Stuart Skinner was stone cold awesome last night against the Winnipeg Jets. The big goaltender stopped 46 of 47 shots (.979) and looked cool as a cucumber in the shootout. The four-minute minor by Connor McDavid (who moments earlier scored another ‘once in a lifetime’ goal to save everyone) raised the temperature of fans and teammates, but Skinner kept solving shots and eventually Edmonton came out with a valuable two points.
That was a fine evening of goaltending.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Why Kailer Yamamoto is still on the Oilers’ No. 2 line
- Lowetide: Three auditioning Oilers who are finding their groove and hope to find their place
- Lowetide: Should the Oilers move Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the 3rd line?
- DNB and Max Bultman: How Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Holland helped create ‘the Harvard of hockey management’
- Lowetide: How good is Matvey Petrov and is he on an NHL trajectory?
- Lowetide: Will Ken Holland make an early-season trade to bolster the Oilers?
- DNB: Oilers lament Connor McDavid not drawing penalties
- Jonathan Willis: How the Decade of Darkness did — and didn’t — set up the current success
- Lowetide: Why can’t the Oilers put together an effective third line?
- DNB: Oilers’ Stuart Skinner on the right track after second NHL start
- DNB: What I believe and what I know about the Oilers after 10 games
- Lowetide: How close to balanced are the 2021-22 Oilers?
- DNB: Connor McDavid’s otherworldly goal
- DNB: Kevin Lowe Q&A
- Lowetide: Is this Connor McDavid’s peak season, and how good could it be?
- Lowetide: Who is the Oilers’ top prospect now that Evan Bouchard has graduated?
- DNB: Oilers’ Tyson Barrie says what needs to be said as NHL faces reckoning
- DNB: The Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci pair have helped to overcome a notable loss
- Jonathan Willis: Seven Oilers surprises so far in 2021-22
WHAT TO EXPECT IN NOVEMBER
- At home to: SEA, NAS, NYR (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 3-0-0)
- On the road to: DET, BOS, BUF, STL, WPG (Expected 3-2-0) (Actual 2-3-0)
- At home to: WPG, CHI (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: DAL, ARI, VEG (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 8-5-0, 16 points in 13 games
- Actual November results: 6-3-0, 12 points in nine games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 12-4-0, 24 points in 16 games
The Oilers first 10 games run (9-1-0) was unsustainable but after the road trip the team needs to top up on wins before heading out on the road to complete the month. Big win last night, and of course it gives us a chance to discuss Ken Dryden Stuart Skinner.
GOALTENDER
Stuart Skinner has a 2.40 goals-against average and a save percentage of .940 and that’s a fantastic total after four games. What does it mean?
His resume suggests Laurent Brossoit is a good comparable, but I’m always reminded of Bill James’ verbal on pitchers. In a long article about pitchers who throw hard and other pitchers who have location but are not fireballers, James suggested the key element in success for both types was hanging around long enough to figure out how to pitch in the big leagues.
James quoted chapter and verse about pitchers experiencing injuries and various other maladies (sometimes pitchers stop being able to throw the ball over the plate, see Blass, Steve) that derailed strong futures.
James suggested if a pitcher could bounce around long enough, and figure out how his pitches got batters out, then a career was possible (see Norman, Fred and Neagle, Denny).
The worst time to project Skinner is today, this morning. However, he’s earned some more starts this season and Edmonton might have themselves a goalie. There are seasons on his resume, Lethbridge to Bakersfield, that imply quality. A most encouraging development.
PAIRINGS
Darnell Nurse-Tyson Barrie played 18:16, going 10-15 shots, 0-1 goals and 3-3 HDSC. Nurse had two shots, six hits, four blocks, three giveaways and played 31 minutes. He had one shot that produced a rebound. Barrie had two shots, one on the PP.
Duncan Keith-Cody Ceci played 15:46, going 10-10 shots, 1-0 goals and 2-4 HDSC. Both men had assists on the McDavid goal, hockey was too generous to both but they can’t give all three points to the captain. Keith had three giveaways and got caught a couple of times chasing from the neutral zone in. Ceci had four shots, six hits and some nice passes. Never thought I’d be a fan, but he’s won me over.
Slater Koekkoek-Evan Bouchard played 3:28, going 2-2 shots, 0-1 HDSC. That pairing isn’t working. Koekkoek got hurt in the game, one wonders if we’ll see a recall today (Russell is also banged up).
Darnell Nurse-Evan Bouchard played 3:58, going 2-3 shots, 1-1 HDSC. This is my preferred top pairing, but Bouchard did struggle on the road and checking down was probably the right call in the short term. Bouchard had two shots, two blocked shots and to my eye was more aggressive with Jets forwards. I like Bouchard plenty, he’s a player who can help this team for years.
LINES
Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto played 13:10, going 9-6 shots, 0-1 goals and 2-2 HDSC. Draisaitl had four shots, 3-2 give/take, all over the ice. Nuge had four shots and 7 attempts, 1-2 give/take. Yamamoto, who I wrote about this morning at The Athletic, went clean slate save for a giveaway. I didn’t place any blame on the goal, Nuge didn’t get his stick on the shot but it was a creative play by the Jets.
Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi played 13:20, going 9-9 shots, 1-0 goals and 4-2 HDSC. This line continues to improve chemistry as more time is spent together. The McDavid goal was incredible, and timely, he appears to rise to the occasion on command, a human cheat sheet with speed in his feet, hands and brain. Hyman had three HDSC, four shots, nine shot attempts, a great takeaway and seemed hurt later in the game on a play along the wall. Puljujarvi had several good looks, three shots, six attempts and was active all over the ice.
Foegele-McLeod-Kassian played 8:40, going 2-7 shots, no goals and 1-1 HDSC. Foegele had a shot and six hits, one HDSC and I thought it would be a goal. McLeod is a different player since recall, he’s engaged and his skating is a weapon (not as much as in Bakersfield but it’s there) and that’s another encouraging development from the farm. Kassian had a fight, a give/take each way and skated miles without touching the puck.
Tyler Benson took two penalties in a row and that’s not going to keep him in the lineup. Colton Sceviour had a giveaway, blocked a shot and worked hard along the wall. Kyle Turris had two shots, including a good chance, and then a big shootout goal to send everyone home happy.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A fun Friday show, TSN 1260 starting at 10. Steve Lansky will touch base on Edmonton’s 12-4-0 record and what the two games against the Jets tell us, plus regale us with a HNIC story from the past you won’t want to miss. Matthew Iwanyk brooded through our segment yesterday when discussing Italy and Manchester United, I’m not sure I can deliver that again but we’ll try to upset him. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
Watching the out of town games tonight … first off, why are there only two games on a Friday night? 2nd – enjoying the Jets getting taken down by the lowly Dys. Never thought I’d say that, but the amount of embellishment to get penalties by the Jets was European football level … they’ve overtaken the Dys on how much I despise them. Third – I’m glad we didn’t sign Drieger.
Looking forward to tomorrow night … the Hawks are another team that have had our boys number. With Nurse out, Keith is back to being a number 1 LD the night he plays against his old team. How’s that for karma? Hope he uses his knowledge of the Hawks players to get the jump on them, rather than the other way around.
+1 for the karma.
Man, this blog is entertaining, I have been following it for a month now. The “online personalities” you have created for yourselves are absolutely compelling:
Harper’s Hair – I am assuming Steven Harper. The collector of down votes, dissonance, objectionable comments, etc. I love it, the blog would not be the same without you. Google “You need people like me” from Scarface, the scene is on You Tube, it so reminds me of the reactions to HH. Pacino finishes off by saying “I tell the truth, even when I lie.” LMAO Being an Oilers fan, I hate to say it, but a lot of the comments from this person are closer to the truth than I would like to admit. It’s hilarious when an excellent analysis is made and it gets 15 down votes. I wouldn’t say that HH tries to be PROVOCATIVE though. :))) Very nice to have a different point of view.
Original Pouzar – Brilliant. How much accurate knowledge can one person have? I get better information from OP than I do from pretty much anywhere. FOR FREE. I would rather read this person’s postings than get Oilers information from television, print media or any blog other than this one. I’m not saying obsessive, but definitely a very focused interest in the Edmonton Oilers organization. I feel like I should be paying for it.
Godot – Samuel Beckett on a sports blog? I am sick of waiting for the next posting. 🙂
Lowetide – The personal stories, references to other sports, popular culture and general writing is sublime. The comparisons are always thought provoking. That doesn’t even include the in depth analysis. Again, on a sports blog? I can see how all of these interesting personalities want to be a part of this. I’m used to “Oilers suck” or “Player B is the shits” or “At least we are not from Cincinnati, now that would be really depressing.”
Although a few cheap shots are funny too, they just get old after they are overused.
Thanks very much for creating this thing, it is TOO MUCH.
Additionally, I actually tune into this when I watch a game alone. One time McDavid scored and someone posted “Thank you God for giving us your only son.” Being raised Catholic, I must have laughed for about a half an hour.
Have a great evening everyone.
That was me… and I was raised Catholic lol. Glad someone got the joke. Still makes me chuckle.
Great crew here now, but you wouldn’t believe the personalities and big brains that have also come and gone. Guys like Vic Ferrari went on to do stats in the NHL. Guys like McCurdy and young Jonathan now have professional Oiler writing gigs.
And we still have writers like NID…
New Improved Darkness. Just the name alone, lol.
I mean is there a better expression of Oiler fan cynicism than that moniker? It echoes the sentiments of one of the greatest Lowetidisms of all time: “we hoped for the best… but it turned out like always.”
Nice post, by the way, and please, welcome… to fantasy island.
(pun intended… to be delivered dripping with fine Corinthian leather)
Thanks very much Munny 2.0. My partner is South Asian and from Malaysia so I had to explain to her what a hockey puck is. I still don’t think she understands. Her mother watches games with me because she is an avid wrestling and MMA fan, she likes violence and fighting, so hockey is exciting for her.
Anyway, not a lot of sophisticated hockey talk, so I really like everyone’s analysis.
May peace be with you, Mr. Roarke and Tattoo. LOL
HH and excelent analysis? Where? When?
We may have to agree to disagree on this one Tragikomix. I’m new to this thing, so maybe I am not getting the whole picture about this HH individual. I haven’t really even “blogged” before. I definitely do not agree with that individual all of the time, but I certainly respect the willingness to take everyone on and stick to a point of view regardless of how many folks disagree. I guess I’ve always been a rebel deep down. Sure, it appears to be provocative and maybe a little bit arrogant, but from what I have read, (limited) HH receives as much as is dished out. Regardless of whether one thinks the analysis is too biased, out of touch, or just plain bad, it definitely generates some interesting reading, the conflict is entertaining. But I vote for Communist Party of Canada, so that should explain my “muddled” thought processes. Actually, to think about it, “Harper’s Hair” should be my arch nemesis on this forum! Just can’t do it. LOL I think Michael Jordan one said “Republicans by sneakers too.”
Savoie’s line has had some chances in the third, but nothing rhymed. Denver cruises to an easy 4-1 victory.
Thanks for the updates on Savoie, appreciate what you’re doing.
Savoir-faire is the second intermission interview…
Did well for the kid up the street who used to deliver LT’s evening paper.*
*While not necessarily actually true… still essentially true.
Savoie taps one in from the right post. This line is owning Miami right now
They are reviewing what would be Savoie’s eleventh. Looking for goaltender interference i think.
Goal stands. Redhawks lose their timeout. It was a challenge.
…Which explains the length of time the refs took, because that was a loong review.
Dominant shift from the Savoie line. Was set up for a great chance and hit iron. I think it was him, they were buzzin and it was a shooting gallery.
Savoie with two powerplay shots that both create juicy rebounds, but the Pioneers are unable to cash. The second unit comes on to take the resulting face-off, win it for a quick shot and they score on the rebound. The second unit with both powerplay goals.
Unlike Petrov, Bourgault fails to score an empty-netter, but the coach did have him out for all but the final two seconds of the last minute of the third. Good sign.
Petrov adds an insurance goal with just over a minute left to put North Bay up 4-2.
For full disclosure, it was in to the empty net.
The plus being he was on the ice defending a one-goal lead at that time.
Savoie with a shot on net and then a dandy pass to set up Brink in the slot but he was unable to convert. Strong powerplay, gave the Pioneers some momentum after giving up the tying goal. 1-1.
Two Swedes in net for tonight’s NCAA feature match.
The Battalion take back the lead late in the 2nd, Petrov with a primary assist
The Ball’s in Skinner court he has the opportunity of a lifetime to solidify himself in Oilers silks for the next half-dozen years.
Tullio with a primary aPPle as Oshawa draws even with North Bay at 2.
I hope Keith has his crystal-covered panties ready and a flagon of silver water. Holland’s prize pig is going to have quite a challenge over the next few weeks.
Do these words mean things?
Bourgault scores off a broken play..a back pass from crease side that was supposed to be a backswing for a shot, but set him up perfectly regardless… snipes top corner near side.
not surprising that under Suuter elite open shotbreduction coaching of the 200 top ev min dmen they have:
2- top 6 def dmen
1 more top 40
2 more top 50
#6 def dman is #78
Oilers
2 below average top 120 def dmen
Nurse, Bouchard
Bottom 60 keith
Bottom 40 Barrie Ceci ( Wrong sys fir him)
Botyom 15 Koekkoek
The flames have 9 wins and 8 losses (5 OT/SO)
The flames have 8 regulation wins in 17 games.
This is with their goalie being a top 5 tender in the league this season.
They also have a better goal differential…have given up the equivalent of 17 fewer goals and have played 11 of their first 17 games on the road.
Defense wins championships.
9 wins, 8 losses.
17 games played, 8 won in regulation.
Just simple factoids.
A few more simple factoids.
GA/G
Calgary 2.00 (2nd)
Edmonton 3.00 (15th
SA/GP
Edmonton 34.4 (32nd)
Calgary 29.5 (6th)
Shot Differential
Edmonton -1.6
Calgary +5.1
Over time that shit will kill you.
With the Oiler D now imploding, expect those trends to accelerate.
Did I mention defence wins championships?
Flames have won 4 of their last 10 games.
Edmonton has won 7.
Relying on Bettman points, that shit will kill you.
Has McDavid or Draisaitl at any point feared the Flames defense? Even when they have to resort to attempts to injure.
31GP 26G 17A 43PTS
35GP 5G 36A 41PTS
McDavid and Draisaitl don’t give a shit about Calgary defense.
That’s nice, your constant anti-Oiler predictions over the years of have been nothing but consistently wrong.
Looking purely at this season’s defensive metrics or exclusively at wins and losses isn’t necessarily predictive of future success (small sample sizes and all that). However the idea that defence win championships is definitely, well… defensible.
Over the course of the last 2+ seasons (up to and including this season so far), the Lightning rank 6th in both shots against and goals against, 3rd in Corsi Against, 4th in Fenwick against and 4th in HDCA, and they have positive shot differential that sits just outside the top 10.
This blog is a math blog (with occasional forays into our host’s childhood, BBQ, whisky and which Stones album is the best and why are you suggesting it isn’t Let It Bleed?). It is also not an Edmonton sucks, Calgary might suck less than we think kind of binary argument – it’s math.
Over time, the math suggests that the run and gun, defensively loose, bend but not break approach to hockey might not work in this era, especially if the team’s top defender is on the shelf for any length of time. We all know that there are questions between the pipes (man, Skinner looked great didn’t he, but beware small sample sizes bearing gifts) and questionable depth in the bottom 6 and on the back end. This impacts the defensive metrics, but also impacts the ability for the top players to take over games over the long haul.
HH isn’t wrong to ask this question and point out the glaring issues, but our resident Bear chose to look at the Flames provides a window into another approach to both roster construction and systems play in the here and now. I chose Tampa because they won the last two cups, so it just made sense to see what they look like defensively.
The defensive metrics for Edmonton this season have not been good. More wins and fewer losses certainly covers up the flaws in the team, both in terms of roster construction and performance on the ice. These same flaws provide questions about sustainability, whether this current wins vs. losses pace can be maintained.
That being said, I hate watching Sutter-puck and despite all of the flaws in their game, this is the most fun I’ve had watching Oiler hockey probably since 2016-17, and to me that matters more than the numbers. Hopefully they survive this stretch without Nurse, the kids play well and Tippett & Playfair design a defensive system that plays to the strengths of the players on the roster and ideally limits more HDSCs than the team has been able to limit in the last few years. Given the injuries, if the team can play .500 hockey until Darnell comes back, I’d call that a win.
shames played against 2 or was it 3 teams on Covid protocol and some of the weakest eastern teams so far.
Had the Jets won the coin flip last night, the Flames would be in first place today.
An inconvenient truth.
That is an convenient mis-truth or, simply, a lie.
They would be behind the Oilers via points percentage and regulation wins.
So HH has finally revealed the unlucky team whose bandwagon he’s jumped on.
#HHcurse is even more reliable the old EA NHL curse
Tomorrow night, the first #Brobergasm
Heh.
Meanwhile in North Bay, the Battalion have scored late in the 1st to tie Bobby Orr’s alma mater at one apiece. Petrov not involved in either the GF or the GA and has yet to register a shot on net.
Watching this Cataractes powerplay is giving me cataracts. They cannot establsh any zone time. That said, they were struggling to do it at EVs too.
And then the second unit bangs one in crease mouth. No Bourgault points.
lol
Bourgault with two good backchecks on the same shift… rewarded when the puck bounces to him, releasing him and a linemate on a partial two-on one. Pass back to Bourgault was interrupted and he still nearly banged the bouncing disk past the goalie.
Jeremias Lindewall was back in the lineup for Modo after being loaned out to Hockeyettan, the tier below Allsvenskan ergo Sweden’s third tier, to get some more ice time. The team he was loaned to is from the same town as his Allsvenskan club and I think they have some sort of deal where young players who are too good or too old for juniors are sent down there to get more ice time while still playing against men, he was there for a short spell last season as well. Lindewall has played four games in Hockeyettan this season and has six points(3+3) which is pretty good, as a comparison James Hamblin who seems to be doing ok in the AHL, had 25 points in 22 games last year so for a 19 year old Lindewall has been producing nicely down there.
He didn’t have any points in his return to Modo but was starting in the top 6 which is nice to see. Hopefully he can stick in the top 6 though the sense with Modo the last few years is that young players have very little rope so I expect a quick demotion unless he starts producing.
Great info – thank you.
Thanks for the update, SP.
Are you doing well?
Hockey is amazing (I guess all team sports in this regard) because the narrative always is yet to be written.
I’m glad we locked in Smiths groin for an extra season
Kenny loves two year contracts
Based on last year’s performance it wasn’t all that questionable. There is still a lot of highway. Worst case scenario he is out and on long term injury. No harm no foul and it gives us a chance to test drive Skinner and determine what we actually have in Koskinen. A younger goalie could have been injured and out for the year as well and or just not NHL caliber. Not saying the bet was fool proof but in life there are few certainties. The reality is that there were few alternatives given cap restraints. See the number of young adults that are still living at home. In hockey just as in life there are financial realities!
Mikko Koskinen was signed by the Oilers on May 1, 2018 – do we not know what we have in him?
Probably need to re-sign him for another 5 years to find out
We have a good read on Koskinen and some are unfair in their judgement given the instability of the D playing in front of him. His cap hit is too high but he does have value. What do you feel his value is as a top end backup goalie? In other words what would you offer him on a contract to stay in Edmonton?
Totally depends on who you ask! At his price point ie cap he has to be a 1A or 1B. He is by all I have observed a bonafide backup goalie. His cap hit would have been okay had we not run into Covid and the flat cap which is true for Kassian’s contract as well.Koskinen is much better than many give him credit for.
I didn’t think the question of “do we know what we have in him” needed to be answered in the context of cap hit and value for cap hit.
In to his 4th season, I think we all have a pretty good idea what level of tending he is going to bring and there isn’t really anything else to “find out”.
With that said, as its being brought up, if he is a “bona fide back-up goalie” then, no, I can’t agree his cap hit would have been OK without Covid. $4.5M for term was never going to be reasonable for a “bona fide backup”.
Plus the opportunity cost … Oilers could have signed another goalie with that cap hit. Maybe sweetened the offer to Markstrom … we’ll never know, but that contract was bad the day it was signed and everyone but Chiapet knew it.
Skinner proving to be at least a capable backup is also a big step in finding the money to sign Puljujarvi longer than 2 years. But if that is his ceiling, we still need to either get rid of Smith or be creative in finding another 1A
Varlamov will probably be available in the summer, likely costs a 2nd plus a B prospect.
If we choose not to resign all of our UFA’s, we should have about 5 million in savings which equals his cap hit
Most of Smith’s contract is able to be buried and or he can be bought out. This is assuming he can’t be put LTIR. Assuming Skinner is on the career progression to starting goalie it opens all kinds of possibilities for the Oilers in 2022.
Smith will still have a $2.2M cap hit next season even if he’s bought out in the off-season – its a plus 35 contract.
Most weekday games I have to stream after work due to the time difference which does not always go well with my (much) better half. Fortunately she was involved in some charity baking operation and I was able to watch a great game guilt free.
The Jets are a really good team and have elite goal tending (as JP will confirm) and I think they may well win the West. A thrilling win.I saw the Skinner 60 (or so) shot shut out so declaring SS as The Solution is premature but, man he looked good. Yamo looked a boy amongst men; Sceviour showed well in limited minutes, McLeod continues to improve but is still some way short of being a good 3C. Jack Michaels was brilliant. So were the cookies.
I get the same thing with Yamo
110% balls out. I think he needs to find a different game to be a factor in this top 6
Edit – for Skinner read Scrivens.
Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) Tweeted:
The Oilers have to be all in at the deadline, right? Like Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and their next two first round picks all on the table, right?
https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1461690948874911764?s=20
First sentence is in the realm. Second sentence is clickbait.
Jeff Marek And Elliote Friedman both saying something similar this morning.
If not now….when?
Yes they should be in at the deadline, but that does not mean trade off your best prospects that could provide cheap entry level production. They could trade their 2022 and 2023 first round picks or conditional 2022 2nd round pick or 2023 2nd round pick.
I didn’t say not now. In fact I said now is in the realm so please don’t be attributing things to me that I didn’t say.
Trading two first rounders plus the next two first rounders for a run though is ridiculous and that is how he worded it as opposed to one of two of the above. That is clickbait.
He said they should all be on the table..not all traded.
My comment was that it was written in such a way as to imply they could all be traded.
He wrote it to provoke a reaction. Clickbait.
And so do the Canucks – time to sell off Petersson, Boeser, Quinn and Horvat at the deadline to kickstart the rebuild.
Nobody wants Quinn unless you sign him by the pound!😂
There is a difference between “all in” and Chiarelli level stupidity.
And an unbelievable jump to HH stupidity!
That would be cap suicide. The core is in place, they don’t need and can’t cap another high end player, and give out raises and get the cap settled.
They need those pieces to play well and get the cap value out of the ELCs. the two players are close to the two firsts have the highest chance to deliver quality out of the draft to sustain the next round of ELCs.
Upgrading the bottom 6 and 3rd pair shouldn’t cost like that. Maybe a first for Fleury, if he’s hot and Skinner’s not, and the Hawks are flightless.
Holloway and Bro are close to the NHL I meant
I would trade all of the picks after the first and second rounders if needed. And try to move prospects that aren’t your top at each position as you see them.
Especially firsts are far too valuable to be used often, unless a team is good at recouping them (like Dubas can) and the Oilers rarely get one back.
After the mid second round it’s such a luck based thing – scouting can’t reliably find higher end NHL talent after – no problem moving those IMO if necessary.
Which is also why the idea of trading down is usually a bad idea. Maybe out of the late first for a couple of higher seconds as the odds are similar and you get two, but going out of the second and getting a bunch of lower picks is basically giving it away.
LT loved that move by MacT, but also found it netted zero in the end. Trade up good, trade down bad.
No I don’t think the Oilers have to be all in this year. Holland will be a selective buyer at the deadline (G, vet 3C) but there are still a few years for growth from within – the cap demands this.
This is actually an interesting question. Are the Oilers legit Cup contenders? IMO they are not. I think they can be a dominating regular season team, but there are a lot of holes that will be exposed in the playoffs. With Nurse, I think we have a decent enough defence. But it’s simply not big enough or nasty enough for a long playoff run. 3C is a huge issue as well. And then there’s goaltending. And by trading guys like Holloway and a dman, you’re getting rid of the very people that can fill some of those holes. We could probably trade one young D prospect, but which one?
I would agree with the proviso as to which young D you would trade. Samorukov has the combination of size skill and requisite mean. In other words the full tool box with the offensive side possibly holding him back from top pairing. Broberg is a first round draft choice and by more than one source the best young D drafted out of Sweden. Next is the big Finn who has promise and would also fill a need. Berglund is a young right side D with a good shot, defence first D another position the team needs an upgrade at. In my opinion we are very close to being a team that can contend for an extended period of time if we don’t panic!
Sure they’re on the table but doubt Holloway and Broberg get moved so something like Koskinen and first for Fleury near trade deadline
Fleury isn’t much of a solution. He has a good year surrounded by a bunch of average years.
Are you saying you aren’t getting on board the Alan Walsh propaganda train?
For me, goaltending is not currently an issue and not something at the top of the list of needs.
I understand reservations regarding the current tending surviving in the playoffs but one thing at a time. Its November.
Just like Avs should have traded Byram for their run last year?
He was injured or they might have.
You need to go back to your bridge. Do you actually like who you see when you look in the mirror? It takes no skill to what you do only a large helping of mean!
wheeler should stick to writing about the leafs
Per Gregor:
Injury update for Edmonton…from Dave Tippett.
Nurse 2 to 3 weeks.
Koekkoek 3-4 weeks
Smith week to week… “at best” he added.
Which means more….
Who saw Smith missing time this season…lol
;). 40 year old groins going to groan.
Amen to that!😉
I gotta admit. I didn’t even consider it.
Oh boy. Here we go. Depth test. Loss of Kookoo is addition by subtraction. Would love to Samorukov get a cup of coffee here. Hope Nurse can heal as well snd quickly as McPrecious.
Yeah! Can we stick Nurse in a hyperbaric chamber for 1 week and get this over with! 🙂
Woof. Not good.
If we get to test drive a few of our young D this could be a blessing moving forward. We have the possibility of a young D with size and skill that would be the envy of the NHL. Some of these young men will be on entry level contracts. I am of the belief that we should look at the positive side. Trolls like HH would like us all fall into his world of depression. Positive people have friends! People like HH have to buy theirs!😉
I don’t disagree with the opportunity it provides and the information it will provide the org but the situation that its putting the prospect(s) in is tough.
I mean, how nice would it be for Broberg to come in and play 3LD behind Nurse and Keith. Instead he’s potentially 2LD playing behind an elevated Keith.
Its going to be tough to ease him in, to shelter him, to put him in a position to succeed, etc.
With that said, who knows, maybe this will be epic!
Opportunity Knocks.
Who will answer?
Well, Broberg has certainly been sensational in the AHL the last 7-10 games.
Nurse-like in many ways (zone exits and entires, tireless/motor), so there is that.
Of course, I would like to have him play in a pairing below Nurse…….
This is the correct play, as by all accounts he’s earned it and is current best option.
A cup of coffee to get a feel for the NHL level then back down to get where he needs to be.
Or maybe he knocks it out of the park and this is his new home, bumping Keith to third pairing with Barrie.
That would really be something.
After seeing many prospects go through the Oiler development meat grinder and come out the other side, slightly broken, but still serviceable, I’m sure Broberg will be fiiiinee.
I have said, I think the team could weather an injury to McDavid for a few weeks better than Nurse.
This one really hurts, in particular with Keith struggling the last few weeks.
Gut check time on team defense.
With Keith struggling the last few years. (fixed that for you)
I thought Keith was playing quite well for the first 2/3 of the season – his play has tailed off over the last bit – at least to my eye.
Keith can’t skate anymore. He gets beat consistently through the neutral zone.
I don’t agree that he “can’t skate anymore” but I do agree that his biggest deficiency so far (to my eye) has been giving up the blue line too easily and backing in too far and too quickly.
Not wanting to be picky but would that not confirm that even Keith knows that he doesn’t have the same skating abilities he had as a younger man.
I agree that he’s not the same skater that he used to be but, at least to me, that does not equate to “can’t skate” and him being a poor skater.
We don’t have the young Keith! He has been an upgrade as a second pairing D. His cap hit at his age is too high but that is not his fault! He is full value in his role given his experience. There reaches a point in athletics where your body can no longer do what your mind is telling it. As an individual of advanced experience I know this to be true.
This could be a great opportunity for the team to come together and focus on team Defense. We will see…
Or Tippet just plays Keith 30 min a game with predictable results…
Tippett has in my opinion earned better!
This is a very good point. Last night I thought they played better team defense. That will need to continue if they want to win some games while Nurse is out.
Gregor speculating that Nurse broke his finger blocking a shot in the final seconds of regulation:
https://twitter.com/JasonGregor/status/1461780098902863877?s=20
We should all blame McDavid for causing the PK – kidding.
Stan Weir says “so what, ya got nine more!”
Stan Weir broke his own fingers to make it more fair
Actually 7 more the others are thumbs!🤭
Nurse wouldn’t have broken his finger. His finger was broken by a shot block and Nurse sacrificing his body for the team.
# why English is fun
There was an update on Wed from Holland on Oilers Now (which I posted here).
The plan with Holloway has been to “get pictures taken” around December 1 and the hope is that he can start to do more on the ice in early December and potentially start playing in Bakersfield in early January.
That’s the hope but nothing will be known until he gets looked at in a few weeks.
Thank you sir
Thanks for that!
The good news is he can keep up his cardiovascular with skating. I wish the young man nothing but the best!
With Nurse injured…I’m glad we have Keith vs a 3rd and Caleb Jones and some cap room.
You’re making an (incorrect) assumption that the cap space wouldn’t have been spent on a LHD with a better track record than Keith.
5.7 would have brought back a reasonable replacement. I didn’t like the contract and price but have been pleasantly pleased with the player.
LT, what’s your famous line… something about the absence of alternatives clarifies the mind. (I haven’t read the article yet).
What’s the word on Nurse when was his last shift last night was he labouring at all? It’s going to be hard to replace his minutes if he’s out for more than a 6 pack of games.
So Smith plays less than 3 complete games and is now on LTIR with no expected return date. Koski on an expiring contract and clearly does not have the confidence of the coach. Skinner has quickly become a very important component of the team. Those smart guys who questioned the wisdom of signing a 39 yr old, often injured goalie to a two yr contract are likely saying I told you so. Smith may or may not be done for the year but can you really count on him for next year even in a back up role? Is Skinner capable of being a starter next year? Not near enough evidence to know. A conundrum for sure!
Oilers players this year who won’t be Oilers next year:
Basically, the 4th line, the left side D depth, and 2 goalies.
Big turnover again looking for that 5v5 magic in the bottom 6
I keep finding it hard to believe that the TBL drafted Koekkoek at #10 OV. That 2012 draft year was a difficult one to navigate.
He did look pretty good for the Hawks when they beat us in the bubble but hasn’t shown that same level of play wearing an Oilers jersey. Style of play maybe? Won’t be an Oiler next year, pretty sure.
Maybe the GM misheard the head of scouting
Instead of “you would be kookoo if he’s your guy to pick”
The GM heard “Koekoek, he’s your guy to pick”
That 2012 draft year was a difficult one to navigate.
Picks #16-19: Tom Wilson, Tomas Hertl, Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Vasilevski
Picks #1-4: Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, Griffin Reinhart.
IMO, every single #16-19 pick had a better career than every single #1-4 pick.
(In fairness, scouts were pretty divided over every ranking after #1 that year.)
Tampa was breaking mold drafting and acquiring under size skill. Sort of like what Steve saw in Detroit.
Brisebois changed course, that approach is ok in some roster spots, but acquired normal and larger sized players especially at D. Also got some crusty.
Kooks is tall but thin, and keeps getting hurt and struggling with forwards bigger and or heavier than him.
Gallagher is a junk yard dog, keeps getting hurt. Also 30 lbs heavier than Yamo.
Contact sports, and almost all sports, settle out in their ‘best for position’ size.
Their are outliers always, but are outliers for a reason.
Kooks doesn’t have the O game at the NHL level to warrant everything else he is not solid at on a day to day basis, at least in the Oiler’s system.
I’d rather have Chiarot there, but not at a high cost.
Why would Archie be out next year? His contract expires, but I can’t see him getting a raise at this point.
why would you re-sign a guy that can’t cross the border w/o a 2 week time out?
That implies the same rules in place for the 2022/23 season.
I would hope there is further progress.
It sure would be great to have Archie as 4RW over Turris right now (shootouts notwithstanding).
With that said, we are probably looking at a graduating prospect/$1M player for 4RW next season.
His medical condition makes his return doubtful.
Also there are other factors.
My monthly Perlini post:
42-97-13
Perlini is hitting! What? He didn’t do this in preseason or in his first couple of games. He can shoot, he has an NHL scoring track record and his style is lost in the bottom 6 with 4 minutes per game.
93-29-44
Move Kassian up, maybe his size and aggressiveness creates more room for his linemates…
37-71-18
Foegele needs better linemates, McLeod actually initiated contact twice last night, music! These guys need a spark and Hyman is a fire cyclone on skates. He will add the chaos that Foegele will blossom in and McLeod will learn from…
16-70 (I guess.. this is where Holloway would have been perfect) -56
More minutes for the 4th line, better skill and Yamo being able to destroy 4th line opponents = increased 5v5 production. This is is exactly what the Oilers need for sustained success.
Would love to see Yama on the third line, but Kassian is putrid. He delivers very little in the ozone and stands around picking his teeth in the dzone.
No way I want Hyman’s ice time reduced for Perlini or Kassian.
Given the injuries I’d go:
18 97 13
93 29 44
37 71 56
16 70
2 22
6 75
86 5
84
Gets a balance of size skill and a physical game in the top 9
I like the grit and defensive conscious in the 2/3 of a 4th line
D pairs are a balance of experience and best suitability, probably has to roll more evenly. Tipp has his PKers.
Skinner needs to play at least 50% unless he can’t, time to see if he’s there or how close.
74 16 86 and even 84 can grab an NHL career now if they can open the door with the knock on it.
Or…..Tipp can keep doing what he’s been doing and that will change 5v5 scoring results, because insanity is a good strategy and hope is a solid tactic for success.
Plus lining up a player with 97 vs his former team…ah fugidabowdit….. extra motivation doesn’t work with NHL players…..go hope go!
Love the Broberg call up…..elite skater to retrieve pucks . Pass it to Bouchard and out.
Keep it simple.
Very interested to see this pairing.
Oilers org. coming through here. McLeod, Bouchard, Skinner and now Broberg.
Home grown, drafted and developed players filling holes.
Like Armchair said last night – this org. will be cooking with gas if Savoie, Holloway and the Borg develop as they seem to be doing.
I really believe if Holloway can get healthy – he can be a key cog on this team this year.
( ala Robert Thomas or Mason McTavish)
I’m not certain it will be Broberg/Bouchard.
Yeah, I posed this unaware of Nurse’s injury.
Damn!
Obviously small sample size, but Mcleod’s fancies are not good.
He is slowly looking better by the eye test
McLeod is nearly always helping out down low. Real low.
Really love the looks of his (McLeod’s) game right now.
Yet, what Uncle Steve points out is valid:
Their numbers were not good last night on home ice no less – lots of defending going on.
Saw that as well.
Warren Foegle’s don’t look great either and we are 16 games in for him.
Even by eye – Warren seems to have a couple of Kassian type moments along the D wall.
Some very good moments as well in the O zone -don’t get me wrong.
But the 3rd line does not appear to be working just yet-even with McLeod.
Foegele is NOT good in his own zone. Great forechecker.
Not sure why you think his ceiling is Brossoit? Skinner carried his junior team on his back all the way to the Memorial Cup and has slowly developed into an NHL goalie over 3 AHL seasons culminating with a championship win last spring. He’s right on track.
But let’s not get crazy. He’s 4 games into his career. If he can get 20-25 games this season and hang on to a 910 – 915 SP that is fantastic. There will be bumps along the way like with any young goaler.
As for Benson. I have zero issues with him being aggressive. His speed is a complete non-issue as he looks NHL average or even better to me. The hack and whack WPG drama queens on defense got 2 calls. The numbers (and me) have been saying Benson-Scevior as the 4L wingers and it seems even more obvious after last night. If McLeod keeps developing with Kass and Fog then Ryan should be able to handle 4C when he gets right. Still want a 3C at the deadline.
Oh Oscar where for art thow??
Imagine a world where Oscar has healed up completely and has been training like an animal playing ‘eye of the tiger’ in the background for the last few months. Sweat, grit and determination his constant pals. Training and playing secretly in Sweden for months on end, Oscar comes back a few days before the playoffs start and things would be right with the world again.
Don’t toy with my feelings…. 😭
Well hopefully Nurse finds himself pushed down the depth chart when he returns…
In all seriousness most likely Broberg gets some 3rd pairing minutes, shows ok but with some wobble, is sent back to work on his game a little more and the next time he’s called up he’s not looking back.
I’ve mentioned before that I think once he puts everything together he’ll go from not NHL ready to good NHL D pretty quickly but the sense is that it’s a bit early still. Cool to see him get a shot though and hopefully he runs with it. We’ll likely need it with Nurse out.
I would agree with that projection, if he was able to get his first NHL reps with Darnell Nurse in a pairing up from him.
He may be asked to do more than he should be given Nurse is out and Keith being elevated (presumably).
I do agree with the last statement. The progression he’s shown the last 10 games has been marked – from where he was in camp/exhibition, to his similar struggles in his first few AHL games to how he’s played the last 7-8 games has been remarkable.
A cautious prediction…, and boy do I hope it turns out like this.
Nurse and Koekkoek on IR, Smith to LTIR. Skinner here to stay, Broberg and Lagesson called up. The Lagesson call up is a mystery considering there were two other options that were likely wiser, but the experience factor, small as it may be, certainly played a role. The team is up shit creek without Nurse though, hopefully it is nothing that has him out until the new year.
Keith and Ceci will either play 30 minutes a night until Nurse is back, or preferably, they are split up. Keith with Barrie or Bouchard has looked good, and Ceci is probably the only RHD to put out with Broberg as it certainly can’t be Barrie.
Keith-Bouchard
Broberg-Ceci
Lagesson/Krusty-Barrie
This is going to be very interesting without Nurse.
This would seem logical pairings.
Some concern throwing Broberg to the wolves, but he is at this time a better D than Lags, so….fingers crossed!
OP wondered where you were last night? Obviously watching closely for your Cult write up. Well done!!!
P90X
Not sure what that means?
exercising furiously
I did P90X a decade ago – rookie stuff……
Ha ha – I love Tony Horton.
Thank you kind sir. You are correct, got to watch the game a different way when doing the grades (taking notes, etc.) – its actually quite stressful since I’m new at it. Had to do the post-game podcast with Bruce as well.
I think Benson is playing “aggressively” based on coaching. Came close to crossing the line and got called for it. This league has brutal officiating most nights. Glad to see Tipp kept him in his usual time slot for the rest of the game (a few minutes here and there). He may take a seat for a game or two to help him focus on this instructions and not come close to crossing the line when put in again. Very few develop in straight lines. Stay the course for another few months moving the bottom 6 around until it is entirely obvious what the next steps for the team are…
Skinner. Sweet. So happy for the guy getting a big chance in front of friends and family = dream come true after years of hard work. He looked settled and confident. If he can continue to make similar contributions I am far less anxious about the oilers being without “2 of their top 3” goalies…
So we have Keith, KRusty and Broberg for LD for the next few weeks? Yeesh. Trial by fire for Bro maybe, but it will be nice if he can get some games in with these injuries. I thought KRusty was hurt too? Maybe there will be more call-ups for LD very soon…
They looked like dumb penalties to me. Glad he got some shifts after that
Nurse out 2-3 weeks? I think we are about to see the Oilers biggest weakness exposed.
His second penalty was on a player diving…
Looked like a crosscheck to me.
I’ll guess
Saturday Chicago Koskinen
Tuesday Dallas Koskinen
Wednesday Phoenix Skinner
Has anyone heard what the Nurse injury is?
TSN is speculating its a nagging injury that they’re resting but thats speculation. Theres been no update as to what the injury is.
Apparently he has been placed on LTIR. Not good, not good at all!
Nurse on IR, Smith on LTIR
Just regular IR.
Smith was put on LTIR but that doesn’t really mean anything as far as timeline as it will be retroactive and he could come off it any time. Its to create the cap space for the two call-ups.
With that said, word is Smith is a few weeks away. He’s not skating yet.
A Tweet I saw (sorry no link) mentioned a broken finger.
Or even when he got injured? Nurse played over 30 minutes last night and it wasn’t obvious he was labouring at any point.
As opposed to Ehlers who seems to limp off the ice after a hard check or getting hit with the puck looking like he’s about to collapse. Yet he always seems to come back and score goals like he scored last night.
At least twice a game- Cameras will focus on Ehlers on the bench wincing and looking like he has at deaths door
Every game.
Even fans here are growing tired of all the Sniper fire he takes on the ice.
Nearly every arena – nearly ever game – he will go down like he did last night.
Man, the Leftorium depleted rather quickly.
We’re going to see it replenished with fresh legs rather quickly.
This is why you got to bank points early.
Wins against Buffalo and Detroit sure would have been nice.
Fortunately our next 3 weeks include games against SEA/CHI/ARI. But I still foresee losing some otherwise winnable games while Nurse is out.
gave the tickets to my assistant and her husband for last night’s game as a Xmas present – checked the score 0-0 after two. Dang, maybe not the best gift.
Then she got to see another otherworldly goal by McDavid, a big win by Skinner in the shootout, so she was very happy. 🙂
The game was also highly entertaining through two periods, despite the zero-zero score.