin here. Russians drafted in the mid-to-late rounds are truly hit and miss. Watching the highlight package below, he reminds of me of Pavel Buchnevich though. I like his speed, size, strength on the puck. He seems to have good hands, a nice shot, and can make a play. What’s not to like? We’ll just have to wait and see, right?

Now, if he’s getting the call to the KHL, that must mean somebody in his organization sees something in him. Next season will be a very important year for Beryozkin in terms of his development. He’ll really need that TOI for his KHL club.

The Daily Goal Horn

Aleksander Barkov, Mika Zibanejad, and Morgan Rielly headline 2022 NHL Free Agency

The two biggest names that would command salaries of $10M or more are centers Aleksander Barkov and Mika Zibanejad. These two stars are coming off of great deals and have the stats to back up monster contracts.
While both are expected to re-sign with their current teams, there are other big names available. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, Claude Giroux, Phil Kessel, Johnny Gaudreau, Filip Forsberg, Ryan Strome, and Tomas Hertl would all fetch hefty deals on the open market.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to find a way to keep Morgan Rielly… Toronto has enjoyed him at a great price coming in at $5M against the cap, expect that number to be $8M or more on his next deal.
Another defenseman that could command a similar salary is John Klingberg in Dallas.
Anaheim’s Josh Manson is another that teams will pay a premium for. The 29 year-old doesn’t put up great offensive numbers but he’s big and plays the game hard.

BLH’s Thoughts: The Oilers kinda blew their cap room this year, so I don’t expect them to delve into this crop of UFAs unless they go after Marc-Andre Fleury…