It’s the night before Oilers Xmas and I can’t contain myself!!! Tomorrow there are going to be actual NHL hockey games on my TV!!! I can get on my exercise bike and turn on the game and finally start chiseling away at the damage I did to my body during the holidays!!!
But that’s not the only reason to be excited, right? We’re going to get some roster moves! Hopefully. And one I’ve been thinking about was tweeted by the Cult of Hockey’s Kurt Leavins,
Expect to see Evan Bouchard on the active roster to start the season. There are bonus issues w him just being on the Taxi Squad. 50-50 that Khaira gets claimed. If he does, likely a contract is waiting for Devin Shore at a substantial cap savings.#Oilers
— Kurt Leavins (@KurtLeavins) January 11, 2021
Isn’t it weird that we called (kind of) Nygard and Khaira hitting the waiver wire yesterday? #Insiderrr
Anyway, I’m very curious if we’re seeing the end of the Jujhar Khaira era in Edmonton since Shore and Gaetan Haas will be cheaper (and possibly better). JJ has been with the team for quite a while now and was a really big piece of Coach Tippett’s elite PK last season, but maybe that’s the thing. Maybe the club is finally smartening up a bit and figuring out that you can’t have players who are ineffective 5×5 but excel on special teams and everybody needs to be able to contribute in any on-ice scenario. Hence the move away from players like Riley Sheahan.
Oilers Now Predictions
Yesterday, on Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer, Reid Wilkins, Brendan Escott, and Jack Michaels made their season predictions for the North Division, and for shits and giggles, I’m going to hop on that boat as well.
How will the Oilers finish the season?
Stauffer: 32-18-6 (70pts)
Escott: “In the top-two”
Wilkins: 30-20-6 (66pts)
Michaels: 31-19-6 (68pts)
BLH: 56-0-0… Naturally.
Real Answer: 35-16-5 (75pts)
Who’s making the playoffs in the North Division?
Stauffer: Edmonton-Toronto-Montreal-Calgary
Escott: Edmonton-Toronto-Calgary-Montreal
Wilkins: Calgary-Edmonton-Toronto-Vancouver
Michaels: Toronto-Edmonton-Montreal-Calgary
BLH: Edmonton-Montreal-Toronto-Calgary
McDavid/Draisaitl point predictions
Stauffer: McDavid (84pts) Draisaitl (80pts)
Escott: McDavid (85pts) Draisaitl (78pts)
Wilkins: McDavid (80pts) Draisaitl (73pts)
Michaels: McDavid (85pts) Draisaitl (80pts)
BLH: McDavid (90pts) Draisaitl (71pts)
Which player is your wild card for the upcoming season?
Stauffer: Caleb Jones
Escott: Mike Smith
Wilkins: Jesse Puljujarvi
Michaels: Kailer Yamamoto
BLH: Zack Kassian
In Jesse’s Corner
I’ve read and heard a lot of talk about Jesse Puljujarvi’s elevated maturity, both mental and physical, and how the leadership (minus one notable player) is excited to have him back and is hoping he has great success.
One thing that I haven’t heard anybody talk about with regards to Pulju is the number of teammates (or allies (as I like to consider them) he’ll have on the Oilers who were with him down in Bakersfield. Those include Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones, Tyler Benson, Ryan McLeod, Patrick Russell, Kailer Yamamoto, and William Lagesson.
This is noteworthy, in my opinion, because he had very few teammates in his corner when he was previously with the club and those that did take a shine to him were either traded, were equally maligned, or didn’t have any clout in the team.
That won’t be an issue this season.
The skaters I listed above know what Jesse can do on the North American ice surface because they witnessed his domination in the AHL first hand. They know how to play alongside him and most likely some of his on-ice habits and tendencies. That knowledge is going to play a big part in his resurgence with the team.
"I heard that they had to convince him, not beg, but convince him to come back for the bubble. He wasn't fully on board with coming back and firing things back up for the play-in series." – Dustin Nielson on Oscar Klefbom pic.twitter.com/eVHurDiPc1
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) January 12, 2021
Sad News about Oscar. I hope he finds a way back to the NHL. It sounds like he’s had a really tough go for some time now and perhaps the best thing for him is to take a step back, do what’s good for him and his family, and hopefully, in time, reap the benefits of that time off.
One has to wonder, how many Edmonton Oilers felt similar to Klefbom during that RTP play-in round against Chicago and how much that played into the overall performance of the group?…
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