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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Oilersnation
Monday Mailbag – Will the refs be better in 2021-22?
…do you expect to see any changes in how the game is called?
- Lol. No. I don’t. The refs have been and will continue to be horrible in the NHL. Why they don’t feel the need to protect their stars is a mystery I don’t think will ever be solved. – Baggedmilk
BLH’s Thoughts: It is a bit of a weird conundrum that refs find themselves in, isn’t it? On the other hand they can’t be shown to be favoring the league’s stars yet those are the guys who have the puck the most and therefore are susceptible to the majority of the infractions.
To answer the question, we may see an uptick in a category of penalties, like crosschecking, for example.
How much do you think our improved forward group will ease the pressure on the defence or are they not quite there yet?
- I’m actually not terribly concerned about the Oilers blueline. I don’t think they’re as good as they were last season, but I still think they’ll be good enough to get the Oilers into the postseason. The Oilers group of defenseman won’t be so bad that it costs them a playoff spot, their goaltending might be though. The offence is far from a concern and I think you’d be smart to bet a lot of overs this season. – Yaremchuk
BLH’s Thoughts: I’m with Yaremchuk here. Lots of folks, fans and insiders alike, think Edmonton’s defense and goaltending could ultimately cost the team, but find me a club who wouldn’t implode if their defense and netminding was shite.
Is this the year when Tyler Benson grabs a spot with the Oilers or is he reaching the end of the road with the organization as he enters his fifth post-draft season?
- He is in a battle with Shore and Perlini for the 4th line LW spot. Even if he doesn’t make it out of camp doesn’t mean he is done, but he would be waiver eligible so there is a chance a team with not as good NHL depth, like Arizona or Buffalo, might look at him. – Gregor
BLH’s Thoughts: To start the year, I think Benson wins that 4th line spot. It’s my belief that the club wants to see what he can do and if after 20 games he’s not up to snuff, then they’ll explore other options. Maybe by that time Ken Holland will have dug up a goalie and then Koskinen and Benson may be used as trade fodder with the Sabres acting as a facilitator in the deal.
How satisfied are you with the Oilers depth on defence to handle any injuries that may occur be it on the left or right side?
- It would be interesting to see a young guy like Filip Berglund or Markus Niemelainen get a look in the event of an injury but that isn’t exactly ideal. I think the Oilers should bring in a veteran like Jason Demers on a PTO as a fall-back net. They’re pretty thin on the right side, and that’s assuming Evan Bouchard is ready to step into a full-time role. If he struggles, oof, that could get ugly. – Lewis
BLH’s Thoughts: If Nurse goes down, Keith can step up. The no.1 LHD spot is really the only bothersome concern for the Oilers. Could you imagine if they’d stuck with Caleb Jones and Nurse got hurt? They’d have NOBODY to cover Darnell’s spot. Now they have a future Hall-of-Famer to help out and before you point out how poor he might’ve played in that role for the Blackhawks the last couple of seasons, it might be argued that his partner in that scenario would be a better player than who he played with the previous two seasons.
Oilers aren’t bringing in any PTOs on defense according to Jim Matheson (Post Media), so they’ll be relying on Barrie, Ceci, and Bouchard to carry the right side and they’ll have Kris Russell, Slater Koekkoek, and Filip Berglund to help out if something happens.
The Athletic
Examining Ken Holland’s Oilers plan and how it could impact the future
- Holland has (correctly) estimated the Oilers are a playoff team in a weak Pacific Division as currently constructed.
- He also improved the club overall, despite heavy payments and reliance on veterans past their peak according to Dom Luszczyszyn’s metrics for The Athletic.
- He is also aware that the club hasn’t won a series since he and Tippett arrived, and leaks on defence or in goal could be catastrophic.
- The first-round pick is in play, and the goaltending is an area that Holland hasn’t addressed beyond signing Smith to three contracts.
- It’s a good guess that the first-round pick in 2022, plus the remaining portion of Mikko Koskinen’s deal, will be heading out by trade near the deadline.
- Another struggle in the playoffs by Smith-Koskinen could mean changes at more than just the player level. It seems likely we’ll see a trade.
- Holland’s focus is on this season and if he gets to the deadline with a goaltending issue the first-round pick is gone.
- If the veteran general manager plans on exiting after five years, then fans can look to an ascension plan for years after Holland.
- Most have Keith Gretzky as the favourite for next general manager… Brad Holland has a noteworthy resume and may be an individual to watch as the senior Holland gets closer to the completion of his five years in Edmonton.
- Look for Holland to be active at the deadline and for one of Puljujarvi or Yamamoto to be on the move next summer.
BLH’s Thoughts: Is anybody else projecting a Gretzky/Woodcroft combo in 2023? Regardless of playoff success, I reckon the Holland/Tippett era is simply a transitionary one.
The Athletic
Ranking the top 20 Calder Trophy candidates for the 2021-22 NHL season
1. Cole Caufield, RW, 20 (Montreal Canadiens — 15th overall, 2019)
2. Trevor Zegras, C/W, 20 (Anaheim Ducks — 9th overall, 2019)
3. Moritz Seider, RHD, 20 (Detroit Red Wings — 6th overall, 2019)
4. Spencer Knight, G, 20 (Florida Panthers — 13th overall, 2019)
5. Jeremy Swayman, G, 22 (Boston Bruins — 111th overall, 2017)
6. Quinton Byfield, C, 19 (Los Angeles Kings — 2nd overall, 2020)
7. Shane Pinto, C, 20 (Ottawa Senators — 32nd overall, 2019)
8. Jamie Drysdale, RHD, 19 (Anaheim Ducks — 6th overall, 2020)
9. Anton Lundell, C, 19 (Florida Panthers — 12th overall, 2020)
10. Alex Newhook, C, 20 (Colorado Avalanche — 16th overall, 2019)
