Oilers at Ducks, G19 ’10-’11

I beleive Jordan Eberle is a very strong contender for Calder trophy for 2010-11. The young man is posting the boxcars, displaying exceptional creativity and thinking the game at a level well beyond his years. The kid is famous, and he’s earned it. What a tremendous hockey player we have in Jordan Eberle.

I think the Calder race is going to come down to 7 names: Sergei Bobrovsky, Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, Jordan Eberle, John Carlson, Tyler Ennis and PK Subban.

• Bobrovsky: Boasts a stunning .925SP in 16 games (over 900 minutes) so far this season. He’s playing in front of a veteran team that needed exactly what he’s delivering. He could do some stunning things in his rookie season, like winning 40 games or lead the league in SP.
• Couture: Like Bobrovsky, Couture has a big advantage in that he plays for a team that will contend all season. He’s 19gp, 8-4-12 +3 so far this season and those numbers should land him near the top of the scoring list at the end of the year. A strong contender, he has a nice range of skills. Leads rookies in shots.
• Eberle: Plays in all situations and plays more (18:25) than any of the other top rookie forwards. His numbers (18gp, 4-8-12 -7) will put him near the top in rookie scoring and his overall play should get him added recognition.
• Skinner: Fading a little lately but remains the leading point getter among rookies (20gp, 6-10-16 -4). He also leads in EV and PP points among rookies, and if he can maintain those numbers through the end of the season I expect they’ll give him the Calder. One dimensional compared to some others on the list, and that will-should hurt him with voters.
• Ennis: 22gp, 5-6-11 +6 and he’s getting a lot of attention for exciting style of play. That full season in the AHL did him a lot of good in terms of being able to compete despite size difference in every battle (he’s listed at 5.09, 163). I don’t think he wins it unless he is the top rookie scorer.
• Carlson: The top defender in the group, Carlson has some big advantages. He’s very famous (that was a huge goal) and he’s had one (very good) season at the pro level already. Some nights he looks like a rookie, other nights Carlson is among their best blue already.
• Subban: He’s getting a monster push on the PP (3:47 a night, Carlson is at 1:25) and he plays in a famous hockey town so I’ve listed him here. There’s so much chaos to his game I can’t imagine he wins the Calder, but he’s getting a lot of playing time (one of 6 rookie defenders playing over 20 minutes a night) and if he can post some PP numbers he’ll contend. I don’t know that he’s going to drive the bus on the PP, his 1-2-3 totals with the man advantage come on 75 minutes work. He’s tied with Kevin Shattenkirk, who also has 3 points in 25 minutes. Shattenkirk has time to join the list too btw.

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I never know what to say about the Oilers on gameday. I think adding Dubnyk and Belle to the everyday lineup at the expense of Khabibulin and Strudwick is a big plus, and I also think we can openly question Vandermeer’s future at this time. Would the Oilers be better off with Alex Plante?

It’s a conversation worth having.