Edmonton Oilers Talk: “The biggest question mark going into 2021-22 won’t be the goaltending…”

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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The Cult of Hockey (McCurdy)

After fine season in KHL, Dmitri Samorukov is knock knock knockin’ on Oilers door

In 2020-21 with the pandemic in full bloom, Samorukov returned to his native Russia for the first time in five seasons, joining the storied CSKA Moskva club with which he had apprenticed as a youth. Given plenty of opportunity in the Kontinental Hockey League, the best circuit in Europe, he thrived in a defence-first role.
- …he was an outscoring machine with a terrific +24 before his season got cut short by a shoulder injury.
- he played under the tutelage of veteran head coach (and long time national team assistant) Igor Nikitin, known as the “Tzar of Defence”.
Perhaps notable that despite playing with a new partner Dahlbeck led all KHL d-men with +9 (+15/-6 = 71% goal share) in the post-season, even as CSKA lost out in a tense final with Avangard Omsk.
Considering his trajectory of up, up, up in recent years, there’s every reason to expect he’ll make a strong bid for a job with the Oilers in the season to come.
Expectations for 2021-22: Expect Samorukov to earn a major role in Bakersfield to start the season and a spot at the top of the recall list when the need arises. Or when he proves he’s ready for a new challenge and represents a better alternative to the depth defenders on the big club.

BLH’s Thoughts: It takes quite a few years to develop a really good defensive defenseman and with Dima, it looks like he’s working out some of that chaos that was in his game when he was drafted. He seems to be more patient and building his “Steady Eddie” persona.

I think going back to Russia for the 2020-21 season, getting hitched, and playing at home in that first year of married life was a blessing. I feel like things for him might’ve been less complicated than if he’d tied the knot and then came back to North America immediately.

Now, in 2021-22, he’s going to have a new challenge as it’s time to move back to North America with his beautiful bride in tow, and he’ll be counted on in Bakersfield to anchor the Condors’ defense.

To date, his career trendline has been going up consistently, the question is, will that continue? I’d like to think so, but aside from the elite, there are usually a few bumps in the road for young defensemen. We’ll see though, I think Samorukov is a special player.

Copper N Blue (Chapman)

Just About 97 And A Half

The Oilers’ over/under has opened at 97.5 points over at BetOnline.
Whether you like the Oilers to cruise past that number or not at all, there are a few variables to consider after a wild offseason for Ken Holland’s Oilers.
- If Smith can hold the fort down somewhere near his impressive 2021 numbers, and if Mikko Koksinen can bring his numbers up to at least league average, good things will come. If they don’t? Holland will be working the phones.
- The biggest question mark going into 2021-22 won’t be the goaltending, it’s going to be Ken Holland’s defence. There’s a lot riding on a likely pair of Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie, while new acqusitions Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci will be asked to shore up the back end along with Oiler first rounder Evan Bouchard and a mix of Slater Koekkoek, Kris Russell and William Lagesson.
- There’s a lot of moves that will make the forward lines better on paper, how much of it will translate to the win column?
If they can avoid pitfalls in goaltending and on defence, they ought to be on their way to exceeding 97.5. If the Oilers stumble out of the gate for whatever reason, it could be a climb.

BLH’s Thoughts: It’s interesting that Chapman sees the defense as the club’s big uncertainty. I mean, sure, but shouldn’t the goaltending be what everybody is worried about?

The way I see it is if the forwards are better defensively, that’ll take some of the pressure off of the defensemen and if they don’t have to spend so much time in their own end, the goalies are the last line of concern. If the rest of the skaters are holding up their end of the deal but things are falling apart in net, that’s a big problem because it puts Holland in a helluva spot with regards to a trade… He wouldn’t exactly be ahead of the 8-ball, if you know what I mean.

I don’t know if the Pacific Division is going to be as cut and dry as some are expecting. Vegas lost Fleury and Reaves and those two guys were HUGE to that team. Vancouver added OEL and Garland, but I suppose what happens with Hughes and Pettersson will dictate where they go. I like the additions LA made to go along with their elite young talent coming up and even though Calgary might not make the playoffs, they’re going to be a pain in the ass to play against.

What I’m getting at, is it shouldn’t surprise anybody if Edmonton is a top-8 team in the league this year. Meaning, they get well over 100pts in the standings. Conversely, if they just squeek into the post-season, that shouldn’t be a surprise either given the question marks we’ve just discussed.

Either way, buckle up!

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: Kevin Kurz suggests it might be wise for Tomas Hertl and the San Jose Sharks to wait a little while before engaging in contract discussions. The 27-year-old winger is entering the final season of a four-year, $22.5 million contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agent status next summer.
- Kurz indicates Multiple sources say he’s among the Sharks players unhappy over how the club handled Evander Kane’s poor conduct last season.
TVA SPORTS: Louis Jean doubts the Montreal Canadiens will match the one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet Jesperi Kotkaniemi signed on Saturday with the Carolina Hurricanes. He believes the Canadiens already have a strategy and a really good idea of what they intend to do but will keep the Hurricanes waiting until the last minute.
NBC SPORTS: James O’Brien examined the Canadiens’ options. Among them is using that compensatory package to acquire a replacement for Kotkaniemi via the trade market.