On the drive home last night, Oilers general manager Ken Holland must have contemplated the next contract for Jesse Puljujarvi. The big Finn was brilliant, scoring a massive and masterful goal at the exact moment where Edmonton typically fades. Instead of hanging on for dear life in the last moments, Puljujarvi the Great hammered home a lusty insurance goal and thrilled the Oilers faithful.
Holland gets all kinds of credit for not trading the young winger when it appeared the relationship had completely fractured. Now, perhaps a bigger test. Where on earth will he find the money?
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Evan Bouchard is going to be the Oilers’ secret weapon in 2021-22 — and he’s already showing why
- DNB: How the Oilers’ new-look second line wears down opponents and makes a difference.
- Lowetide: Amazing opening night facts on players, past and present, from Oilers opening night rosters
- DNB: New Oilers forward Zach Hyman may have a higher pay grade, but his style isn’t changing
- Jonathan Willis: Oilers final roster cuts
- Lowetide: How Ken Holland is increasing the Oilers’ talent pool, and why fans are nervous about it
- Lowetide: Oilers prospects thrive as junior, college and European seasons begin
- Lowetide: Does Dom Luszczyszyn’s 2021-22 preview mean math hates the Oilers?
- Lowetide: When will the Edmonton Oilers fully embrace analytics?
- Jonathan Willis: How the 2021-22 Oilers mirror their coach’s best teams from the past
- DNB: Maxing out LTIR
- Lowetide: What might Oilers do if Kailer Yamamoto’s goal scoring slump continues?
- DNB: Oilers’ Mikko Koskinen much happier with family by his side again
- New DNB: Duncan Keith’s decline, by the numbers and video
- Lowetide: 9 bold predictions for the 2021-22 Edmonton Oilers
- Lowetide: Why Colton Sceviour could be an important addition for the Oilers
- DNB: Derek Ryan Q&A
- Jonathan Willis: How can the Oilers find a long-term solution in net?
- Jonathan Willis: Darnell Nurse, in context
- DNB: Warren Foegele Q&A
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OCTOBER
- At home to: VCR, CAL, ANA (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 2-0-0)
- On the road to: ARI, VEG (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: PHI (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: VCR (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 5-2-0, 10 points in seven games
- Actual results: 2-0-0, four points in two games
The Oilers won a physical game where the other side wanted to intimidate. It’s a bold strategy, but you need the goaltending to overcome penalties and a strong answer offensively once the tone is set. Calgary is going to be a fierce team all year, but they are not a fast team, and are going to need to score more than two goals a game.
GOALTENDING
Mike Smith was quality again, stopping 45 of 47, .957. He saw lots of rubber, and NST says 11 HDSC’s, but he also had a lot of shots from range that weren’t that difficult. The Mangiapane goal saw the puck hit Smith but he couldn’t corral it in time. The Lindholm goal saw Nurse and Bouchard go fishing and a clear passing lane from Tkachuk to Lindholm was all that was needed. Smith has been money so far.
DEFENSE
Darnell Nurse-Tyson Barrie played 16:10 together (all five on five), going 7-17 shots and no goals. Nurse had an assist, a good look, a giveaway and abandoned the slot on the PK on the Lindholm tally. Barrie is a chaos defenseman, the first two games has seen him struggle. Sometimes with chaos defensemen, they appear to improve as the season goes along, but it’s probably more about you getting used to them.
Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci played 15:13, going 7-10 shots and 2-1 goals on a high-event evening. Duncan Keith had two shots, was involved physically and lost Andrew Mangiapane before his goal, although Smith’s rebound right to the Calgary player was borderline perfect. Ceci sent away Puljujarvi for his goal with a flat out gorgeous pass, he does that often and it’s a major weapon. Aside from that Ceci did have a couple of blocked shots and was in good position. Through two games, the pairing is 45.8 percent shot differential, 2-1 goals. Keith is 6-5 shots with the top two lines, 5-8 with the bottom six. I have been impressed with the pairing.
Slater Koekkoek-Evan Bouchard played 8:52, going 4-4 shots and no goals. Bouchard jumped up with Nurse for a couple of minutes, that’s twice now we’ve seen it in two games. Koekkoek had one shot on goal, but was ineffective in some important areas, including getting the puck out. I thought Russell was more effective on Wednesday. Bouchard had calm feet, didn’t back down from an extremely aggressive Calgary team and moved the puck effectively. He was the top PK man (3:25) on the team, but was on the ice for the Lindholm goal.
FORWARDS
Leon Draisaitl-Connor McDavid-Jesse Puljujarvi combined for nine points on the night, playing 11:01, going 7-13 shots and 1-0 goals. Draisaitl had three assists, one at five on five, and was 8-4 on the dot in the discipline. I notice some notes in the comments section about LD being “slow” or “indifferent” so far this season, would note that he is 0-4-4 through two games with a 2-1 goal differential at five on five. McDavid got the hat-trick last night, he’s added “sniper” to his list of elite skills. Has one five on five point in 34 minutes (1.77-60) look for that number to rise. Puljujarvi scored a monster goal, absolutely thrilling moment for it to happen. Had one giveaway on a fail to clear the zone, wonderful night for a man who was the best player on his line. This line saw lots of Hanifin-Andersson and the Lindholm line.
Zach Hyman-Nuge-Kailer Yamamoto played 10:36, going 1-5 shots and no goals. Hyman had two 10-bell chances, a takeway and was a pain in the ass for the entire night. Oilers fans already love him. Nuge was quiet offensively five on five, he had a takeaway but was caved in the dot. Picked up a power-play assist, performed well on the PK. Yamamoto had one shot, two HDSC’s, drew a four-minute penalty, had two takeaways and was a target all night for Calgary. He held his ground, played well. Rasmus Andersson played beyond the rules against KY. This line has to score five on five.
Warren Foegele-Derek Ryan-Zack Kassian played 8:37, going 7-7 shots and 1-1 goals. Foegele had an assist, two shots, two HDSC and stood out in a good way on the night. His speed is an effective weapon but he can also do things like protect the puck and find his own quiet ice. Good player. Ryan scored, he’s such a smart player and smart players are in front of the opponent’s net a lot. That’s why he scored. He had another great chance, was solid on the dot and an effective checker. Kassian was effective, had an assist and drew a penalty. He had a couple of hits, too. This line is good enough to stay together.
Brendan Perlini-Ryan McLeod-Kyle Turris played 3:31, going 1-2 shots and no goals. Tippett doesn’t trust this line, suspect the fourth line will play more when Devin Shore returns. Perlini had a shot on goal and rushed the puck up ice with skill a couple of times. McLeod is not effective. Turris played just 4:43 at five on five, but drew a penalty and earned more playing time.
NEW for The Athletic: A look at last night’s game in Bakersfield, and 10 prospects (earliest-to-latest) who could be recalled this season.
https://theathletic.com/2892530/2021/10/17/lowetide-which-oilers-ahl-players-are-most-likely-to-be-called-up-in-2021-22/
I caught the Bake game tonight, the good is that the D Corps tonight was 100% Oiler Draft picks, with all but 1 of the 6 signed to an NHL contract. I wonder if this is the first time this has ever happened in franchise history?
As OP mentioned, Niemelainen was the standout, but did struggle with breakout passes. He and Berglund were a pairing, and Berglund was pretty steady, much better than on Saturday, IMO. Berglund plays a quiet steady game, he and his partner could get games later in the season with the big club if they keep it up.
Desharnais and Broberg were another pairing. My God does Broberg take a lot of hits, he really should do a bit of skating before he outlets, I think he would be much more effective. I don’t recall him skating it out of his zone once. I also worry about his vision, he seems to have tunnel vision and doesn’t see plays develop. He blocks a lot of shots, often from his own giveaways, he limped off once early in the game, but didn’t miss a shift. He has a long way yet to go. Luckily he has 3 seasons to develop.
Kesselring and Kemp were 3rd pair, Kemp played LD. Kemp crushed a SJ winger just outside the blue line. Very impressive. Didn’t notice him too much otherwise., same with Kesselring.
Not much offense will be generated from this d-group, especially with not much speed or skill amongst the forwards. It is great to have such quality vets, but Lavoie is the only legit forward prospect. He started to get interested in the last 10 minutes of the game, where he generated 2 shots via his own efforts, but he needs to do much more.
Safin simply has no hockey sense, despite a few awesome blasts last season, he simply isn’t very good at playing the game, unless his is stationary and shooting, I have been saying this since last season. He was not noticeable at all tonight, in fact I don’t recall if he even touched the puck. So many tools, but he’s got nothing going on. He’ll be gone by next season, he just can’t put it together.
Skinner was steady, he stopped a breakaway and then the rebound and a second breakaway, but those 3 were his only difficult shots. He also tried a poorly executed Smith clearing attempt up the middle of the ice that was intercepted inside the blueline, but Brousseau dove across the ice and saved Skinner from his blunder.
Graham McPhee dressed, but only played 6 or 7 shifts, hopefully Maksimov plays soon.
Condors escape with a 1-0 victory.
While the third period was full of special teams (as was the entire game), the Condors did a pretty good job of locking it down.
Skinner makes 34 saves for the shutout – he was very very solid – very few rebouds. Not a ton of high danger shots but he did make a couple big saves early. He was busy all night and looked locked in even though he played last night.
Baracuda dominated this game – Condors finished with 15 shots even with a good 5 PPs – maybe 6.
The goal was on the PP but the PP was AWFUL – PP1 has Malone, Cracknell, Griffith, Marody, Broberg. I think they had one shot, maybe two.
Nimelainen was a beast – he and Berglund led the way to my eye (Berglund with more solid play).
Kemp with at least a couple of blocks.
Lavoie was a non-factor.
Here is the Niemelainen hit I mentioned earlier:
https://twitter.com/Condors/status/1449915911670943747
Be a sweet deal if Niemelainen and/or Samorukov can make it to the Oilers.
At this point, it would be a shocker if Samorukov could’t make the Oilers in the fairly short term. Niemelainen is certainly on his way to earning himself a cup of coffee at some point if he keeps this up.
At whose expense?
The Oilers are locked into their top 7 for the foreseeable future.
Injuries can change the best laid plans.
If you have a tolerance for two of Nurse, Keith, Russell and Koekoek being injured…fill yer boots.
That’s not even a question worth responding to.
You always say that when you don’t have a clue.
Akin to saying Hunt and Schenn are locked into the Canucks top 7 for the foreseeable future.
A bit of a gem, if true, from YouTube commenters. The hapless flames have lost the last 11 (or 12) season openers. Possibly and NHL record.
I think the Cleveland Browns have the record for North American pro sports at 13……
Seems to be backed up by NHL.com
Does that mean the start of this streak was this goal?! I have a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
I don’t even need to click the link to know you are linking the Eberle shortie for his first NHL goal.
You didn’t need to click the link…but did you want to? 😉
Twelve according to the voice of all things Lame.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/anderssons-overzealousness-proves-costly-flames-loss-oilers/
I wonder if someone lost a unit last night after advising putting one on the fLames, lol.
I didn’t but I did lose a unit on the Canucks-Detroit game.
Greiss was unbelievable.
Condors dominated for most of the 2nd but Griffith gives them the lead with a PP snipe from the circles with a couple of minutes left – their first shot on almost 3 full PPs in the period (and 2nd shot of the period with 2 minutes left).
A fairly scrambley PP, nothing resembling crisp but the Barbuda were poor at clearing and Cracknell made a nice delay, hold and pass to Griffith.
Malone with the second apple as PP1 is AHL veterans plus Broberg.
Niemelainen just lit up a Barracuda coming across the blue line – just blew him up closing the gap – clean.
JP’s goal was unreal. Retrieved the puck behind the goal, passed to Drai, and then rocketed up-ice past every flame to create the breakaway. Unreal. He is turning into a very large Marian Hossa before our eyes. Will be tough to sign him but there is no choice. Such a unique player, many cudos to Holland, and it’s good to see him obviously starting to feel part of the team.
Yamo is a 3rd line winger for me (and a very nice one) but I don’t touch the existing L3 for now. He’s probably dealt as a cap casualty this summer. Not the worst problem to have since Holloway is probably a bigger better version.
Ceci is not a top pair dman, but I think he could play that role effectively with a true 1D like Nurse. This would allow us to staple Bouchard to Keith which is a wonderful place for the kid to learn, and Barrie could play softer minutes with 4K and get PP time which is also best for him.
PP1 has Malone, Cracknell, Griffith, Marody and Broberg.
Lavoie not getting PP1 love nor “dynamic” offensive linemates.
Lavoie on PP2 with Shcaller, Berglund, Safin and Esposito.
Sorry, but this isn’t right. Bouchard had 5 more shifts in the 3rd period after that goal including a shift 2.5 minutes after.
I would say it more likely than not that Bouchard made the play Playfair wanted him to (well, at least tried to) and Nurse didn’t recognize but only the coach’s and the players really know.
I do know that your statement about Bouchard being benched is flat out wrong.
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20212022/TH020031.HTM
@JeffPassan
BREAKING: Major League Baseball teams will provide housing for minor league baseball players starting in 2022, sources tell ESPN.
Details on the monumental change @espn
:
@JeffPassan
·
2h
Exactly what teams will be required to do remains unclear. Players are hopeful teams are mandated to follow the lead of the Houston Astros, who this year provided lodging rather than a stipend. Finding a place to live, players say, is a problem on top of the financial burdens.
This is also a major issue for AHL players who must find short term leases in an over-heated rental market particularity in California.
I would think it’s more of an issue w/the ECHL. If you read the story in The Athletic, minor league players make less than $2,000 a month (in some cases closer to $1,200 US a month depending on the level they play in).
Not saying that there are not issues in the AHL – because it was terrible last season, but minor league players pay is well below the poverty level and it’s terrible.
Players in. the AHL last season were living in squalor because short term rentals were equal to most of their salaries.
For example…Broberg is making $70K US which doesn’t sound too bad until you deduct California’s onerous taxes then try and find a short term lease which can run up to thousands per month.
It’s possible this is an issue somewhere, but rent in Bakersfield is not expensive.
Broberg making $70k (a shade below the average household income in California) is living quite comfortably.
Do tell. What are the onerous California taxes?
Minimum salary in triple A is 15,000 a season. Big difference. But hey nice fact checking. You should have just posted the link and left out your own usually wrong observations or conclusions.
Dino Kambietz, whoever that is, just got the crap kicked out of him.
Tulio finished with 1G/2A, plus 2 and 7 shots in the 6-3 Generals win.
Kambietz played some junior in Leth. I don’t remember him ever fighting …
He is a Grinder type for sure.
Thanks – looks like 12 WHL fights….
https://www.hockeyfights.com/players/24596
Skinner with two big saves in the first 10 minutes.
First a point blank shot from the circles – solid positioning – challenged and looked big in the net.
Then on a breakaway.
Berglund stepped up in the offensive zone at the end of a pressure shift and Deharnais didn’t recognize and a Barracuda got in behind him.
Lavoie playing with Hamblin and Esposite.
Broberg with Deharnais.
Marody a full time winger now, stays at RW playing with Malone and Schaller.
Woody in his pre-game with Ryan Holt:
“I’m very bullish on Niemelainen”
On Broberg – Lots of positive signs in his game. Lots of acclimatizing to do at our level. The speed of the game on our ice…. you could say he has some “big ice habits” – you can talk about it all you want but you need to experience and he’s in the right place.
How is Broberg doing with the puck? Is he fanning on passes / missing one timers / over skating the puck / etc?
He’s been mostly “meh” tonight from what I’m seeing – lots of chaos it the defensive zone.
My two cents on the Nurse “blunder” on the Lindholm goal. I teach my defense to be ultra-aggressive on a “green light” defensive play. Generally if the forward has their back to the play OR if they are likely to bobble the puck.
In this case Tkachuk was both facing the wall AND the pass was on the dasher a few feet in the air (for awhile). That’s a 1/100 play to field that cleanly and hit Lindholm on the tape.
Zero issue with Nurse being aggressive there at all…hat tip to MT.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Isn’t a bit “over-aggresive” for Nurse to check down to cover Tkachuk given Bouchard was already on him?
Not so much for players of that level.
I’ll repeat it sorry, but a chump like me said if Turtle or Eat Bread got space our guys would pay. It happened. It always does, that’s how I knew.
Imagine how other teams feel with McDrai. The usual is not what happens.
Tulio currently with a goal and an assist, plus 2 with 4 shots on net as the Generals have a 3-0 lead in the 3rd.
Tulio adds another apple on the PP – a big goal as the Pete’s had scored two to pull to within one.
OP, who’s the person giving you a minus for reporting some news? Weird!
Skinner gets the start tonight – I am excited for Skinner but, at the same time, disappointed that Konovalov doesn’t get a game this weekend.
McPhee in for Kaldis as the Condors go with 6D tonight – which I prefer given 5 of them are on NHL contracts and I don’t consider Kaldis (or Deharnais for that matter), actual real prospects.
Maksimov not in the lineup again – I’ve got to assume its an injury and not a coach’s decision.
Do they feel that they need to give Skinner every possible playing time in case he and Smith are splitting duties in Edmonton next season? Would seem a risky strategy despite the cap savings, but if the GM even thinks it could be a possibility, then Skinner needs to play the strong majority of AHL games this year.
From various accounts, the org has always been, and remains, high on Skinner so i presume they see him as a legit option for back-up next season – depending, of course, how things play out over the next 8 months.
I do expect him to be “given the net” – his is the incumbent but I think it also behooves the org to see where Konovalov is and start to get more intel on what they may have with him.
Its a bit tough as both need to play and I was thinking about a 60-40 split to start and let the player’s decide who is currently “ahead”.
An issue is the nature of the AHL schedule – there is the odd mid-week game but its highly weekend oriented – almost always 2 games every weekend and sometimes three.
Woody has been known to run with one guy – Skinner has started 3 in 3 before I’m pretty sure.
They must figure out what they have in Konovalov. It would be criminal to give him 12 games and then have him go back to Russia.
Presumably he plays more than that but I would have thought they’d split this weekend to get both playing. With Skinner getting both, its clear they have a 1 and 2, at least to start.
Konovalov is signed for two years on his ELC and its not like he was playing any more last season in Russia (although that was primarily a function of him not re-signing and coming over)
Jay Woodcroft is an old-timey Russian hockey coach. Who knew?
“it’s probably more about you getting used to them.” Totally agree LT, I also believe that once he starts chipping in on the score sheet, some of those gaffes don’t seem so glaring.
IMO he’s definitely been playing worse so far than last season, so I think it’s a bit of both.
It’s probably a bit of both, but I don’t know why anyone is surprised by Barries struggles in his own zone. He was bad there all of last year.
I’m sure he’ll have some games where he’s creating some offense and people will look past his defensive shortcomings, but they are real, and they are spectacular.
On a side note, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a PP quarterback make so many bad drop passes when they are trying to set up a zone entry.
At least once a game, McDavid has to circle back and pick up a puck that missed him by 20 ft.
Oh, I think we all know what they have in Barrie, but just magnifies with zero points. Bring something please.
No, he isn’t good in his own zone. But again, I think he’s been worse this season than for most of last year, so it’s magnified in the early days.
Nurse hasn’t been good to this point either. That’s not on Barrie, but it’s definitely not helping the look of the pairing.
I’ve mentioned many times before, Barrie has almost always had a positive GF% through his career. Agreed he isn’t good in his own zone, but it’s overstated IMO, and his teams have consistently been able to outscore those shortcomings with him on the ice.
Early for sure, plenty of road left before we unpack the car and let the kids run off, but Holland’s last few off seasons work really showing the worth of vet savvy and a pair of callused hands held steady. It’s old school stuff (be patient with your prospects (including any wayward lambs), bring in vets and other known quantities, trust your coach and trust the process, show loyalty to players that buy in to club culture) but the arrows are mostly all pointing in the right direction. Holland’s not perfect but he definitely ain’t no Desperado and Jack’s Train is miles off yet.
If Holland brings in the Lord Stanley I dare say we start talking about how close he gets to sit next to Sam Pollock in the Hall.
If Bouchard continues to emerge, could Barrie’s be a contract that goes to make room?
Maybe Klefbom.
Holland likes experience.
Absolutely.
I think Bouchard replicates Barrie’s skill set. So I do agree. But Barrie is a team favourite by accounts, apparently McDavid and Draisaitl both asked Holland to keep him.
They will come to learn he is the greatest defensive liability of all the defensemen on the team….
For sure – one of many many many potential cap structuring reasons.
Barrie’s career history will make that contract moveable unless he absolutely tanks this year which is unlikely – its reasonable money and term.
Regarding the next Puljujarvi contract:
– I expect it will be in the $5.0 – 6.25 if it is 5-6 years long
– a longer contract will end up at $7.25 – 8.0
the bottom end of those numbers will go up if the Oilers go deep in the play-offs and Jess does well.
A quick look at Cap Friendly shows the Oilers have roughly $6.0 million in space open for next year but need another goalie, a replacement for Russell and a collection of Scevior’s. That will probably wipe out the $6.0 million (if not more). This does not account for Yamamoto’s next contract.
There IS a good chance that:
– the Cap goes up $1 million next year (it has been rumbled);
– $4.167 million will be available via Klefbom LTIR; and
So, there is roughly $5 million or so naturally available. The Kassian contract is the one contract that pops as being (less) painful to deal and would provide sizable Cap relief (the $3.2 million). Outside that I do not see much that is easily done that won’t hurt the team. Perhaps a Barrie trade?
Took a look at available LTIR contracts and didn’t see much there (Vancouver: Ferland for 2 years at $3.5 million and, of course, Montreal: Weber at lots and forever).
This will be very interesting. I suggest we enjoy this year fully because next summer some bills come due (Kassian, Keith, Nurse). Of course, Chiarelli’s gift from the summer of 2016 never stops paying special dividends.
I don’t think trading Kass will be easy without taking a contract back or eating salary…
If Kassian recovers his form somewhat he definitely has value. Teams love that style of player. There are a few teams that built around skill finding themselves being out muscled in playoff games.
I would agree on Kass – at least as of right now but these are one of those things that we don’t know until the season plays out. Maybe at the end of the season, Kass has recovered and he can be disposed of clean.
If not, he could probably be disposed of with, say, $1M retained which, really would open up apx $1.5M of cap space when factoring in Kass’ lineup replacement, being it Holloway or Lavoie or Maksimov or Savoie.
You could give the man a one year bridge until more cap falls off the table.
In two years Keith is coming back for half or less. Smith is off.
Sekera and Lucic are gone.
How many more RFA years does Jesse have? I guess I am wondering how his year back in Finland affected that.
After his current contract expires he will have 2 RFA seasons left.
Parameters are 7 accrued seasons or 27 years of age.
Thanks. That is what I thought but wasn’t sure if the year in Finland played into it. I don’t think I like the idea of a one year deal for Jesse, though. He took 2 years at a pretty low cap hit in order to return to the league. I think it is time to lock him in.
His agent would likely resist it big time too.
To get him to sign for only one year would likely require a very high cap hit which would make his qualifying offer the following season prohibitive and could walk him straight to UFA status after that.
I would wait to see how this season plays out and try and sign him long term based on the results.
The ace Holland has up his sleeve is that players actually want to stay in Edmonton unlike Vancouver…..
Like Larsson you mean?
Yikes.. awfully desperate of you to bring this up as some kinda “gotcha”. Larsson left because his dad died in Edmonton but you knew this.
Have a good chunk of Canucks parents died in Vancouver and is that why they left or didn’t sign max term contracts?
Gonna be interesting to see how they come up with the money for JP, but I would let the season play out.
You can see the potential for a dominating player, but I want to see him do it over a full season before committing big money and term.
If he has a big year it’s gonna be expensive. Which brings me back to the Barrie signing and Bear trade. I would rather have Ethan Bear and 5 million in cap space, than Tyson Barrie and Warren Foegele. And I like Foegele so far. I just don’t see him as a play driver. JP looks like he could turn into one.
Bear would need a new contract next summer as well after having played with Nurse all year though so I am not sure that saves any money for JP.
I doubt anything gets done very soon. If I am JP’s agent I am not in a hurry either.
I guess it depends on what you think Bears next contract looks like. Assuming he has a solid, but unspectacular year, is he worth 3.5 million?
I think he would still be cheaper than Barrie, and you put those savings, plus the Foegele money, towards JP next summer.
Barrie has had a rough two games to start the season and he may well end up being the guy that has to be traded but Foegele strikes me as a top end 3LW that this team was in need of even though I would have preferred the 3C spot being filled instead.
Koskinen will be gone and it looks more and more like his replacement will have to be on a low dollar contract. How the deck chairs get shuffled will depend on how this season plays out I am sure but I think the one certainty is that there will be deck chair shuffling in order to accomodate Jesse’s next contract.
Yep. If JP turns out to be a difference maker you have to lock him up.
I’m curious to see how they find the money.
Ethan Bear is a free agent after this season and Foegele cost controlled at $2.75M for three more years.
When did every player need to be a “play driver” in order to have real value?
Foegle did seem to drive that 3rd line last night….
And Klefbom will be off the books
Kassian and Barrie will have just 1 year left at that point (more opportunity to move either of those contracts)
It’s going to be tight next summer, but we’ll have a little more flexibility in 2 years time
Just to note….Bettman has already confirmed the cap will be going up by $1 million next season and likely the next.
If Keith retires his contract clears up $9M due to cap recapture penalties. And we’re laughing. If Keith doesn’t retire we have some issues.
If we replace Koski with skinner at $750k, that covers the Nurse raise.
JP has arb rights, so if we can get him to sign a 1 year bridge ($3M), with a handshake extension he can sign in January 2023 ($6-7M long term).
After next season (2023) , Klef, Sekera, Smith, and Lucic all come off the books. The cap will have grown by at least $1M and more likely $2-3M. Keith’s money can go to Bouchard long term…If we’re still squeezed we can trade or buyout the last year of Barrie or Kass…
Aghhhh, the Kevin Lebanc deal….. Not sure Lehto would be amenable, but you never know.
As far as the cap going up in 2023/24, I don’t think projections have the Escrow Balance paid off yet so probably just another $1M.
Petrov has been quiet since his hot start – he was able to pick up an assist on a 3rd period PP goal that got North Bay back in the game but they dropped a 6-4 decision.
Petrov had the apple and was even with 2 shots in the loss.
I have a problem with Sportsnet and TSN (well, there may be more, but..). Let me know if I missed something, but I will set this up.
Oilers opened the season on Wednesday. Leon, with a point, for which Leavins says “Draisaitl has scored at least a point in each of his last 6 season opening games.”
However, both Sportsnet and TSN pick up an AP story from Thursday’s Nashville opener saying:
“Predators forward Filip Forsberg had an assist on Josi’s goal, giving him at least a point in Nashville’s last five season openers. That’s the longest active scoring streak in the NHL in season openers, and he became the 12th player in NHL history to score in at least five straight openers.”
I don’t know if Draisatl missed a season opener (hence the “his last 6”), but that is something that I don’t remember. Any thoughts on the discrepancies, or is this just AP/TSN/Sportsnet being careless?
I think in 2015 which was McDavids rookie year, Drai started in the AHL for a half dozen games or so, until McD was injured. He would have played about 40 games the previous year, his rookie year and then was sent back to junior. I dont know if he got a point in the season opener in 2014 but that might explain it. He missed the opener in 2015
Agreed. However, the next six years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020*, 2021) would be the ones of interest.
NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) Tweeted:
Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson has been fined $5,000 for roughing Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto on Saturday.
https://t.co/dQjxhx6hAw
https://twitter.com/NHLdotcom/status/1449805440829771778?s=20
That’s a joke!
I think it’s the maximum allowed based on his history, could be wrong.
Don’t take my word for it:
source: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/peel-why-player-safety-got-it-right-with-rasmus-anderssons-5000-fine/
Yes, the maximum fine but zero games was not the maximum suspension…..
Did a gloved punch that didn’t knock down Yamamoto deserve a maximum suspension? Larkin knocked a guy down the other day and got one game.
As much as I hate to admit, I think Peel is right that the DOP(e)S got it right on this call. The real problem, as I see it, is the maximum fine is a laughable $5k. A better fine might start at, say, the equivalent value of that game’s salary.
A small fine like that is not a deterrent. A suspension would be and would be sending a message. The bottom line is he is coming a dirty dirty player.
I know the pizza story, where’s this Bison thing coming from for Puljujarvi?
Some beautiful pictures of a King amongst his loyal subjects.
Jesse and his dog went to Elk Island Park and he became the bison whisperer. Taking smiling selfies with the bison from 30 feet. Only our boy Jessie 🙂
https://www.reddit.com/r/EdmontonOilers/comments/pz11vx/dont_get_too_close_jesse/
He also went on to talk about it in a press conference when asked. “Bison was kind. Nice bison” https://www.reddit.com/r/EdmontonOilers/comments/q1bml8/jesse_puljujarvi_bison_was_kind_nice_bison/
With Patches out Oil now favorites to win division at 46% from Dom at athletic
https://www.nhl.com/oilers/video/post-raw–draisaitl-puljujarvi/t-277437406/c-9183370
In case anyone hasn’t seen it, Drai’s and Puljujarvi’s media availability earns 6 minutes of your time today if you can spare it.
Drai sounds so so Canadian now. Could barely tell his German most of the time.
I was watching an Anze Kopitar interview a few days ago.
He sounds like a surfer dude.
This one time, on Sportsnet, I remember you claimed to be a Kings fan, living in LA, “three houses down from Kopitar”. lolo
I hope Drai’s accent starts to change into cliche hoser or a newfie accent.
Just got around to watching this (and some others) now. Agreed, definitely worth the watch.
I also enjoyed Tippett’s brief pre-game ending with ‘alright, let’s play!’. He was as excited for the game as anyone.
Louie has had some cringe moments, but last night was a puppy trying to show off the tricks his new master has taught him. He clearly had a talking to during the off season, maybe it was a deal to get Cassie off of Saturday nights.
Just a note for those inclined.
AHL TV is free this weekend.
The Condors play the baby Sharks at 6pm Mountain.
Saturday was so rough for you that on Sunday you decided to take OP’s gig.
You know…your endless chirps would be much more effective if they had some modicum of insight or humour.
The posts you make is an endless chirp Skippy, clue in.
Nearly every poster has informed you noone gives a hoot about your opinion on your favorite 23 teams but yet you keep going. If it upsets you that you’re chirped at, look within old Skywalker.
You don’t upset me…you bore me.
You must have had some very tough sister to get to your age with your mouth and attitude. You would have learned some very stern lessons in a real mans world!
You know, the “you don’t upset me…” comment legitimately made me laugh. Also thanks for sharing link.
Happy to be of help.
Both OP and HH provide so much info on our prospects and our division goings on . I tire of OP repeating himself and HH getting everyone’s goat. When I see the repeat, I move on. Same with HH. Also kind of fun to watch the back and forth when it occurs. Love them both. Good Oiler fans.
Yup.
Carter Savoie with a 6 point night last night and 5-6-11 in 4 games this season.
Yes, I was watching that game last night as well (well, tertiary for the 2nd half when the Condors and Oilers were on).
The key, at least to me, with Savoie’s early season production (and this was similar in the exhibition games as well) is that he’s producing at evens.
He did have 2 PPG last night but the majority of his production has been at evens and, last season, he was highly reliant on the PP.
Apparently left the game with a wrist injury. Someone get me an update!
That I didn’t know – I note his stats didn’t change at all in the 3rd but I presumed the top line didn’t play much with the massive blowout.
So I assume Koskinen gets next game?
if you don’t play backup against a lotto team when do you play him? We actually don’t have many b2b this year
He should be getting the next game. Let’s see if the coach recognizes this.
Tipp said they’ll split the season.
I expect Smith forces the issue and it will be 60/40.
I think it’s 50-50. They SHOULD play him, but Tippett prefers Smith.
I think I posted this somewhere else in here.
My initial thought is that Mikko gets the next game.
The only “issue” with that is that they play Tues, Thurs, Fri and then have like four days off.
If Mikko play on Tuesday then he gets two of the next three and Friday is Vegas on the road on the 2nd half of road back to backs.
In a Ron Dangerfield voice:
“WHAT A GAME, WHAT A GAME, WHAT A GAME”
So glad to see the energy with fans in the building.
I thought the blood was going to boil over by the end of the 1st!!!
I guess the coaches stepped in and told them to focus on hockey …lol
Couple of observations:
2. BOUCHARD was outstanding. I knew he was good, but by golly was he ever good.
There were shifts where he’d make a great defensive play followed by a strong offensive play. I was very impressed.
3. I thought MCLEOD was fine in his limited outing. Looks like LT and TIPP didn’t see it that way. He seemed in the right place at the right time. Maybe the line needs more time to gell. Maybe we need a different RW. I didn’t see McLeod as the issue. The kid won’t score w/ 3mins of ice time that’s for sure.
4 Am I the only one who thought Yammers really struggled. They worked him hard and he held his own amicably. By the end of the game he was warn down and trying to do too much He couldn’t get the puck moving in the right direction. On a night like last night I’m ok with the 2nd line playing the opponents to a draw. I generally thought yammers was ineffective.
On a side note, Gaudreau seemed as rusty as a 90s Chevy Cavalier after 10 years on Wayne Gretzky drive and that helped our cause.
GO OILERS>!
I’m not sure.
It looks like Bouchard was benched after the second goal. He badly misread the play and his job was net front. Instead he chases with Nurse. Otherwise, not a bad night from him. I think he’s going to be great, but I wouldn’t call that a great night
McLeod played too little to say much at all.
Yamamoto was excellent. Energy guys are going to take penalties from time to time. That penalty was a savvy veteran play by Lindholm to grab a loose stick at his knees and pull it up to his hands and then feign that it interfered with his stickhandling allowing the puck to go outside the blue line. That’s cheating, to be sure, but hard to see in real time. It’s a gamble for him as he gives up the zone to try to draw the penalty. It works out for him in this case. Hats off to him. Not Yamamoto’s fault at all.
Gaudreau is a great player and I thought he looked good. I would love him on this team. Monahan is the one I worry about. I think his career is already in its twilight years with all his injuries. He looks like he plays in pain and isn’t nearly as effective when he was 21-23 years old.
Smith was amazing. Full agreement. Nothing wrong with anything he did out there. Even the first goal needed some net presence from the D, but a missed assignment left Mangiapane all by himself. Pay attention and tie up that stick boys. The oilers were guilty of watching on that play. Not Smith’s fault.
All I’m saying about Bouchard is that he impressed me.
There were times he made two created plays in one shift.
And as our kind always sais: Rookies will Rookie and on that play, Bouch Rookied.
I’m not hammering Yammers for the penalty. But i did think he tried to do too much at times and wasn’t getting the puck moving the right direction. Too many times the play was dead in the Neutral zone. And at those times, there was no play. But a bigger body may have gotten it deep. At one point in the 3rd Yammers was out there for 2mins. That’s because they couldn’t get it deep. That’s how you get yourselves in trouble esp in the playoffs.
Gaudreau is a great player. He wafted a shot or made an extra move when he shouldn’t have. He’ll be more effective when he’s mid season form.
That’s fair. Bouchard did a lot of good work last night and appears to have a very high ceiling. Let’s see how it goes, but he will have to tidy up his reads and decision making to avoid situations like the second goal against. Dmen can do a lot of good work but will be judged poorly if there are one or two of those a night. That may seem unfair, but that’s the way it goes in games that turn on a single goal.
LT has a line for that 🙂
Single moments in a game can have great importance and impact, while also being single moments in a game.
Also: Young defensemen will break your heart.
I simply cannot agree with Ashley’s take on the Lindholm goal.
Nurse had chased up to the very high half-board, almost at the blue line when the puck was rimmed behind the net.
When Tkachuk got the puck behind the net, Bouchard was 2 feet away and Nurse was coming down from the half boards, triple the distance to Tkachuk.
It was 100% the right play for Bouchard to move to Tkachuk and try and disrupt him. Nurse coming down low after the fact was a bad decision – Bouchard was already there and the slot was left uncovered by Nurse.
Even if there was an argument that Bouchard should not have gone down low (which I don’t agree with given where each player was), Nurse needs to recognize and not double-down.
No that’s Nurse’s job. He’s the LD, he’s out already heading there, and the is puck on the left. He’s cycling down for coverage after the puck is moved behind the net. Bouchard has to stay net front – the place where goals are actually scored from.
Hence Bouchard didn’t get another shift after the goal.
The reason they don’t switch is that Nurse is actually in better position to cover the back of the net. Him going net front requires him to 1) get there, 2) turn around, 3) read the Flames players and figure out where to position himself for the players driving the net. That’s too much to get done in a mere second, probably less than two. Bouchard has the whole play in front of him and can be in the right place to prevent that goal. They should only switch net front if the puck goes over to the right corner.
Net front D positioning is one of the most important things to learn for Dmen. Kids and teenagers always want to wander toward the puck, especially behind the net when it is someone else’s coverage. It’s ok to leave someone behind the net for a second or two while the person who is supposed to be covering gets there to pressure as long as the front is covered. They are not going to score from back there. You see that all the time in the NHL. Sometimes if someone has set up back there with the puck, the Dmen will actually both come back “home” to net front and wait for him to make a move.
Bouchard made a peewee error which is why Tippett benched him. It’s a strong message to a young player.
Nurse had chased up to near the blueline and was’t in position to cycle down for coverage when the puck was on its way to Tkachuk.
Bouchard covered behind the net for Nurse (to challenge Tkachuk) and Nurse needed to recognize and cover in front.
At the end of the day, neither of us know what Playfair’s PK system provides in that situation. Firstly, we don’t know if Nurse should have chased so high to start with, then we don’t know if Bouchard should have covered for him or left Tkachuk completely uncontested.
What I am pretty sure of, even if Bouchard should not have covered low (and we don’t know), is that Nurse should have recognized and not continued to go walk about puck-chasing and should have covered the front.
9 million plus shouldn’t stop you thinking!
I think it’s fair to say we don’t know if Nurse should have been that high. But I don’t agree that Bouchard was meant to go behind the net. Totally wrong coverage.
We don’t have to guess. Bouchard was benched for the rest of the game for the error.
You need to get a grip! That was not on Bouchard!
Two minutes. No, others changed but he decided to stay on (bad choice). Then got caught and had to stay on. He had his chance to change and didn’t. I bitched when I saw that.
I thought McLeod was good in his limited time. He was engaged. Not necessarily physical, but engaged.
He had that one really good entry and stuck with it bit at end of same shift, after possession was lost but not entirely controlled by flames- he skated towards them then held up and did this lame half ass stick check. If he would have actually physically committed that was definitely uncertain flamed player would have gotten out. Instead it turned into easy controlled break because he hesitated and pulled up limp.
That segment spoke volumes to me in his limited time. If he keeps that up he is going to not likely make it long.
So are many would be brides but the deal is only sealed when it gets physical 🙂
That was the game Sutter wants his team to play. They outshot us, out chanced us, out corsi’ed us, roughed us up a little, and they still lost.
What now?
They get rougher. That’s what.
Officials should be put on alert.
Thankfully we don’t play them again until dec 29
If you’re going to play that way, the goalie has to be Bernie Parent. That’s an issue if Markstrom can’t be .920 or better.
Sutter doesn’t have Doughty, nor Quick (channelling Bernie Parent in the two playoff runs).
And Kopitar was a legit #1 centre.
Yes. I think Sutter has misjudged his hand. I expect that means trades.
Treliving will be the one to pay, though, imo.
Roughed thr Oilers up!? Oilers were the ones dishing out the pain last night.
EG – Nurse casually skating into the Flames goal area in order to purposely bump into a Flame defender after the whistle, then laughs as the puny Flames, terrified of him attempted to act outraged.
Afterward Nurse even did a little jig for them. Astonishingly effective bullying from Nurse.
Holly has about $6.5M in space to play with next season, if he lets Turris, Russell, Koskinen go and has cheap internal solutions.
If you are Pujo’s agent, would you sign a 8 x $6.5M if offered this week? What term would make it work for you? Is Lehto still his cornerman? I really can’t see $6.5 getting it done, probably not even at six years and no way the Oil would want to go less term than that.
This also assumes KBomb stays on LTIR, and Yams doesn’t get a significant raise.
There are other options available to Holland… trade Barrie, trade/buyout Kass.
A bridge contract is possible but would be the worst solution of all. Then we’re looking at Nurse numbers and maybe more.
Good GMs can always find a way to off-load a contract or two to make a deal like this work. Let’s see if Holland falls into this camp. I’ve always been bullish on JP so I would probably do that deal.
Thinking that waiting more than two games to sign a guy might save the Oil another Koskinen contract…
Sounds good,
Now sign Yamamoto too please
It sure seems like Jesse has eaten Yamo’s lunch and then some. If these first two games at all represent what we see this season, I can’t see him returning. But hey, 2 games and all that.
I would calm down and let the season play out with Puljujarvi. Today is probably the high point value wise for his whole career, to this point at least.
He scored at an 82 22-15-37 pace last season (basically all of it played with McDavid). So far this season he’s played 31:30 of his 33:51 TOI (all situations) with BOTH of McDavid and Draisaitl. It doesn’t get any more cherry than that.
Maybe he does score a point/game on the season, or close, but chances are his numbers come down pretty substantially. Especially if he gets the chance to ‘drive his own line’ without McDavid and Draisaitl.
I’m not trying to be at all negative on Puljujarvi, but he may not cost $6.5M per by June. Over 5 seasons Nuge was an 82 25-36-61 player; now he’s making $5.1M, for instance.
And, to add, Nuge’s contract was all UFA years.
I love Puljujarvi as a player (and I guess I get to sneak in here that I was one of the few who opposed trading him) but he is still raw in a number of areas. He is just starting his learning curve on how to be effective in the NHL – most of what we are still seeing is just raw skill imo.
Wait until he absorbs the tactical skills that come with experience.
I think Holland should want to go for the 8 year contract with Jesse and that will cost some money. How much and what he does to carve out the room for it remains to be seen but there are only so many tradeable players making enough to move the needle. I have been pushing for an upgrade in goal for some time but it may turn out that Koskinen’s money is already spent on Jesse and that the team has to go internal with Skinner or Konovalov when the time comes.
Yes, all UFA years for Nuge, but the obligatory (and fair) note that Nuge’s deal will include more years of decline than Puljujarvi’s would.
Agree he’s still raw and should continue to improve, but we don’t know where he gets to. And it’s always difficult to know with these Oilers how much of their success is their own vs getting to play with McDavid and Draisaitl.
On this part, I think it’s even worse. Most of Koskinen’s money is already spent on Nurse’s raise.
Filling in the cheap slots, I think there’s only about $7-$8M left for 1) a goalie, 2) Puljujarvi and 3) Yamamoto. Even with an internal goalie (which is a very tall ask IMO) it will be very tight if Puljujarvi keeps this up and/or Yamamoto has a recovery season.
We have divergent takes on how most of the guys played in a given game.
For me what Tipp said about McLeod’s game is what I don’t like about a lot of the lesser players, and the root cause of why the team hasn’t taken the next step yet. Why they aren’t consistent game to game and in the playoffs the last few seasons. Not like the top 5 teams do almost all of the time.
Regardless of injuries even. Look at the Pens go without their top 3 forwards, two being world class still. Yes luck is still involved.
Tipp said about McLeod the 10% of his time thing, making it good, and building from there.
In these comments after games, I’ll see ‘X’ player had a great game. I think sometimes, ‘X’ player made 2-3 or good plays, or noticeable plays, maybe got a goal or point, probably a rare one, and did nothing much else.
No impact, not pushing possession by winning enough battles, especially key battles, or keeping plays alive.
Or not strongly clearing the D zone with a fair enough play – too much glass and out, alost battle at the blue line, or a pass that can’t be taken, and back in it comes.
Players don’t have to score or get points all the time, most don’t, but they do need to be getting the work done in the majority of their shifts. Not the minority. It’s what differentiates the best teams from the others. It’s the Belichick thing – do your job. Then the team is strong and can win.
Ryan so far has been great at this, along with Foegele. The other team has to battle hard to get past them. Always.
Hyman and JP are all over the other team, Hyman only has the PP goal, but he impacts the game consistently. Jesse is a Bison Inferno. Early days of course for all.
Nurse and Keith are all over the bad guys. Keith’s ability to stop a sortie and move the puck out with control in a heartbeat is still amazing. His stick is incredible still.
A big piece to this is how deflating it is to the bad guys. When they can’t execute their plan easily, or can’t sustain O zone time. Can’t break out because out of nowhere Jesse has them angled off and he’s taking the puck.
Kinda of opposite George Oilers to the last years.
A few guys need to up their good shift percentage a fair bit IMO. Stay on the right side of the puck. A few need to amp up the intensity toward and around the net. At least at this point it is only a minority of them, not the majority like before.
Only McLeod gets the 10% good thing.
Is it me or does Harnarayan get way more excited for the opposing teams chances/goals etc than he does for the Oilers? Isn’t he part of the Oiler broadcast team? Isn’t he supposed to be the home team guy? I noticed it last year and really noticed it these first 2 games vs Nucks and Flames. Perhaps he is just HNiC Broadcast team, but why then was he doing the Nucks game? Makes it feel like im watching the opposing team feed, not as fun as it could be. It was kind of a bummer to listen too.
Every fkn time… cannot stand the guy.
I totally agree. I think he is perhaps a Vancouver fan but I do not like listening to him call our games at all!! And I like Debrusk but I think he is trying really hard to not come across as an Oilers homer and goes out of his way to praise the other team. I tried to listen on the radio and mute the tv feed but jack and stauffer talk too much and don’t do hardy any play by play which is fine when not watching but annoying when watching!
In his book, Singh talks about how he is a lifelong Oilers fan.
Wow, that is really surprising to me. Maybe it is a case of him trying to appear objective, similar to DeBrusk?
I love his story and think his announcing in Punjabi is amazing. I like that CBC is supporting diversity by having an equivalent broadcast devoted to a population of fans that might not otherwise tune in. I struggle to see why you take that announcer and put him on the English broadcast, when his strength is clearly in Punjabi (although his English is excellent). I think this is another case of our outlook that the best place to land is the English version and so CBC brings the Punjabi announcer to that broadcast to show how diverse they are… I really thing Singh’s story is amazing, and he has connected with fans who otherwise wouldn’t have been hockey fans. Is that going to continue to be the case ias he is full time on English broadcasts? I’m not so sure..
Alright Harnarayan!
He’s one of us
I prefer him to Dave Randorf,
nothing against Dave
Noticed that too but think it may come from a desire to have his “great save Luongo moment” in regards to Mike Smith.
However, he is NOT part of the Oilers broadcast team when he is doing a national game and should act accordingly.
But there is an awful lot to criticize about his work.
I can recall several times he haltingly uttered such pearls as “player X passed the puck to his left”.
This and other bon mots indicate his call cannot keep up to the game which he could work on in the minors rather than on a national stage.
I’m all for diversity but given the absolute carnage in the broadcast industry in recent years, I would think there are likely 50 broadcasters available who could do a better job and I’m pretty sure more than a few of them sit at home watching hockey on their couches knowing they could do better.
Interesting that a very accomplished sports broadcaster, Rod Black, just left TSN (we don’t really know why) and was replaced on the Lions – Stampeders game yesterday by Farhan Lalji who stepped in without a hitch due his extensive experience in all facets of broadcasting.
Your goal posts are down real bad, shouldn’t you being trying to rust protect them?
I always hear a Gilbert Godfrey voice when I read your comments
Pretty much this. He is not incompetent but he isn’t very good either.
I was sorry to hear that Rod is no longer with TSN.
More on the departure of Rod Black.
https://3downnation.com/2021/10/17/former-tsn-broadcaster-rod-black-a-victim-of-bell-media-cutbacks/amp/
Totally agree with this.
Diversity is a noble goal, but not at the cost of a quality product.
Singh just isn’t a very good play by play guy.
The guy is from Brooks, the Flickers are his home team.
The way he celebrated the jets goals last playoffs really burned in my soul. I was really hoping he was done after that.
I guess we all have our preferences. I really like HS; it is Louie who irritates me, using a lot of words to say little more than the bleeding obvious.
Before the season started, there was discussion on which RW to keep past this season as both Yammer and Jesse are due new contracts. The answer is clear so far. Still early, but Jesse has played like a boss most nights and playing like the player we all thought he would be on draft day. So happy for him!
So true! Can’t even imagine those two being compared at this point. Watching his goal again last night, at a critical point in the game, he was the player in the d zone behind the net getting the puck, passing to Drai then going straight up the middle of the ice, keeping pace with the puck, Drai passed to Ceci, who skated it a short ways and then passed it to PJ who was now in front of him and the oiler furthest up the ice?!?! It is almost inconceivable.
Channeling his inner Kurri with the defensive play deep in his own end and the finish at the other.
JP went in the ninth round of my draft. He’s a RW and those are very valuable in my draft. He still went too high for me to pull the trigger. Yama wasn’t even drafted.
So the book on Derek Ryan when signed was that he was a good fourth-line centre who could pinch on the third line until somebody (in those long ago days, we thought Ryan McLeod) stepped up. Through two games (plus preseason), I’m not seeing a lot of reason not to ink him in on the third line. Am I wrong?
Nope, he’s been solid. The only concern is sustain or too much TOI being older, but it may not affect him.
It’s clear as day so far. Ryan has been very good.
i thought he was further along the decline curve than he has shown so far
When a player is able to leave the cursed lands he can begin to breathe again.
Ryan has been fantastic right through exhibition and in to the regular season. 100%, absolutely, playing the role of legit 3C/PK (and right shot faceoff guy to boot).
As was mentioned above, and I have mentioned before, given he’s turning 35 soon, how he holds up through the season could be a concern and I’d like the coach’s to manage his minutes a bit.
It would be great if a real internal 3C option supplanted him and allowed him to play 4C – that would be amazing depth plus would help the play stay fresh, presumably.
With that said, that internal option does not seem to be on the horizon (McLeod has a LONG ways to go and who knows if Holloway would be ready to help out later in the season or if next year is more likely). For now, the schedule is light for a while and he should be able to keep up the level of play for the foreseeable future.
So far, he’s averaging apx 11 minutes at evens and 15 minutes overall. The 4 min of PK time should come down as the team should take fewer penalties but he’s up 4-5 minutes from last season (but similar to the years prior).
Considering Ryan went to the U of A after the WHL and only played ~25 games/season for four years, then Europe and only played ~55 games a season for four more years, and then finally 76 AHL games before making it in CAR two seasons later… he doesn’t have a lot mileage for a guy his age.
He averaged less than 40 games a year for the decade prior to playing in the NHL.
I bet he’s got plenty left in the tank.
You’ve mentioned this before and I have provided a counter (that i don’t think we’ve discussed).
I understand what your saying and, for sure, there is merit but I’m not sure I agree that there aren’t real miles on the player.
You’ve set out the course he took to get where he is today and, to me, it shows that he has has to work hard and bust his ass every day since University in order to continue to progress his career. Sure, there may be some years with fewer games so, I guess, “fewer miles” but I would say they have all been very hard miles.
In any event, he’s turning 35 and, miles or not, age is age.
Of course there are miles on DR; he’s 35 with a grand total of 347 GP in the NHL (and, as noted, only about 40 GP per year for the decade prior). I would hesitate to equate mileage in Europe with even the AHL, where he spent less than 80 games before making it with CAR.
Europe is where guys who can’t excel at the AHL level go for a career more suited to their talents and work ethic. Austria (where he played three seasons) isn’t exactly a bastion of Sutter hockey.
Take a look at his (would be) draft cohort from 2004. Top of the list in GP is Ovi (1199), then Zajac (1037) and Wheeler (983) leads a bunch of notables in the 900s.
Ryan has a significant advantage compared to these guys with the lack of punishment incurred. Both physically due to prevalent playing style, but also consider the lack of travel.
A secondary factor that is going to be legitimately important when factoring in conditioning and stamina is Ryan’s lifestyle. As a Mormon (according to Bob the only one in the NHL) he doesn’t drink, smoke or otherwise party like so many of his peers. I’m sure you recognize impact on performance of good clean living — especially as one ages.
All this said, and yet I don’t know any more than you do if he requires load management by the coaching staff, but if I had to bet on it one way or the other I’d likely wager no. At least, based on basic logic and some limited viewing.
He had to play a lot with Lucic the last couple of years. It made him look bad before of the boat anchor he was forced to drag around.
I was one of the skeptics at the time of the signing. I think of the 3C spot as at least as important as 2nd line wingers and was disappointed that Ryan was the best Holland could do. Only two games but so far I was completely wrong.
Foegele on the wing doesn’t hurt though. I wish nothing but good things for Bear but I wouldn’t take the trade back.
I am from saskatchewan. Did Louie Debrusk get traded for Kelly Hrudley
Louie is just doing an impression of someone who is impartial.
Would you prefer Cassie Campbell?
Oh & its pronounced Saskatchewan!
haha
It is S when the Riders win s when the riders lose
This makes perfect sense
It took me til grade 5 to spell it!
You finished Grade 5?
one more than me
He just wish he’d drop her pet “real shooter mentality” line. Any drinking game basd on that call would lead to serious liver problems.
A few things:
I agree on Puljujarvi, my favorite too. Congrats on the new job!!! It ain’t easy out there.
Thank you very much! Nope, its not an easy time, but slowly and surely we’ll all find our way
Congratulations!
Thank you very much LT!
Door
Swinging
Open
For
Tyler Benson!
Dave Tippett thinks you mis spelled
Devon Shore
Haha you misspelled Devin Shore ?
Lol,
Please refer to my education resume in the comments above
Shame on Benson if he cannot steal someone’s job by the new year. There are really potentially 4 available winger slots where he could push out of a job.
Kassian — self-explanatory
Yamamoto — if no offense and bad penalties continue
And the two 4th line slots.
i.e.
Benson Nugent-Hopkins Hyman
Benson Ryan Foegele
Benson XXX YYY on the 4th line.
A job is just sitting there for him to lay claim to it. Two pretty easy ones on the 4th line.
Are there any Oilers fans who would trade Puljujarvi straight up for Tkachuk right now? Flames fans sure like to chirp us about draft picks, only to be proven wrong!
How’s Jankowski working out for them?
I wouldn’t trade 13 for anyone else in that draft except for Auston.
I would not even trade him for Auston.
McAvoy might go 1st in a redraft. Jesse is rising with a bullet in the rankings before the redraft. In another two years, Jesse might conceivably be #2 to McAvoy.
Harpers Hair is an Oilers fan
Not sure who he’s a fan of, but the Oilers did break his heart some 35 years back or so and he’s still tortured by it, lol. Btw, I heard that story at least 3 years ago on Sportsnet comments. HH pretends to be a flames fan when he trolls Sportsnet, and a canucks fan here.
I have, in fact, never even seen a Sportsnet comment section.
Sure spillies… sure.
Of course, I’m well aware.
I do enjoy poking at him with a sharp stick though
I think this undervalues the value of Tkachuk on the ice. He’s very very good. Red flags for me are speed – that shit kills later in your career – and baggage. There’s always something swirling around him:
Tkachuk should have close to negative value due to his contract.
Due a $9M qualifying offer and he has arb rights and 1 year to UFA status.
In three years we’ll be talking about Petterson’s contract (although he may be worth his QO unlike Tkachuck).
Loved a post from TheViolentJester in you tube comments section
“All Hail the Bison King!”
Has there been another player in Oiler history that has swung the opinion of the majority of the fan base so far from one extreme to the other? I know that everyone says now that they were one hundred percent behind JP the whole time, but reality is that a large percentage wanted him moved out for a third round pick while he still had a bit of value. Now he’s a rock star and can’t do a thing wrong. Friedman said last night on the panel that Ken Holland deserves a lot of credit for allowing this turn around to happen and I am in total agreement.
I was behind JP the whole time…Yak too…shit swings both ways.
Well some players have certainly gone from favourites to vilified in no time flat, but the other direction is tough to pinpoint.
Trading him for a third would have always been extreme. I didn’t want to see him go but I remember at one point I was of the mind to move him for at least a mid-first or a top prospect, just to remove the distraction. Glad things are on such a steep upward trajectory.
Kassian was not well thought of when he broke Gagner’s jaw. He was a bit of a hero when he overcame some personal problems then beat up a turtle. Bit of an apples and oranges situation considering he was playing for bad guys during his villainous time.
Yes this was by far the majority opinion here. Just get rid of him. Yak 2.0. Rumour has it that the Oilers were entertaining offers when he was playing in Finland, but wanted at least a second…..but couldn’t get it! There has to be at least a handful of GM’s kicking themselves for missing that opportunity.
Ya. I think the discussion was very nuanced. I was certainly on board with trading him, but for value. I also thought the move to Europe was the best thing for him and the team. And then when rumours persisted that he would stay in Europe a second year rather than report to Edmonton, I was on board with trading him for anything.
Kassian is an effective 3rd liner when he plays it smart.
Love how he pounded Monahan and a few others without taking a penalty.
Monahan is one guy on the Flames I don’t like to see pounded. He’s not a dirty player and, like LT, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for him since draft day.
On any given shift that third line can cave the other team and even score a goal.
That is simply a massive thing for this team, massive.
Warren Foegele is a huge part of that.
The Oilers gave up real value to acquire Foegele but they acquired real value and it’s serving to “fix” a massive long term deficiency (and maybe even turn it in to an asset).
This is the classic move in procurement.
Trade from an area of depth to address weakness.
Nice to finally see it happen to us for once.
Keith was really Jonesing out there and Foegele was Bearing down
#BearJones
Ha! Good one!
On any given shift, Kassian can make a bonehead error, also, and gift the other team a goal.
Nurse abandoning the slot on the goal against is very notable. He is going walkabout more and that was a perfect example – Bouch was already behind the goal line and Nurse did not need to chase and leave the danger area.
The main pop on Nurse’s game last season was to not go puck chasing and leave the danger area. He’s reverting and it was there in exhibition as well.
I think it may be a function of his new contract (even though it’s not on force yet) and him trying to do too much.
Playfair should be able to reign him in in this regard.
I just hate seeing our 9 million dollar defenceman not cover his man, or do the Steve Staios patented “off the glass & out for an icing” thing…. very disheartening indeed.
Bouchard was with Tkachuk, but wasn’t in a position to block a pass. Nurse checking down to Tkachuk, and Bouchard in photo but not able to alter the course of play, is something that will need to get sorted out. Nurse clearly committed too much, but we’re also able to ask what Bouchard could have done to be more of an impediment.
Have you played D before? This is not how it works. Nurse is “out of the box” and stays out with the man behind the net. Bouchard stays net front. Bouchard made the bad read and I don’t think played after that? I think that says it all.
He’s going to be a great player. There is no need to lay his mistakes on Nurse.
Sure, the Flames are not feirece and, sure, I agree, they aren’t fast but they also aren’t good and that’s the key.
They “tough out” a few wins when Markstrom stands on his head but they are not close to a playoff team.
Sutter Hockey!
I think it’s a bit early to write them off. The Pacific is just so hard to nail down. Some very flawed teams all competing for a playoff spot.
If I’m a Flames fan, I would be deeply concerned about Monahan. He was a legit top six centre. I don’t know what he is now. And I didn’t realize he’s had five surgeries already. This sport can chew guys up and spit them out – and it’s just so random.
See Klefbom, Oscar.
If I’m a Flames fan ???
Burn Him!
One of my favourites on his draft day, sad to see him where he is now. I hope he can recover.
Agreed. These guys work so hard to reach the pinnacle and then boom – their career is gone. First world problem for sure, but it still sucks.
OP I don’t think the Flames are a strong team but they have quality. Sutter is letting vets play their way down the roster likely, Tipp does it.
Put Coleman on the second line, Dube on the third, and Lewis to the fourth and they are better and faster. Their D group could also settle in as decent if Tanev can stay healthy.
Of course I don’t like them, but as with the Canucks, and any NHL team these days with reasonable health, loose teams will lose a lot of games they should/could have won.
I had mentioned Turtle and Mangiapane pre game and that if the Oilers weren’t good against them they would make them pay, and they did.
‘Hockey’ was happy to stay on the perimeter and they didn’t give him much so he didn’t do much.
It was a good win, but there was a lot of fortune in that one, they were still sloppy, a bounce could have changed that game.
agreed and that could be a very loooong season in Calgary – how hard will it be to play Sutter style after game 60 when the playoffs are a pipe dream?
That’s the thing about Sutter imo. He needs his team to have success early on in the season because the style of play he demands is hard on the players.
Being competitive they will keep pounding guys as long as their bodies will take it IF they are enjoying success. If the success isn’t there the effort becomes more difficult to summon as the season wears on.
I am not one of those who discounts the Flames in the regular season though. They have skill. Their depth is questionable imo but they have skill and they will work hard every game until Sutter wears them out.
Is that “fear easy” if not fierce?
Numerous ways to manage the cap to sign Jesse – numerous.
Countless mid-range contracts are tradable and they have prospects at each position willing to step in next year.
Im so not going to worry about next off-season in October.
Agreed! Lets enjoy this season and see how it works out… Way to early to start worrying about next season.
Hear Hear.
Hear…Hear…Hearing for Rasmus Andersson???
Head Butt
It’s a concern and should be addressed. Your not wanting to discuss it isn’t really germane. It’s a real problem, made doubly so by the Yamamoto deal also expiring.
A Kassian trade/buyout, dealing Barrie or running Smith-Skinner in goal next season are options, and there may be others.
It’s sure as hell worth discussing, and I will.
Preach On brother Al!
I say we trade him right now. Trade high!!!
Absolutely, it can be discussed as much as anyone wants to, of course.
I don’t agree that “its a real problem”. I would suggest that it “could” be a problem but that is far from certain.
There are so many factors that need to, and will, play out over the next 8 months – one being Yamamoto. For all we know, he is worth a minute raise or, of he does have a great season and cost is an issue, he’ll be tradeable for value and is likely that one or more of Laovie, Savoie, Holloway, etc. are ready for a middle six role.
There are numerous mid-range contracts that should be tradeable – Barrie, Ceci, maybe Kassian, etc.
Smith is another factor – play like he has for 45-50 starts and Skinner continues to develop and there is no need to spend more on a goalie next season.
Maybe the Oilers win the cup and Keith does retire – boom $9.5M in cap space.
So many factors and so many ways to structure the cap.
Its worth of discussion, for sure, but until those factors play out, and it will be months, it’ll be tough to have any concrete solutions or to know if there actually is a problem.
OP, if you don’t think the JP-KY summer signing next year isn’t a problem now, then we’re never going to agree on team building. If I’m Holland, and I’m not, the idea of trading Tyson Barrie during the season is attractive, when maybe it wasn’t before the year. Not to get ahead of himself, but trading Barrie for an expiring contract in the first half of the season is worth pondering.
Are you thinking Berglund could be ready by then, RD for RD or something else?
I’m not saying it “isn’t’ a problem” but I’m also not saying it “is a problem”.
I’m opining that there are too many factors that will play out over the curse of 8 months, too many unknowns, to know if it is a problems.
I do presume that Jesse is going to be quite expensive, how expensive we do not know. How big of a raise Yamamoto might require is totally unknown. So far he has more minor penalties taken than points scored and as many PIMs than shots on net.
We don’t know how much it may cost to “keep the gang together” and there are numerous ways to create cap space including, given the current roster and the contracts thereon, many without pain.
YES! LT for GM!
Until the Ducks game the Death March™ will remain open for new players.
http://www.oilersdeathmarch.com/marches/2021-22
Healthy Mike Smith is a legit top 10 NHL Goalie.
Top 7?
Top 5 in front of a better defense?
He has played very well in first two games. He did go “wandering” a few times last night but it didn’t cost him! Looking forward to Koski playing his first game. If he has a solid season we will be in good shape.
Great job by Scott Oak and Louie DeBrusk interviewing Zach Hyman postgame.