Hey everyone, this is Kris here and here is the weekly round up for the week that was September 20th-September 26th. With pre-season underway, we inch ever so close to the debut of what should be, an exciting, 2015-16 season.
My Top Three Oilers of the Week:
Honorable Mention: Leon Draisaitl. It was a toss up between Draisaitl and McDavid for the three spot. Draisaitl has arguably been one of our best players this pre-season, although he did not look as effective last night as he has in prior games. He’s going to make it a really tough decision for Todd McLellan and that’s a great thing.
3. Connor McDavid. He had two assists in his pre-season debut with the Oilers on Monday against Calgary. McDavid looked (and even he admitted it) shaky at the start but McDavid is exciting to watch every time he touches the ice. His skating is really something else and his defense was really underrated.
2. Griffin Reinhart. A surprising pick but his game against Winnipeg on Wednesday was superb. He did everything right, not flashy, but right. He’s basically the yin to Nurse’s yang: opposites in style but each offering a unique game that the Oilers sorely need. Reinhart was effective in all areas and hence why he earns my number two spot. I wrote about Reinhart on Oilonwhyte.com yesterday and I think we should definitely be supporting the young man.
1. Justin Schultz. Oh boy, I really hope this is the Justin Schultz that we get for the regular season. Forget the goal he scored but look at the Klefbom hit: Schultz of all people was the first one in the scrum! Finally some resilience from the man. He’s been playing like a top four defenceman. Perhaps he could surprise everyone with a rock solid year.
TSN Had a recent feature on Schultz
Connor McDavid to Play Against Minnesota in Saskatoon Tonight
There has been much talk about Connor McDavid and his lack of Pre-Season play, but this confirms that he will be playing in Saskatoon tonight rather than Winnipeg last night. This makes sense on a couple fronts: Yesterday’s squad was mostly filled with AHL players and players fighting for their roster lives and tonight’s squad is playing in an Edmonton Oilers market. It also makes sense on the front where Saskatoon has a large Oilers fanbase. Might as well treat them to one of the best stars in the league.
Lowetide has always been a favorite of mine. He’s THE icon of the Oilers blogging community and he constantly produces quality content. This one stands out however, as he looks at the big three on the back end (Klefbom, Nurse and Reinhart) and their potential offensive production. Lowetide urged that some of the comparables for offense was a good Steve Staios and that we should not be disappointed with that especially if they are rock solid defensively. I think it’s important to stress the defensive side of the game here since quite frankly, the Oilers have had very ineffective defenseman who can play quality defense. Lowetide also hints that maybe Klefbom’s potential might be hidden due to the invisible Swedish Secondary Assists (where they do not count the secondary assist, just the primary).
Patrick Kane’s Case is Bizarre
Patrick Kane’s Rape Accusation case took a really bizarre turn of events this week when the accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, held a press conference declaring that the Rape Kit was delivered to the Accuser’s Mother’s doorstep and that it had been tampered (the evidence bag was empty, was supposed to hold the rape kit). Eoannou, the very next day no less, resigned from the case stating that it was within ethical reason for him to leave the case as he did not believe the Mother’s story.
This is downright confusing. I have no opinion on whether Kane is innocent or not and that is not up to me to decide. I am purely neutral in this case and without anymore evidence or news related to the story, I will remain neutral. That said, this is just plain nutty and confusing.
Even ESPN’s first take had talked about it (although I do warn you, tolerating Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith takes a lot of patience)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfkleAuOl1I
Flyers Brothers on Trading Block?
According to NBC hockey, both Braydon and Luke Schenn are on the trading block from the Flyers. It’s not really surprising: I find both players to be blunt, mediocre at best. Luke Schenn is fighting for a job with a log jam of defensiveman and Braydon Schenn has not produced to the levels that were expected of them. One thing though, I really hope that the Oilers stay far away from both of these players. They are not what the Oilers need in my opinion: We are set at Center and I would rather have Lander over Braydon Schenn and Luke Schenn would just be another 5-6 Defenceman that the Oilers don’t need.
