Caleb Jones is an NHL player, he just needs to find a spot in the lineup. The quality he showed last night on the pass to Lagesson for the goal was outstanding. The Edmonton Oilers ‘to-do’ list runs to hell and back, but they’ve got themselves a player in Caleb Jones. Now. Do it again.
This may not end well, the new general manager has several young contributors who he might sign, or trade, depending on how he wants the club to look this fall. Lots of easy decisions may become difficult when the organization chooses a new direction/style.
CONDORS LINEUP
Wilde is a good soul, you can follow him here and here. He offered to share his work for our group (and then did so in the comments section). Here are last night’s Corsi events by player (broken down by line).

The Malone line carried the mail, with Jones and Lagesson showing up on the scoresheet, in Game 1. The rookies (Benson, Marody, Vesel, Hebig) are likely to have more impact offensively as the series wears along. These are ridiculously good numbers, hard to find a negative.
One of the real concerns the Oilers may be facing now is the job of general manager has lots of strings, or appears to from afar. I do like the names we’re hearing as candidates, but lord help the Oilers if these men say no thanks.
I still have this feeling they are waiting on McCrimmon
Its an nhl gm job. Lets not pretend no one wants the job
No offense taken, I’ll reap what I sow happily, I just wanted clarity because I wasn’t sure; again I didn’t want to respond in kind if you weren’t being serious
That’s something that does cross my mind, actually, it’s just that I look at it like this: If I’m being unfair or insulting, I certainly hope that it’d be ‘done to me’ back, because I would deserve it.
So, if you think I’ve been downright mean to you in the past – without provocation – you ignored doing what you suggest here. I put a lot of time, thought, and care into my interactions and discussion here, so I’m not looking to spread myself too thin with one-way courtesy.
You asked a question, and I answered it. You asked if something happened, and it didn’t, so I said it didn’t happen. I don’t have to launch into an insufferable essay like I usually do when it’s just a simple question and answer.
(contrarianism)
Kind of my take too. I dunno. Maybe Hunter could be good? Maybe?
I’m sorry if I caused offense. But you have been downright mean to me in the past, and that catches up at some point.
I would suggest you run your replies through a “would I like that to be done to me” filter. Just replying “no” instead of either a) ignoring the post, or b) supplying some kind of argument invites contraryism (probably not a word).
I would put me in the 90% tongue firmly in cheek, so yeah, it’s hard to read when I’m being serious. I’ll own that. I’ll also own challenging someone that I don’t think is being fair or debating in good faith.
Don’t let this ruin your day. Hang with loved ones. Have fun. Peace.
Gillis feigned interest in Eakins. Eakins used his Toronto media PR machine to hype that interest. MacT fell for it all.
Shanahan hired a three headed monster because he didn’t want to bet on only one guy. He bet on three. The old experienced guy in Lamorello, the stats nerd in Dubas, and the conventional young GM type in Mark Hunter. Dubas was probably Shanahan’s guy all along, but he covered that bet until Dubas demonstrated that he was ready and could handle the job.
Hunter is a better candidate having worked in Toronto with Lamarello (the vet) and Dubas (the stats nerd), and seeing how they were going to structure operations and hire people outside of hockey usual old boy ways.
Jethro Tull,
also I can’t really tell if you’re joking or just straight up trying to insult me, but if it’s the former i’d prefer that you stop because the overwhelming majority of the time people who talk down to me like that are being serious, so through text I assume that’s the case and am likely to respond in kind
Same concept. Otherwise you’re arguing semantics and what people mean literally. That’s a two-way street.
More accurately WE need to be patient. Although this is incredibly difficult to do when we see Makar jump right into the Avs line-up like he did.
Bouchard would easily eat Day’s lunch.
Too many damn coaches are so damn risk-averse, which boggles my mind considering how low-risk IMVSO such a move would be.
If EB is not dressed next game he is likely nursing an injury.
hiring someone because another team is interested isn’t the same as promoting someone because another team is interested
Sigh. Just no? No rebuttal? Lucky you’re good with numbers, eh?
The story at the time is that MacT felt pressured to hire Eakins because it was insinuated that another team, most notable of which was the Canucks were going to hire him.
Now I typed Dallas Eakins Vancouver Canucks Coach into google and a whole load of stories framing this came up from about 2012 onwards as it became increasingly likely Eakins would land an NHL gig through to 2013 when he did.
But yeah. No. I guess. Good come back, nicely defined argument, compelling logic and very persuasive.
no
Promoting someone to stop them leaving instead of being the best person for the job is so……..Oilers.
Isn’t that how we got Eakins?
Mark Hunter left the Leafs because Dubas was chosen GM over him. Shanahan was forced to make promote Dubas to Lamarello’s position, because Dubas was beginning to get offers from other teams.
Zegras joins team USA this morning against the Russians, curious to see how he compares to Caufield and Turcotte.
Of course you can – he’d just arrived, no time to gel with the team, learn systems, practice, etc, etc. The team had been on a huge winning streak and has an excellent D. Bouchard needs to be patient. They’ll work him in for a game sooner rather than later.
That post on the GM hunt is correct. I say it will be Kif. His other identity is keith gretzky.
Evan Bouchard not playing last night is a disservice to him,Oilers fans everywhere. Most of us armchair experts believe he will be in NHL next year. You cannot sit him.
I don’t have any article to use as a reference but from what I remember Mark Hunter left the Leafs organization after Lou Lamiorello because both were old school “eyes before analytics” types. Kyle Dubas was moving towards a more forward thinking organization and neither men fit the mindset they wanted to groom so they both left.
That’s my impression of Hunter and that’s why his hire would be just another one of the “200 Hockey men” that populate too many NHL organizations already. I don’t want same old same old. I want innovative and analytic based decision making. Mark Hunter might be a good manager but my bet is that he’s just like 90% of the other NHL executive dinosaurs chasing the next winning trend instead of figuring out how to get ahead of everyone else…
I don’t trust guys like this. It’s unfashionable to be anti-analytics all the time nowadays, so you have to look at where people are coming from initially, and where they go when they’re under pressure.
I’m sure if you asked Paul Fenton if analytics factored into his Nino-for-Rask deal, he’d say yes, but you’d have to twist the numbers (and yourself) into a pretzel to interpret publicly available data in a way that green-lights those valuations.
Timing is everything for gauging this stuff. I posted about this the other day, but all you have to do is wait for something that shakes everybody’s perspective up – in this case, the Lightning being swept – to find out where people are really at.
I just don’t know enough about Hunter. For all I know he is all-in on analytics.
I agree. I hope he is allowed or smart enough to have a few Assistants behind him with different skill sets. Need many different skilled people and management team.
Chuck Norris.
Scroll down and you’ll see:https://startingstrength.com/article/pat_casey_gallagher
~At least Hunter has a stellar pro assessment resume.~ I mean his name is `Hunter`. Right Mr Burgers?
Is Burgers even aware of that aspect of an NHL team given his entire background is amateur? Doesn’t seem like it. The amateur stuff really isn’t the problem. We are doomed.
Edmonton is a city of bright lights. How is it that none can penetrate the Oilers? The Ice District feels like the Deathstar.
OriginalPouzar,
Pat Casey could lift em.
Maybe the Hunters will attempt a coup once they get Trojan Mark through the gate.
To whom it may concern, Ryan Murray played a lot on both the left and right side in junior, even though he shot left.
Injuries have derailed his career somewhat. Got injured in draft +1 in junior during the lockout. He is Columbus’s version of Klefbom.
3-1. Boys are really getting worked in the corners
Brooke Henderson wins the LPGA event in Hawaii. Ties the record for most PGA/LPGA wins by a Canadian. And she’s only 21.
Great year so far for Canadian golfers and tennis players.
Russell from Beat and Currie pull the Condors to within 1 early in the 3rd.
Looking at the Vezina nominees.
They actually got it right
Bishop should take it. What a season especially with him fighting injuries
\Russell scores from Bear and Currie. 2-1 bad guys.
It’s all a smokescreen they will keep Keith and sell the faithful that he will be a intern GM for 1 year while they do a extensive high and low search to get the best man possible. In the mean time Keith with some help will kick ass this spring with dumping cap adding some wingers a reliable backup and doing well at the draft and he leads us to the playoffs next year which leads to Keith being named as our GM.
How many here even have Hunter in their top 5?
I remember buying my Jordan’s for $65.00 in 1985. I was the last person in my school to make any kind of fashion statement, but those puppies turned heads. Bought them with my first income from a summer job, but normally I wore second hand clothes as a teen.
In fact my grad suit cost 25¢ from a church basement flea market in Stony Plain in 1986.
2-0 Eagles. Shortie.
LOL, SWISH…..
Ryan McLeod with the OT winner for Saginaw as they go up 2-0 on Guelph.
Professor Q,
Yeah, Bob got criticized for not doing due diligence when he hired Chiarelli so like the good bureaucrat that he is he is going to interview every hockey person whose name he can think of this time.
Unfortunately process does not guarantee the correct result.
Condors with their hands full tonight lets see what they can do on tge power play
McLeod scores in OT, Saginaw up 2-0.
No, lol.
It was this: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/fitness-center/details/miaws-w-south-beach/5968508/
Wow – Eagles with tons of pressure on their second PP. Tyler Vesel with the save of the game so far as the clock winded down – empty net off a scramble and he saved a goal.
Condors down 1-0 going in to the second.
$100 for shoes in the 1980s?!
What were they, gold plated?
Huge SH save by Starrett on, essentially, a 2-0 – just a horrible pass by Marody to turn it over – really bad play by Cooper.
So, Hunter just signed on with Hockey Canada in March. Of course Bob would interview him (among ithers; as they say, this isn’t done yet).
However, there are also rumours of Bob heading off in a few years to join the IIHF.
This is a tangled web of mess.
Lowetide,
Thank you sir.
Darren Dreger
Verified account @DarrenDreger
24m24 minutes ago
Oilers boss, Bob Nicholson into 2nd interviews with GM candidates. Belief is, he may do a 3rd with top guys and is hoping to hire his man around May 1.
Elliotte Friedman
Verified account @FriedgeHNIC
25m25 minutes ago
OHL London’s Mark Hunter received a second interview for EDM GM job…still think there are more candidates — some of whom are overseas at Under-18s. So the process continues, but Hunter is part of it.
Man Lagesson is fun to watch – great job defending the blueline on a 2 on 2 – no backing in.