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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Lowetide.ca
- I think Broberg is moving his timeline up for recall.
- Broberg’s speed is a major positive, and he can move the puck effectively.
- Coverage and decisions are going to be uneven on arrival (rookie defensemen will break your heart) but the current combination of Russell and Koekkoek for third pair LH side isn’t going to make it to the playoffs.
- Markus Niemelainen and Dmitri Samorukov are more experienced and a better style match, so should be a more likely early recall. Tippett can get impatient in a hurry with his defensemen, so we could see a recall.
- As for trading one of these men for immediate forward help, it’s so early in the season and dealing (say) Samorukov could be extremely short sighted.
BLH’s Thoughts: Do the Oilers need another puck mover or in Broberg’s case, a puck transporter as opposed to more physical defensive-minded prospects like Samorukov or Niemelainen? They’ve all got size, can handle the puck, can skate, albeit not to Broberg’s level, but still at an NHL level.
I mean, this team has to slot players into the roster in appropriate roles. Most likely Samorukov and Niemelainen aren’t going to play on the 2nd pairing if they make it to the NHL as regulars whereas Broberg’s floor is the 2nd pairing with top-pairing potential.
In my mind, the Swede’s North American roadmap should be AHL top-pair (1-2yrs) -> NHL 3rd pair w/ PK time (2yrs) -> NHL 2nd pair w/ PP+PK time (2yrs) -> NHL 1st pair w/PK+PP time (duration of career) and this is something that can take between five and eight years.
We’re in year one of my hypothetical plan and Philip is still only 20yrs old. He won’t be 21 until the off-season…
The Oilers should really be slow-playing his progression to maximize the chances that he’ll reach his ceiling and it’s really time for Samorukov and Niemelainen to get a shot as there’s a high chance they’ll skip town if they feel the Oilers have no intention of promoting them and their skillset is in demand in Edmonton.
Oil on Whyte
3 Players the Oilers Need to Be Better Moving Forward
- When the Oilers signed Derek Ryan, the expectation was that he would center their third line and provide secondary scoring… was able to score his first as an Oiler against his former team in the Calgary Flames in just the second game of the season.
- Unfortunately, Ryan has been held off the scoresheet ever since, and has been demoted to the fourth line in favour of recent call up Ryan McLeod.
- Tyson Barrie’s two goals and eight points in 14 games don’t seem to suggest that he is struggling, but there is no denying he hasn’t provided the same offence he did last season.
- It is worth noting that Barrie started slow out of the gates last season and seemed to improve as the year went on.
- Through their 14 games this season they are converting on a ridiculous 41.9 per cent of their chances. With that success rate, one would expect that Barrie would be playing a more significant role in that, but to this point that hasn’t been the case.
- After a down 2020-21 season, fans were hopeful for a bounce back season from Kailer Yamamoto… his four points in just 14 games is extremely disappointing for a player who is skating on a line with Leon Draisaitl.
BLH’s Thoughts: Ryan McLeod will be the key to getting the best out of Derek Ryan and what I mean by that is if McLeod is playing to his potential, it allows Dave Tippett to deploy Ryan as the team’s 4C, a more suitable role for the soon-to-be 35yr old.
With Barrie, I think we’re stuck with his peaks and valleys, but at the end of the day, you’re going to get about 50pts per year from him in an 82-game season, right? This is who he is and there’s no sense in wasting one’s breath suggesting he change his ways.
Yamo should be fine. This is not a 60-80pt player, he might top off at 40-45pts but he an elite penalty killer and this is something Oilers fans should be ecstatic about. The day the team can slot him on the 3rd line and somebody like Xavier Bourgault on the 2nd line will be a good day because it means the team’s depth has become even better. Homegrown depth no less. Then again, Ken Holland is no stranger to trading young players…
The Daily Goal Horn
- “Hearing [Canucks] owner Francesco Aquilini to meet with GM Jim Benning this afternoon,” Elliotte Friedman reported. “Neither individual will comment, but from what I understand, this is a meeting to understand why the team is losing and address it, not to make a change at the position.”
- If this isn’t about firing the GM, one has to wonder if Travis Green may be the first casualty of a bad start.
- Unfortunately for (Sammy) Blais and the Rangers, he will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL… Rangers need a winger… Maybe they were not interested in trading for the 34 year-old Phil Kessel before, but he’s the most readily available top six NHL forward… Would the Rangers even consider Vladimir Tarasenko?… The Golden Knights have Reilly Smith… Another potential option could be David Perron in St. Louis, or maybe something with the Canucks if they want to shake things up.
