The Jay Woodcroft Oilers are now 4-0-0, in third place in the Pacific Division and are two points behind second-place Vegas Golden Knights with Edmonton holding a game in hand. The rest of February’s schedule is fraught with danger, but the month of February had a very good middle stanza and could be central to this team’s playoff hopes.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: The furious race to land Oilers’ open job on left defence
- New DNB: Derek Ryan flourishing under new Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft
- Lowetide: Jay Woodcroft’s early Oilers roster challenges and possible upgrades
- DNB: Oilers picking Philip Broberg over Trevor Zegras is still debated.
- Lowetide: Connor McDavid’s remains a transcendent talent. Here’s why.
- DNB: Jay Woodcroft’s ascension to Oilers head coach is more than a dream come true: ‘Winning is a skill’
- DNB: Six signs of positive change surface for the Oilers in Jay Woodcroft’s victorious coaching debut
- Lowetide: 7 Oilers players poised to benefit most from Jay Woodcroft becoming head coach
- Lowetide: Oilers pro forward depth chart about to get overhauled
- DNB: Three Oilers questions that will define stretch run
- DNB: Oilers’ Zach Hyman is compelled to speak up about antisemitism when he sees it
- Lowetide: Revisiting Oilers’ choice to take Kailer Yamamoto in 2017 NHL Draft
- Lowetide: Why prospects stall in the AHL
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2021
WHAT TO EXPECT IN FEBRUARY
- On the road to: WAS (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: VEG, CHI, NYI (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 1-2-0)
- On the road to: SJS, LAK (Expected 1-0-1) (Actual 2-0-0)
- At home to: ANA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: WPG (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: MIN (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: TBY, FLA, CAR (Expected 0-2-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 6-4-2, 14 points in 12 games
- Actual February results: 5-2-0, 10 points in 7 games
- Oilers in 2021-22: 27-18-3, 57 points in 48 games
Edmonton will need more points from these last five games of the month, hell if I know where they’ll get them. Winnipeg and Minnesota are doing good things, and the trip to the U.S. southeast will be a crushing test for the New Originals. Still, the leadup to this point has been sweet music!
Mike Smith stopped 27 of 30, .900 SP. The first goal was a tip but he was in position anyway, couldn’t squeeze it. Second GA he needed a little more help from Markus Niemelainen. The Zegras goal was not played at all well by Smith but Tyson Barrie had all kinds of time to get the puck out under control. Smith won, its what he does when he’s on.
DEFENSE
Darnell Nurse played just shy of 20 minutes overall, he was effective in all areas, including a nice look on the power play. Tyson Barrie’s mistake on the third Anaheim goal came from indecision, he was pared back at five-on-five (only Broberg and Niemelainen played less). Woodcroft appears to have consequences (Kane vs. LAK) and you know that’s good.
William Lagesson was +3 on the night, hit five guys (not the male singing group, five different skaters) and blocked a couple shots. My article today for The Athletic details his deployment and this might be career peak for the lanky Swede. Evan Bouchard picked up an assist and had four shots on goal, such a fine passer and he did get 2:37 on the PK.
Markus Niemelainen was also 3-0 goals last night, four hits and two hits taken, but I think the hits taken may do more harm than the regular ones. Ever run into the side of a house? Man, he’s thick, and I mean that in a good way. Also moved the puck well. I think he’s going to stay for a time. Philip Broberg had one reasonable look, a giveaway and a takeaway, I sometimes confuse him with Niemelainen but then the Finn hammers some poor guy and then I know.
Cody Ceci played the most of any blue, picked up an assist and was 2-0 five-on-five goals. He played with everyone and is far more than I thought he was on the day of his signing.
FORWARDS
Evander Kane had a goal plus an assist, six hits, and got under the skin of the young Ducks. He is an absolute load in full flight, and a nasty piece of work idling. Leon Draisaitl scored twice, five shots, two takeaways and there are times when he’s playing so well it’s unfair for the other guy. Last night was an example. Kailer Yamamoto had an assist and three shots (he’s most effective when the shot totals are higher) I thought he played well on both lines.
Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist, he’s in the middle of the most effective games played for the Oilers. I think Woodcroft simplified his role and it is working. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had an assist, five shots and made all kinds of good plays across the entire sheet of ice. Derek Ryan is absolute fire, 1-1-2, and good plays everywhere. He’s a cerebral player, and the wing allows him to find opportunities to have an impact. One of the best moves made by the coaching staff.
Zach Hyman went 1-1-2 with a takeaway, he turned over pucks all over the ice and is 16-14-30 after 42 games. He was an outstanding addition in free agency. Connor McDavid was (to my eye) the best Oiler among a brilliant bunch on the evening, absolutely flying and would have sent a lesser goalie to Hershey. Two assists on the night, seven shots, his wheels are so damned good. Ryan McLeod stepped in on the Draisaitl line admirably, his pass to Draisaitl for the goal was high skill and a nice touch. He landed with two assists and his speed means he can play anywhere and represent danger for the opposition.
Jesse Puljujarvi had a goal, three shots, got hurt midway through the game and we wait to find out if he’s going to be out of the lineup for any length of time. He’s 12-16-28 in 48 games, I want to see him hit 20 goals so hope he’s back soon. Devin Shore played six minutes and blocked a shot.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
A busy morning, TSN1260, we’ll have Steve Lansky join us to talk Oilers in the last week and what’s ahead and we’ll also discuss the Olympics and Canada’s haul. We’ll have Crossfire! (pew! pew!) and get you set for the weekend. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. Friday!
Woodcroft’s goal for the weekend matches:
“We think our pace of play can continue to improve. We want to speed things up. One of things we talk about is the pace through our puck movement,” said Woodcroft. “You’ll see a lot of emphasis on our D-men passing the puck well, getting it up into our forward’s hands.”
You know, lowered minutes in a shared defence leads to fresher legs and heads, less of a beating on the body, and the best opportunity for the young D to accomplish this goal.
Everything is connected.
A reminder this site will not be spending any time discussing events of today. There are all kinds of sites (twitter) that welcome discussion, this is a hockey discussion site. Please refrain from commenting on the events of today. There will be no exceptions.
Three point game in Sin City. Kings were playing to win tll the end but Vegas loked content to go to OT. Let’s hope they’re not rewarded with a second point.
Thank you, LA.
With the Oilers likely heading for a losing streak, the rear view mirror is very important.
Both LAK and DAL won tonight.
Both are within spitting distance of the Oilers.
Both have their next games against the Coyotes while the Oilers set off for the Valley of Death shortly.
Worth noting, Florida and Carolina crushed very good teams tonight.
Worth noting, a win against the mediocre Jets tomorrow would also put Vegas and Nashville in the Oilers rear view mirror. Objects may be closer than they appear.
And then the season ends? I mean granting that you’re right–and I don’t–does the season end there?
Perk up, Gloom & Doom, your Oilers will be fine.
Oilers will surprise pleasantly on the SE US road trip – book it
You got nothing better to do than go by at 12 am to tell us a losing steak is upon us?
Pathetic trolling.
I was thinking that the most likely call-up for the Oil was Colton Sceviour. I have no idea if the suspension affects his ability to be called up or not (but I would guess “not”).
But because there has been no announcement, maybe they are activating Turris? He is actually due back tomorrow the 19th. So I’d say either activation or we will be hearing retroactively placed on LTIR.
Griffith is the other option I’ve been thinking was a good possibility.
Perlini’s still around too, so they have 12 forwards even without Turris or a call-up.
I’d guess one of Perlini or Benson draw in, and maybe they don’t recall/activate anyone right now?
Yeah and I think Cowboy was originally due back tomorrow too.
I didn’t realize that. Though I don’t guess that solves any problems.
Condor Twitter:
Bakersfield’s Colton Sceviour has been suspended two games as a consequence of a boarding incident in Wednesday’s game vs. Abbotsford.
Beautiful goal by the Kings to tie it back up. They’re sticking with it.
Patches reclaims the lead with his second of the game.
Kings have managed to tie it up. 2-2, 4:40 into the 2nd.
Shots are 11-8 LA.
Players who have seen a material reduction of the average ice time under Woodcroft:
Shore
Foegele
Benson
McDavid
Material increases:
Ryan
Hyman
McLeod
Per Gregor/
That’s a surprising list, is it not? But the type of minutes have changed. McLeod getting a chance to make a difference on the PK and PP2. Foegele getting a chance on PP2. Benson getting time with 97, 29, 93, 56.
Woodcroft is getting guys to believe that they’re important and they count by putting them in positions where they are relied on.
Except for shore.
He had the biggest reduction. TOI cut in half. Foegele lost nearly two minutes though.
To add:
Bison King is down 1.5min (even accounting for the injury)
Nurse is down 3.5 min
Perlini hasn’t gotten in the lineup – severe TOI reduction
Bouchard is down 6!! minutes per game
McLeod is only up 30 sec/game
Draisaitl is down 30 sec/game (if we’re including McLeod)
Barrie is down 2min
Lagesson is up 2min
(Broberg and Niemalainen are both down from their earlier stint with the club, though the D corps was decimated then).
Yeah he mentioned Bouchard, forgot that one.I knew about Nurse myself but did not know about Pujo. That’s interesting. Although is that just collateral damage by being alongside 97 and on PP1?
I love the BK but there are a few things wrong with his game. I’m hoping Jay can unlock him.
Yeah it could be just the PP time for Puljujarvi, not sure. I was wondering whether Foegele’s drop was similarly that he’s back on the 3rd line after playing top 6.
In terms of Woodcroft unlocking, yes, hopefully, though it’s also possible this is what he is.
Four factors have influenced the forwards ice time recently that are not all strictly due to the coaching change:
First, the decision to go with 11 forwards was based on Keith’s injury and wanting to spread his ice time among more rookie D. Removing 1 forward increases the time available for the remaining 11. (Maybe Tippett sticks with 12/6 in this circumstance, but if Keith hadn’t been hurt, Woodcroft likely would have stayed 12/6).
Second, the Oilers, in the 4 Woodcroft games, have averaged over 3 minutes more ice time on the PK per game compared to the season average, while there has no change to the average PP time. This resulted in an overall change in forward deployment (more PKer time is required while players who don’t PK typically see less).
Third, the presence of Kane completely altered the forward game plan even before the coaching change. In the 4 games Kane played with Tippett, all of McDavid, Draisaitl and Hopkins played less their there season average because they already started to roll 3 lines more and Tippett had already started the Hopkins on the third line experiment.
Fourth, Derek Ryan’s increase in ice time is as much attributable to Kassian’s injury (5 games ago), as Kassian may have still been the 3rd line RW under Woodcroft but we will never know.
The running of the 2nd unit more seemed new, and maybe Tippett (and Gulutzan) were a little stubborn, but the former strategy had worked pretty well for 175 games at 28%.
All valid points, well done.
excellent observations no posts.
do you coach competitive hockey?
To recap:
Skyler Brind’Amour: 0+2
Filip Engaras: 1+1
Carter Savoie: 1+2 (all PP)
Ty Tullio: 1+1
Matvey Petrov: 1+0 (OT winner)
Meanwhile: Jake Chiasson is still listed as week-to-week.
And maybe The Bourg returns tomorrow? We wait.
Thanks for the summary and all the updates Tarkus. Much appreciated.
After going pointless thru regulation, Petrov scores the OT winner for his 29th goal of the season. And totally redeems himself!
He gets the puck with speed in his own zone, fakes out a forechecker, blows down the left wing and snipes 5-hole. Notice how he looks off to the other attacker on the 2-on-1 just before he shoots. McDavid-esque:
https://twitter.com/OHLBattalion/status/1494862497756631040?cxt=HHwWgMCy7bDh6L4pAAAA
Ty Tullio, feeling left out of the scoring, pots his 24th tally-o of the season.
And Tu-Tu-Tullio, wishing he had an aPPle like seemingly every other Oilers prospect this night, gets one in the third.
Gemel Smith on waivers again. The few times I’ve watched him, he’s looked good. Not sure what his underlying numbers are, if they match the eye test or not. Maybe worth a claim.
Filip Engaras has a goal now too, converting on the doorstep:
https://mobile.twitter.com/UNHMHOCKEY/status/1494842873522524162?cxt=HHwWhMCs9Yzr374pAAAA
And he gets an aPPle as well in period 3.
Savoie rips a wrister from the top of the right circle for a PP goal to get Denver on the board:
https://mobile.twitter.com/DU_Hockey/status/1494834427616243712?cxt=HHwWgMC5gb7_274pAAAA
About time you gave us some good news, Tarkus. Jeez.
Two steps and he shoots. That’s what he does, although this time he added a giddyup to his dance step.
He now has an aPPle as Denver takes the lead in period 2.
https://mobile.twitter.com/DU_Hockey/status/1494842544965959681?cxt=HHwWgoCy_fzX374pAAAA
Give him another aPPle in period 3 as Denver goes up 4-1.
One might say the 3rd and 4rth lines are getting the same minutes. Tip just split them between the two lines, and woody just said screw it, we only need 3 lines.
Disclosure: any accuracy this statement has as to actual minutes is probably coincidental, since I never looked.
Skyler Brind’Amour has himself an apple on Quinnipiac’s opening goal.
Make it two helpers now.
We all knew there would be a dead cat bounce after Tippett was let go I figured Woody would go 8-2 in his first 10 even with the road trip from hell. Tippett lost the room 2 months ago it was nothing personal it was his deployment of Players. Ryan confirmed what we knew was going on in the dressing room that players need not only ice time but also at critical times. Tippett just didn’t get it that you need 20 players to be successful and not just 6.
Few thoughts after the last few games:
I truly think that Holland did not want to fire Tippett until Dave got to run a full roster. Hard to blame a guy for going under when there are 6 holes in the boat. Not the way that I would have operated but I feel confident that was Kenny’s thoughts and although it put the team in a tough spot I have not issues with it. Again not the move i would have made.
Second I have said a few times about the ice time and under utilization of the bottom 6 and that causing most of the issues (why I would have fired Dave sooner) and comments like Ryan’s last night really drive that home. I have never felt that Holland did a bad job putting together this team, in fact I quite like the Team he put together other than not having a button down RHD (I miss Adam Larson- Fun fact: Larson has 14 5×5 points to Hall’s 23 and plays 6 more minutes a night) and I think they over valued sheltering Bouch offensively and then relying on an old goalie is dangerous but the options I liked were really expensive in comparison to Smith’s previous year. Recent results say this is way more a Coaching and more specifically deployment issue than Roster
So the 2 big mistakes in my view Holland made in building this team were Barrie and unreliable goaltending. I remain good with both the Keith trade and Bear trades- I like Bear but I know that he was ready for a change and feel Foegle was completely fair value- Hockey trade, and giving up Jones and a 3rd is literally giving up so little value for what Keith brings. I watched him as an Oiler for years (my son’s only Oilers game Jones scored his first career goal so we watched him close) and then some this year and if the Oil were 100% healthy on Left D Jones would be my 6th or so guy- above Slater, and Samo but maybe even with Broberg, maybe below him too.
Lastly my biggest concern with Tippett was not that he was a bad coach but rather it takes a very special leader to handle and control temptation with Leon and McDavid on the roster to not just toss them on the ice. Even if it hurts the team they are so good you think it might be for the best ad Dave couldn’t resit that urge, nor could Todd Mc, I hope Woodcroft can and I believe the Coach that can control just “giving the big guns all the ice” will be the one that does great things in Edmonton. It is a hard thing to know because so few coaches have had 2 talents that amazing. Fingers crossed and early results are grand!
Heckuva post. Your first paragraph is almost certainly true.
My biggest problem with Tipp, other than over-playing the Glimmer Twins, was not playing Boosh last year, costing him not only development time but alsocosting him the opportunity to build game stamina, endure a longer season, and learn the NHL grind. They don’t play 82 in the A or the O. And they don’t play as fast and hard.
Holland, I’m pretty cool with, but I thought he could’ve ground Bowman a little harder. That said, we here probably value Jones a lot more highly than NHL GMs do and Keith the player has been than full trade value. I have no issues with the Bear trade at all and neither player has been as good as their past selves, although Foggy is coming around. AA was bad luck but it was also high risk. Certainly good intentions, but that’s a trade that probably shouldn’t be made that year. Holland trying too hard I think. So I have to nick him for that one. The big one is goalie as everyone is saying. He has taken his shots but not been able to close the deal. But too much on the good side of the ledger to want to go Full Verdad… Pujo, the signings, picking Woody, bringing some calm and respectability to the org.
Having a good playoff showing would go a long way to attracting free agent goalies too.
I wonder what the market is for Barrie. He looks better under Woodcroft, but I’d like to see a different dynamic on RD. My sense is that his value is lower around the league than we think.
On the other hand, he’s a RHD that can put up a lot of points. That has value.
The right side would be much more balanced if Barrie could be replaced with, say, Colin Miller.
Barrie is currently not in the top 50 in scoring by defensemen.
Perhaps a contending team might look at him for depth in the playoffs but very few of them have the cap space to absorb his cap hit.
That’s why you make a trade. Oilers could take salary back.
While he’s not currently in the top 50, he has the ability. He led the league only last year.
Colin Miller is a poor-man’s Tyson Barrie. He’s a 3rd pairing PP specialist who doesn’t put up 5v5 points like Barrie does. The difference is that Barrie is having his worst season and Miller his best. Those things cam turn on a dime though, so I’m not seeing much upside to your proposal.
Short-term thinking. If anything, the Oilers could use a big, physical defensive defenseman on the right side, not another undersized puck mover.
I’ve always viewed Miller as more of a Ceci-type. Maybe I’m wrong. Regardless, it’s not a proposal, Miller was merely used an example.
The idea is to replace Barrie with a more well-rounded, 2-way D.
There’s probably a hockey trade out there for Barrie in the summer that helps to change the complexion of the D.
Barrie for Petry, make the details work
If Gorton likes Barrie’s fancies
Petry wants out and is being vocal. Gorton has time for offensive D it seems. The Ha s can’t score. Maybe Petry wants to the US, maybe a no to Edmonton.
He’d make the team way better, his season is due to the Habs collapse. This is his 34 YO season, an extra year on the contract
But I do like the idea of more of a banger
I doubt Gorton will be looking to acquire a 30 year old one dimensional D as he starts a rebuild.
Petry might fetch a 1st or a high end prospect at the deadline.
He also committed to building an analytics team before making any substantial trades so will likely sell whatever he can this season and then start wheeling and dealing at the draft.
Probably
You never know who people like
I think Petry gets moved asap because he’s beaking and they are trying to change the ‘culture’
Marty won’t be down with that. Not sure what Petry will bring but he’s been poor and isn’t overly physical and they may find there’s no lineup at the store
Just a thought
Possible I suppose but some smart GM will look past the Montreal tire fire and see value.
Petry wants to go to the US. He misses his wife and kids. Covid restrictions have been hard on their family.
I don’t think Barrie is as tradeable as most people think.
Look around the league. How many teams need a PP play quarterback who struggles to defend? Most teams have 1 or 2 of that type already.
I see very few teams who would want Barrie. Especially at 4.25 million!
I would expect the answer to that question is very close to zero.
Buffalo won’t be able to sign anyone next year. They might want a guy who can entertain fans with a clapper on the point for the next two years of their rebuild.
Seattle is also a team that could use a defenseman that can piss a single drop of offence. I highly doubt Giordano wants to end his career on a building team, and next years crop of free agent defencemen is very thin on anyone that can score.
I think there is a market there is the Oilers are ok with a late pick in return which is fine.
Buffalo has Dahlin to run it’s powerplay. Seattle has Dunn.
But those would be 2 of the most likely candidates if it’s possible.
gregor reporting Bison might be out 3-4 weeks
Does Woodcroft have the ‘knock knock’ talk with Benson or Marody?
I suspect it’ll be Perlini.
Holloway.
Possibly and Woody would be the man in the know as he has been working with him closely. It will be interesting to see what happens but my thinking is that he will give Perlini a shot first.
Interesting that Perlini hasn’t already been in. I wonder if Woodguy didn’t much care for him during his two games in the Bake. Probably not though.
This is what it feels like when bisons cry 😢
I hope it’s nothing serious or related to his surgically repaired hips.
The right side is very weak with Puljujarvi out. Maybe Hyman jumps to RW for the interim.
Yes, this is the way
Hyman on RW, with McLeod getting more minutes.
would love to see Holland somehow wrangle Varlamov out of the islanders to show the team he is serious about this year…he is the best bet out there that I can see….
I agree with the target, but I think Holland has to be more patient and wait for the right opportunity. If he appears desperate he’ll get taken to the woodshed. If he plays his cards just right, he could get Varlamov for less than Colorado paid for Kuemper, perhaps much less.
I think the play here is to wait until MAF gets moved (Washington?) and Dallas has officially bowed out of the playoff race, leaving the Oilers as the sole buyer in a market that includes Varlamov, Holtby and Reimer. The trick is getting competent goaltending in the meantime, but that looks likely as long as everyone is healthy.
I have said Holland won’t do anything and especially goalers. Maybe he will now he’s uncorked the ‘action’ bottle
Smitty and Koski (when used properly) make good to great saves
They both also regularly let in at least a goal a game that a good NHL goaler likely saves
If they could get a guy that stops what he should regularly, and the teams limits HDSC so he doesn’t have to stop too many that shouldn’t necessarily be stopped, it would be better for the team, confidence wise
Maybe that’s The Principal but we don’t know if he can handle a ton of starts especially in playoffs
The way they are playing now they have as good a chance as anyone except The Avs to make some noise out of the West
And maybe The Blues. They have some really good players
Agree completely.
Hard to play your game when the goalies are a box of chocolates.
Since the reset and better team defence the goal tending hasn’t been all that bad. Begs to ask the question was the problem goaltending or a combination of bad team defence which left the goalies high and dry and goalie errors.
Niemelainen is an absolute beast. Reminds me a bit of that giant Sutton we had for a while. I’m very excited about this player and think he could be the missing link the D needs. Hope we don’t send him back and he stays for good. Laggs is also showing well.
I think that Woody has really given the AHL boys a ton of confidence. The only question for me at this time is Broberg. He is not ready yet but the experience he is getting now is extremely valuable. Next year will be his breakout year.
80 is tracking to be a much better hockey player than Andy Sutton. Especially with the puck on his stick.
Giant – yes. But also an excellent skater and perfectly decent passer. Sutton couldn’t do either.
And if you’ve seen the video or were in attendance at the Oilers-Thrashers brawl (I was there – so much fun), you know Sutton ducked real tough guys.
Do you have a Mike Bishai jersey?
I was sadly not in the lineup for the Thrashers that night and thus not in position on the bench to steal it.
Sutton was an interesting cat – slow boots, but occasionally would bust out a really high skill move.
Niemelainen seems like just a cold-blooded crusher of bodies. Honestly, he reminds me of a LH version of Larsson.
Sutton was a much better defencemen when he was younger.
I didn’t think Dave Manson could come in and turn the Defense around this quickly. Sutter is murmuring Fuck repeatedly to himself the last few days.
Woodcraft is performing some long lost magic with his deployment and systems.
Nuge is Elite.
That’s the first time that I’ve laughed at one of your posts Do you really thing Sutter uses language like that ? LOL .
Whenever Brent isn’t around to wash his mouth out.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6226090/daniel-carcillo-alleges-verbal-abuse-darryl-sutter/
I’m sure if you looked hard enough you could see Darryl saying “fuck”.
FIRE WOODCROFT!
I miss the drama around bad coaching decisions.
Yeah Woodcroft !!! Where’s our team and what have you done to them ???
So does Kyle Turris
They need a goalie. This should be done right now. Holland owes it to this roster.
It is the exact right timing NOW.
The man moves at a glacial pace…so I doubt this happens. It would however send the exact right message and place this team in position to win any game for the rest of the year.
The NHL is not a fantasy hockey league.
Trades are complex and happen at a glacial pace.
Vegas is also looking for a goalie, so the it’s seller’s market right now.
It is literally the man’s day-to-day job to be having conversations, understanding what’s available, and looking to upgrade his team. At all times.
You don’t just wake up and go “Oh hey…what about…”
The prep puts you in position to have the right timing.
But also – no, trades are not terribly complex. It’s amazing how many things people have convinced themselves are so complex as an excuse for inaction.
You speak like you know foe absolute fact that Holland is doing none of this.
Please point out where in those statements I say he isn’t.
I was answering Diablo’s reply.
If you’re going to then go reference the first post instead to try to move your goalposts – Holland has a track record of working slowly – that’s his approach. He’s been in the NHL for decades and just made his first midseason coaching move…the man ain’t The Flash.
With the cap structure and a flat cap there is definitely a greater complexity to making trades. Add to that what some owners are willing to do given the current economic times and decreased revenue streams. Wealthy people didn’t get wealthy being stupid with their finances!
I agree but who? Sounds like MAF wont waive his ‘no trade’, Gibson wasn’t much better than Smith last night. Neither Korpisalo nor Geogiev look like clear upgrades. Just say ‘No’ to Price and Holtby. To me the only goalie I can see who might be able to help us and who might be available is DRIEDGER and is season this year is not great so far.
We really missed the boat on Markstrom, though his save % was quite poor last year so we might have ran him out of town this last summer because that’s the Oiler Fans/Media/Analytics way. And one could argue his turnaround this year has as much to do with Sutter as it does the goalie.
Other goalies who aren’t on a playoff team who might help us are (Interesting that 2 of the Goalies are on Ottawa):
Matt Murray (6.25 mill with M-NTC)
Thatcher Demko (No way Vancouver trades him, let alone to us)
Anthony Stolarz (I honestly do not know much here)
Anton Forsberg (where would we be today if we had protected him last year?)
Long story short, goalies seem to be slim pickings right now. Any thoughts out there?
I’ve laid out my approach to goalies previously and it’s clearly not Holland’s…oh well.
Fleury I’m sure you could talk into it. Would just take some extra work perhaps. A whole lot of speculation with not a lot of actual substance behind saying he won’t move in the media. Classic narrative.
Varlamov is interesting.
I’d give a ransom for Carter Hart.
Would still go after Price but I’m an outlier there.
I wonder what the Blues do with Husso…I wouldn’t want to put that pressure on the guy but they can’t move Binnington…yet have Charlie Lindgren who’s 5-0 and sporting a .950-something. Interesting!
I believe Friedman has indicated the Oilers have interest in Husso, but with Binnington’s uneven play, I can’t see them making a move in net until the offseason. They need Husso for this season.
Agreed, Hart is ideal, but he’s going nowhere.
Price is a complete question mark at this point. You’d need absolute clarity about his future playing career before entertaining any sort of trade. Even then, the Oilers would likely need 50% retention to have interest. I can’t see him moving.
Varlamov would be an upgrade. I wouldn’t mind a Varlamov-Skinner tandem next year. What the hell do you do with Smith, though?
What about either Samsonov or Vanecek? If Washington makes a play for Fleury, maybe one of those guys shake loose.
I’m wondering who will shake loose in places like Washington or Colorado or others. Definite possibilities out there.
That’s what I’m hoping Holland’s plan is. Get the goalie from whoever wins the MAF sweepstakes. Preferably Kuemper, in case we face COL at some point, because I’m sure he’d like the opportunity for a little payback.
We don’t know if Fleury would waive to come to Edmonton or not.
There is no way you can be sure you can talk him into anything.
Your comment is just as speculative as the posts that say he wouldn’t come to Edmonton.
Tough time to acquire goaltending and not anyone that I see as being a sure fire upgrade and the cost would start with a minimum of a first round draft choice, plus, plus. I am also very leery of the teams pro scouting!
I get that Smith allowed some weak goals last night, but why is Gibson allowed to have bad games but Smith isn’t? Since Woody took over Smith is .940 in 3 games. Let’s give it a bit of time before calling for his head, shall we?
First two goals were deflections. I always have trouble blaming the goalie on those, because sometimes it’s just bad luck. I think how it went the Oilers way in the SJ game.
Third goal is high skill by Zegras. Maybe Smith should have it but I can’t blame him on that one either.
Let’s not forget that he pulled one out of the net that didn’t count. It was 100% in the net, but no way to tell because of the way he dragged his legs out of the net. That was some serious veteran saavy. Game was 2-1 or 2-2 at the time – could have easily ended up different result.
Third goal Smith read pass, made himself smaller in the net than Peter Dinklage in preparing to snake the stick out, & Zegras hit the 12+ inches of net he left open under the crossbar. The young rookie absolutely owned the grizzled vet on that one.
Precisely.
Former goalie made this same point. Mike Smith was barried deep in his net all night.
Hayward: ” All four corners available to shooters”
Not to mention whatever holes those 2 tips found, neither of which found a corner.
I think a hot goalie lets none of those goals in
900 SV% against a weak offensive team
Smitty’s is fighting the puck methinks
Gibson’s been a bit overrated for some time now. Been quite good this year but he’s not what he was before, and he’s had some poor seasons that got swept under the rug. His reputation now seems like an overcorrection for getting shut out of Vezina voting in years where he certainly deserved to be in the conversation.
I think what the Oilers are lacking is consistency in net. Both Smith and Koskinen can look stellar at times, but putrid as well. Often in the same game.
Try to find a goalie than makes the saves you should, and a few you shouldn’t. Every game. I think Skinner has the potential to become that goalie, but not sure how high his ceiling is.
I think that goalie only exists in fantasyland though. Every goalie has bad games / bad periods. In his last 3 games, Vasilevskiy was .880 (vs NJ), .936 (COL) and .905 (SJ). You have to play the averages with goaltending – expecting perfection every game is not remotely realistic.
Speaking of consistency, here are Oilers goaltenders over the past 12 games:
Skinner, 2-0-0, .953
Koskinen, 4-0-1, .920
Smith, 3-2-0, .911
Other than 1.33 games of rust from Mike Smith, these guys have been delivering for the Oilers these past 4 weeks. I think that should be recognized, while at the same time looking to the future as Koskinen’s contract status and Smith’s age and injury history command attention.
I’m not suggesting that goalies don’t have their ups and downs. And I’m not expecting perfection, I realize mistakes will be made, but I’ll go out on a huge limb and say that Vasilevskiy allows far less “soft” goals than both Koskinen and Smith.
He’s a far superior goalie, so the comparison is unfair. But, expecting a consistent effort from a goalie doesn’t merely exist in fantasyland.
Letting in stinkers has a severely detrimental affect on a teams’ psyche and they way they play, in my opinion.
I would say they all let in stinkers and have rough starts
Just not stinkers every single game, and then have to be stellar to make up for it, mixed in with lots of weak games
I thought Gibson was great last night. Oilers could have scored 12.
Fish in a barrel
I thought Smith’s technique has regressed to what we saw in his first year – athleticism over form. Too much movement leading to easily out of position. I remember him talking after the summer play-in/off failure about changing his style. And it showed. Last year he was more settled in his positioning, less movement. I hope that he gets back to that and stays healthy.
I was at the game last night. During the pre-game warm up when all the players were stretching or stickhandling or flipping a puck in the air, Kane spent a couple minutes in the corner interacting with some fans. Seemed to make their day and he even passed a stick over the glass for them.
In the third period, after one of Anaheim’s few flurries, Smith spent the full thirty seconds before the face-off talking with Neimelainen. It seemed like a very calm interaction and the young D was attentive. Smith gave him a let’s go bud butt pat at the end. Seemed like a good teaching moment.
Kane was playing rock, paper, scissors with a young fan. That is who the stick went to
TV Producers GOLD!
#Personality
– Joking aside, I really do think this “new coach bump” is on the balance, not a good look for Holland. I’ll give Holland the overpay for Hyman. Ceci too.
– The team is succeding “despite” Holland:
Bouchard > Barrie
Winning without Keith, and emergence of Lags and Markus
Kassian out
Smith: winning like how Koski does: all he does is win when team is good
3C “spine”
Hung onto coach 10 years + past his “OK” prime
– With an good GM, the possibilites were/are endless. $10MM on D, that ought to be a lot better (or just not signed), in Barrie and Keith, $5MM on Turris and Kassian, and $2.2 per year on aged out, injured medicore “starter” goalie.
– A smart, current management group would have spent this $17MM better
– Woodcroft (and they players he coached and trusts), are going to save Holland
I dunno about this take. You could also give Holland credit for bringing in a top 6 winger in Kane for absolutely no acquisition cost, while down the QEII they had to spend a first + prospect for a similar (lesser?) acquisition.
He was patient with Puljujarvi who looked like a lost cause. Now a legit talent in the NHL.
The Keith once is debatable. I like what Keith brings. Just because they have depth to cover his absence isn’t damning on Holland. Some of these young guys need time in the AHL to get up to speed before performing at the NHL level, even in season. Who would have been the backup behind them if they had gotten hurt in season if Keith wasn’t here? They are getting broken into the league in a responsible and normal way.
Barrie is on a tradable contract and he does provide coverage for Bouchard to cut his teeth more in this league. This is basically Bouchard’s rookie season. It isn’t smart to put all your eggs in one basket with prospects and Barrie provides cover. They could trade him this summer (although I beleive he stays with the team for at least 1 more year)
The goalie one I 100% agree with. They need to go get a goalie now in my opinion as well. But that is likely easier said than done. Who is the target that is legit better than who they have? Gibson?
The coach one also appears to be important. A new, younger, detail oriented coach imemdiately has the team playing with less hesitation, more connected and more engaged up and down the lineup. But Tippett wasn’t horrible! He led them to two playoff appearances, both in weird years, and they had a winning record. Every coach has flaws, and I’m sure Woodcroft has some we aren’t even aware of yet. (Maybe overplaying his Bakersfield faves?)
– I think this team was what it was because of an iun-inspied out of touch GM, who at least doesn’t make massive mistakes (althou Ketih, Smith Barrie arent’ what a good GM would do)
– I think Woodcroft, with his 3C spine, and playing the guys he coached, with a “modern” approach” has for now overcome the flaws in the Oil hierarchy, and the draft and develops have bailed out Holland. Which will mean Holland gets re-upped, which is a bad outcome for this teams going forward
– To the extent a desperate hockey team had an opening with the best player in the league, and Kane was smart enough to realize this: I guess that’s credit to Holland. But a good Oilers team, would not have looked at Kane. I see this more as “luck”, rather than GM acumen.
– Kinger: the down votes are surprising (but actually not really). Basically, just show fealty to consensus and your good.
‘- Next year, with an agressive GM who had game, you could assume Klef is unable to play last year of contract, Barrie traded, Keith “concussed” done, Koski replaced, Turris, Russel, Archi all UFA, and dare to dream they get rid of Kassian: that’s over $20MM.
– Sure Pool, Kailer will get big ups, and the McLeods, Bensons, Leggs, Markus will get bump ups, but with a great innovative GM, a lot of moves could be made.
– This year aside, 2023 and 2024 are “peak Oil potential” 3 C spine signed, no Barrie, Klef, Keith, new goalie tandem, Lucic cap gone. Use it wisely. Drai is UFA in 2025, and portends the next cycle of the Oil
I agree with your original post. Holland’s major moves are a dog’s breakfast.
That being said, I find it hilarious when people think there is a general consensus of fealty to Oilers management on this site.
I would say there is a strong consensus that Holland is not a good GM and there was certainly a strong consensus that Tip was past his best before date.
Maybe people just do not like your use of dashes? Or maybe the voting is random.
There are too many posts lately where someone says something, gets downvoted, and then the downvotes are dismissed and considered “mob” votes something.
I am not sure on this take either. Holland spent his money and the team is “right now” in the play-offs.
The plan was Smith and Koskinen in net and Tippett got Koskinen and Skinner that is a BIG difference.
The impact of a starting goalie with a +.920 save percent is the biggest change over the last four games, the second biggest is Kane into the line up imo.
The downvotes are due to your of a balanced take and a lot of revisionism.
Holland has made some good moves (Ceci is a bargain contract, Hyman is just an excellent hockey player, having the balls to pull the trigger on Kane for this season, when every one else was slagging him took some maturity
Some moves that looked bad at the time (Keith acquisition – he’s not finished like many were saying, perfectly serviceable in the role he was asked to play, and bought development time for the young D percolating in the Bake) but have not turned out as bad as expected.
And some moves that still look bad today (not plucking up Nedjelkovic off waivers, sending two second round picks for Athanasiou).
And some things were simply out of his control (losing Klefbom and Larsson, being stuck with Koskinen).
Most of us here are pretty independent thinkers … the fact that we don’t agree with your opinion does not make us sheep.
Also signing Nuge long term, Nurse long term and sticking it out with Puljujarvi. I don’t think a lot of GMs would have waited it out as long as Holland did with Puljujarvi.
I agree with most of this. A couple of thoughts though.
Regarding Barrie: In the summer the vets went to management and said they wanted Barrie back. Plus, he was the highest scoring def in the NHL last year. This is what led to Bear being traded and keeping Barrie. Finally, I believe everyone agreed on Bouchard’s potential but he didn’t reveal himself until this season AFTER the signing. I’m sure they will Keep Barrie through the playoffs (he had a good playoffs last year and veterans are gold in the playoffs) and will look to trade him this summer.
Regarding Keith: He was playing some really good hockey before his injury, definitely a top 3 defender on the team. Even more so than Barrie, I believe his true value will be revealed in the playoffs
When Keith comes back, The Oilers will likely still go get another seasoned top 4 defender VIA trade. That leaves the Oilers with Nurse, Bouchard, Ceci, Keith, Barrie/Russell + Player TBA. That means all of Lagesson, Broberg and Niemelainen won’t likely be playing late in the season nor playoffs though looks like Nielelainen has the inside track to stay with the club.
Next year will be different though. I’m betting Barrie and Lagesson gone via trade. Russell not resigned. Keith may or may not play both Broberg and Nielelainen will be on the NHL roster.
Winning changes everything, Look at Foegele and Derek Ryan right now. Lets put the pitchforks away for now and just see what happens. Lots of regular season hockey to go go plus playoffs
I completely agree with you, Kinger, and have no clue why you are being downvoted. Wear those reds as a badge of honour!
There is no question in my mind, given what has transpired over the last 12 months, that the Tippett/Holland strategy on D was wrong-headed. To suggest otherwise is burying your head in the sand. The team is succeeding with three young LHD, and last season Tippett couldn’t find time for Bouchard, who is/was better than all three.
I thought Keith was completely done and was wrong about that and have said that. However, he’s still very expensive and while the puck skills are there, the d-zone game is not. The PK ability is also not good. You don’t get to say that you want a D that prevents zone entries and have Keith back there in a top 4 role. I acknowledge I was wrong but am unmoved on my thesis from the summer, which was that the deal was rotten.
Holland was being heavily pressured to get rid of Tippett. He almost re-upped him! That is nuts.
I will credit Holland for going out and getting Kane. There was a lot of negative stuff floating around and he did the right thing for this roster. He also went on record and said they were open to second chances. I think that public declaration made a difference.
Going and getting a premier first line LW for basically nothing takes the sting out of the wasted cap space you alluded to.
I think you are being somewhat unfair! As fans we have little knowledge as to who might be available in trade and what the asking price from our team is. On the balance the team has been much better at the amateur draft and the the AHL is producing useable players for the big club something that was a definite weakness prior to Holland. Holland managed to salvage JP and hit a home run with free agent signing of Hyman. His acquisition of Ceci has been a positive as has Duncan Keith however he did in my opinion overpay on Keith. So in conclusion while there were some mistakes made, he has been the best GM of the team in more than a decade.
On an Olympic note this AM. Canada has more overall medals ((24). Than the US (21 more gold ). That is something !!!!!!
100% fake snow.
Man, he’s thick, and I mean that in a good way.
Niemelainen is listed as 6’6″ and 190 lbs. Do we know if that’s still accurate? Doesn’t seem very thick to me.
Same dimensions as when he was drafted. At his first summer development camp I commented that he appeared to be constructed out of pipe cleaners. That no longer seems to be the case. I’d guess he’s put on 20-25 pounds.
At 6’6″ I’d have to think much more than that.
Hockey legs are huge thick amongst good skaters and he looks wide across the back by my eye.
The new coaching, the new roster, and the recent results have filled me with a sense of optimism.
I am very curious to watch the coaching when we run the gauntlet in the next 5 games.
Jets, Wild, Lightening, Panthers, Hurricanes.
Will this be a “coachable” learning opportunity? Will this team double down on it’s recent commitment to structure and defense (especially in the neutral zone).
Can they play solid road games and try and eek out a couple of wins in tight checking games.
This is a playoff trial run right here right now. I think it’s a herculean task given how little time this version of the band has been jamming together, and how young some of these players are. But true greatness is forged in the fires of adversity. You only get better by playing those who are better than you.
Godspeed Men!
Nothing risked, nothing gained.
Fortune favours the brave!
You can take our land. but you will NEVER TAKE OUR FREEDOM!!!! …… (< too much?)
Tippett was so bad, the team needed 32 immediate root canals before they could masticate a pork chop.
But not a problem for Hercules. Two standard drills in through the sides of the mouth, another pair of smaller laparoscopic drills around the bend through the nasal cavity, and a fifth drill—essentially a small demolition jack hammer—up from yonder through the five hole. Dentistry in record time. (Customer’s subsequent unappreciative Yelp review suppressed by Yelp’s community content filter.)
As for Hercules, no sweat. A pair of hands for the cheek drills, two foot operated joysticks for the nasal drills, and a sip-and-puff tube scavenged from a $45,000 power chair, that’s the easy part. The hard part was finding the dolphin named da Vinci to provide the sonar assist via dolphin sign language. Locating this sometimes-reclusive 50-lb forehead was an entire league above Finding Nemo. But absolutely necessary. You simply can’t get five tiny mirrors into human mouth at the same time as five separate drills (along with all the swabs and suction you also need). After the heroic task of actually finding Dolph, Hercules simply wired up a couple of extremely sensitive bone conduction microphones—temporarily implanted in the client’s jaw—to a very expensive pair of studio cans, and reserved his visual system for attending to Dolph da Vinci carefully relaying the sonar image through a myriad of simultaneous dolphin twitches.
Nothing all that out of the ordinary for Hercules, but he did have one brief scare.
Hercules [signalling madly with eyeball motions]: Why are you frowning like that? That’s not part of our sonar sign language, or did I forget something?
Dolph da Vinci [rolling the visible eyeball that Hercules can actually see]: Nah, that’s not part of the code. There’s something about your expeditious use of the five hole that just seems wrong, and I’ve not yet figured out how to fully suppress my facial expression.
Hercules: Huh, you’re rather judgmental for a dolphin. Where your legendary sense of sanguine, laissez-faire dolphin pragmatism? If the otters hear about this, they’ll laugh their gamboling asses off.
Dolph da Vinci [snort]: Otters! Overgrown weasels with belly fat. Their father was a Magic Carpet and their mother was a pair of fuzzy calf socks. Love children of Ty Conklin and Jennifer Beals, if you ask me.
Hercules: So you don’t think they’d make the NASA grade if kitted out with four little Iron Man paw repulsors? You don’t think they’d instantly become an oversized hummingbird with B52 belly fat?—you don’t think they’d instantly become a hummingbird’s worst quad-copter nightmare plus deadly overbite?
Dolph da Vinci: Oh, sure, an instant aerial hairball with teeth by Anne Rice. But where’s the grace and verve?
Hercules: Uh, cool your jets, stat, Tonto. While you conjured up that mental image of the aesthetically deficient Iron Man otter brigade, all the drills and teeth as communicated through your sonar sigh language rotated into implausible configurations right out of the movie Inception. You do know I’m a little busy here, right, what with operating five dental drills simultaneously via sonar sign language while carrying on this conversation with nothing but eye twitches.
Dolph da Vinci: Oops—sorry—my bad; I lost my focus for half a second imagining those squeaky little rat bags engaged in a game of Quidditch with paw repulsors instead of magic broomsticks.
Hercules: Squeaky?
Dolph da Vinci: Are you chirping me?
Hercules: Oh, I wouldn’t dream.
———
Otters
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae, a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines.
Animal echolocation
Echolocating mammals include some bat species, toothed whales and dolphins, and also shrews in a simpler form.
Shrews
Although its external appearance is generally that of a long-nosed mouse, a shrew is not a rodent, as mice are. It is, in fact, a much closer relative of hedgehogs and moles. The shrew family also has the largest population of any mammal family: there are an estimated 100 billion shrews in the world.
SONAR
The first recorded use of the technique was by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490 who used a tube inserted into the water to detect vessels by ear.
In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, while Leonardo listened in, who didn’t know about the Bahamas, but sure as heck knew it wasn’t India. “Fascinating!” muttered da Vinci. “He’s 7500 nautical miles off course, where no scurvy white European has gone before.”
– Miss these epic posts Dark: hope you are well!
We walked him to the arena in the rain
We kissed him as he hit them like a train
And he showed us a game of hockey long gone
Though we knew that we’d be seeing him again (every day!)
sad to say that work gets in my way
So buy me beer and whiskey ’cause they’re playing every day (every day!)
I’d like to think of me cheering when I can
To the greatest little bulldozer and to Markus Niemelainen
I find the Ducks broadcast crew to be one of the best opposition TV crews. In particular, Brian Hayward.
3rd party observations of your team are always helpful to wade through the incessant PR of the local broadcast crew. ( telestrator use to show Oilers forwards flying the D zone – which I think is what Drew Remenda got fired for) Taboo subject in Edmonton.
Last night, both members of the Ducks crew commented on the vicious intensity and *ruthless* backchecking of the Dirty Calgary Flames.
I have been in denial about the Flames success here as I refuse to believe Zadorov and Gudbranson are NHL defensemen. Though it appears Darryl – now- has them both on the
3rd pairing.
Regardless, it would appear LT was once again right and I was wrong. ( this is a pattern that emerged years ago)
He kept mentioning the Darryl Sutter factor. And I mostly based my opinion on Flames opposition finding ( at that time) Zadorov or Gudbranson on 2 of the 3 D pairs – I thought there was no way Calgary would be good.
Flames suck, that’s the bottom line.
Sutter is a good coach.
That being said, Calgary has also been very lucky this year. No major injuries. Winning is significantly easier with a healthy line-up. Just ask the Oilers.
Very true.
I underestimated Sutter, clearly.
TSN’s Travis Yost penned a column today outlining how successful the Flames strategy with those D has been.
“The pairing of Erik Gudbranson and Nikita Zadorov stands out because it is a bit more specialized – this isn’t a group of high-end puck movers, but rather the type of low-cost pairing you deploy in tough defensive minutes and hope you don’t get killed. To Gudbranson and Zadorov’s credit, the Flames have been an average even-strength team with them on the ice, trading goals with their opponents.”
With that pairing sawing off, the top 4 D have been going to town.
https://www.tsn.ca/calgary-flames-gamble-on-mark-giordano-is-paying-off-1.1761439
You can only pick one.
JP becomes Jere Lehtinen
Niemelainen becomes Niklas Kronwall
Skinner becomes Tristan Jarry
Which do you choose?
Goaltending all day every day.
OH who am I kidding….it’s positive Friday ……pick one, two or all three or share one of your own.
Since it’s positive Friday, Broberg becomes Scott Niedermayer.
If we’re going that route, I vote for Duncan Keith becomes 2010 Duncan Keith.
And Niemelainen become Pronger
One Kronwall please.
Woodcroft and Manson deserve a lot of credit for their innovative utilization.
It was just one year ago that the organizational consensus was you can’t play young D. Well, here we are, and Broberg, Niemelainen, and Lagesson are all playing and contributing.
The big difference, though, is Kane. Man what a player. 8 points in 9 games, seemingly reviled and not bothered by it, and he’s just getting warmed up. His presence bumps everyone down a slot. How often does any team get to add a legit top line power forward LW for what Holland paid?
The Oilers likely have the best forward group in the league. We’ll see with the D, but so far so good.
A goalie and D upgrade and there’s no reason they can’t give anyone a hard time
Once Connor and Leo have a little more time to exhale they are going to get really hungry. I expect some serious heat coming in drive and intensity from both
Weight of the world off their shoulders, and onto the coaches, as it should be. Fun again
‘Cause you’re the joke of the neighborhood
Why should you care if you’re feelin’ good?
It appears the boys have their mojo back… sometimes (today specifically) those numbers you run LT make no sense to me. The lines and pairings that have negative CF%/xGF% are not the usual suspects, and sometimes those are the bet lines.
Anyway, Supertramp… what a band. I’ve always loved them, saw them live in ’94 and I miss my concert shirt tremendously. It simply read “Somethings Never Change”. That was all prior to the purchase of Supertramp Live in Paris (’79) blu-ray a few years back, then they just became larger than life. In my estimation, nothing will match The Band The Last Waltz but this Paris concert is something special. If you’re a fan and haven’t seen it, buy it now, it’s amazing and you wont regret it. If you’ve seen it, you already know.
Love Supertramp. I know they’re a “love it or hate it” band but my parents played the hell of them when I was growing up so it’s in my blood.
Hahaha your parents. My experience is more personal. Saw them perform in Northlands Coliseum (the old “concert bowl” setting iirc) in April of 1977. It was the Even in the Quietest Moments tour. Anyway on this night Roger Hodgson was struggling with laryngitis. He struggled his way through the opener “School” and 1 or 2 of his other songs (the title of this post among them), otherwise the group went very deep into the Rick Davies side of their catalog. A splendid show, but before it was over the band’s MC John Anthony Helliwell (the woodwinds guy) announced that they hadn’t given us their best, so to hang on to our ticket stubs and they’d come back at the end of their tour to do it right. And I’ll be damned if they didn’t do it, a free concert at the very end of their tour three long months later, and a much superior one with the full catalog at their disposal & Hodgson in good voice.
https://www.setlist.fm/stats/concert-map/supertramp-63d6beef.html?year=1977 (click on Canada)
Classy. They won a lot of fans here with that move, me among them.
A couple years later they returned touring their smash hit album Breakfast in America (my fourth-favourite Supertramp album, but it was a breakthrough for the band) & played 2 nights to a sold out crowd in the full Coliseum. Now a loyal fan, I went both nights, once with friends around my own age (23) & once with my 13-year-old sister (her first concert) so let’s just say I experienced the two concerts in two different, uhh, states of mind. Both shows were outstanding, indeed nearly identical. By this point in its evoution the band was very polished & professional.
That’s a fantastic story, Bruce.
I saw them in Calgary on that tour as I was from Olds. It was outdoors so McMahon Stadium I guess. I will not go into details as the statute of limitations on some events that evening may not have expired……
Didn’t Rod Stewart open that show, blast in America?
I had the piano music for Paris for awhile. Eff me, that took a little practice to play. A lot of blackbirds on the telegraph wires, as my Granddad used to say.
I think I saw a unicorn last night, I swear.
Also, I refuse to toss Krazy eyes Kassian into the trash bin before seeing him perform in the playoffs. His recent seasons have no doubt been disappointing, but I believe he will rise again.
Niemelainen, Nuge, McLeod, Foegele, Ceci, Hyman, Kane. Lots of guys going and lots of positives the last few games.
Keep the candles lit for the goaltending.
Traded for Foeglele. Signed Hyman.
Had 3 high end C’s since 2015.
It was there if Tippett wanted it. Granted, adding Kane certainly augments the unicorn’s appearance.
I posted this after the game last night… the Ryan post-game This is Must See… YT. So if you haven’t caught it, here’s the link again. Let’s just say not all the roster was pleased with the prior coaching staff. And some insight into structure and systems.
https://youtu.be/8jlKuDQyXj4?t=548
Also gives us a piece of context we never account for in our stats-gathering…
Similarly:
https://theathletic.com/3137173/2022/02/18/derek-ryan-flourishing-under-new-oilers-coach-jay-woodcroft-is-a-microcosm-of-whats-working-for-the-team/
On what he’s noticing, as a defensive player, about the improved defence of the team:
We’re so much more detailed than we were earlier in the year. Everyone’s on the same page. We’ve been working on certain things that we struggled in earlier in the year — track reads, coming back into our defensive zone structure, where guys are supposed to be, making reads off each other.
It just felt like earlier in the year guys were kind of panicky; didn’t really quite know where to go. It’s been a lot more clear and evident lately that that structure coming into our D-zone and transitioning through the neutral zone is just so huge. All the teams we’ve played lately, they create so much offence through that transition. That’s been big for us. The structure and detail is just evident.
No, wait, Derek, don’t hold back, tell us what you really think!
“Those guys (McDavid and Draisaitl) are amazing. I can speak to that all day. But we need to be there to support them. We also need the opportunity to do so.”
On the feeling on the bench when the second unit started the power play 5:12 into the third period up 5-2:
We noticed it. Well, I did anyways. For sure. This is the first team I’ve been on where that’s not a regular occurrence. Maybe that’s a good thing for those guys (on the second unit) — to get more opportunity. PP2 had a goal (by Evander Kane in the first period). They haven’t had much opportunity. That’s huge.
But wait, there’s more!
On if he had a conversation with Woodcroft about a defined role:
I didn’t have that conversation, but I think it’s evident in how he’s ran the bench. He wanted to get the nine, 10, 11, 12 guys in the forward group going more. I know that’s something that I’ve talked with guys in the bottom six. We needed that, or it felt like we needed that.
I can’t speak for Woody. He can speak for that. But I feel it’s been pretty clear by the way he’s ran the bench.
Thanks – this is so good.
When the second unit created 3 great chances & a GOAL in the dwindling seconds of the Oilers’ second powerplay, I said to my wife (& also to Staples in our Grade A scoring chance document) that I hoped & expected Woodcroft to start the second unit on the next PP. It was 30 minutes later & the game was very different, but he did exactly that & it was exactly the right move. Send a message to both units, success breeds ice time. Reward for the second unit, wakeup call for the first, simultaneous messages that were both right on point.
Gold. Thank you
Money quote “It was just hard early in the year when you’re not playing much and you sit on the bench and its pretty tough when you sit there for 20..15-20 minutes and you’re expected to go our there and contribute……those legs get stagnant and you don’t have the confidence to try and make a play”
Damn.
Truth Bomb alert.
There were those two games Gully ran the bench when Tippett was sick and he rolled the lines to good results. Players need to be in the game to deliver.
That’s when it became evident a coaching change was required .
Excellent interview. It is an underappreciated talent to be able to hit a vital organ without leaving blood splatter. 😉
veteran move for sure
Ryan said a mouthful there , clear and to the point , no doubt he will be a great coach one day . A coaching change was absolutely the best thing for this team .
This might have been the best interview done by an Oilers play this season.
I was at the game last night and Derek Ryan looked great, as did Ryan McLeod. But the guy who really stood out to me was Niemelainen. He is a young defenceman playing his first NHL games so you hope and expect that he will get better. But even if he just continues to play like he is right now, the guy was a steal at that spot in the draft. You could really tell the Ducks did not like taking those hits, and it has been too long since the Oilers had players who could rattle the opposition like that.
Amen!!!!!
Markus Niemegator?
Evander Kane … “a nasty piece of work idling.’
Finally, a legit irritator on our team for a change
That “rattle snake jab” the other night was a thing of beauty.
Is the next Battle of Alberta going to be billed
McDeity vs Jockey Hockey
or
Kane vs Turtlechuk
#StirItUpAndServeIt
Anyone else noticing a pretty dramatic settling down of Niemelainen’s game?
I swear he is getting more calm each game he plays here…
Just a general observation.
Puljujarvi got tangled up with Lindholm in the corner and was slow to get up. Looked like an innocent enough play, but of course we didn’t get to see a slow-mo replay either. Hope he’s okay.
Who was it that suggested Holland needed to be looking to add a RW yesterday? That may have been prescient. If JP is out short-term, who gets the call?
Either Marody or Malone is my guess or maybe Jay takes the Turris for a spin for a game or two. I’d like to see Lavoie get the call, and I think there’s a chance…
I was wondering about Lavoie actually. My initial response is that it’s too early – I’d like to see him round out his game a bit more – but then I noticed that he actually leads the Condors in ES goals. He’s 5-5-10 +8 in his past 10 games too, with nine of those points coming at even strength.
I agree in Lavoie. But they will porobably just pop Yammy with McD and move Macleod to Drai’s line. My bet is Malone
McLeod moves up to the McDavid line and Hyman switch to RW. Benson draws in and maybe they finally give Marody a chance. Or Malone gets called up to help out the PK.
Malone over Benson .
If it’s short term I would think Benson. I hope Holland has approached JP’s agent about an extension by now. I would want to get something locked up long term before Jesse gets himself organized and really starts putting up points.
I’m not going to stop banging the drum for Phil Kessel. Dom Luszczyszyn had an Athletic article quoting an NHL executive saying that the Yotes were shopping him for a 3rd round pick, and some shenanigans in his contract means his cap hit is essentially nil for the rest of the season. He’s having a bad year, but I like the old “form is temporary, class is permanent” adage. He’d look fantastic with Kane and Drai.
That reminds me, do you still run the hotdog cart outside Roger’s?
I don’t appreciate the insinuation. I have always run an honest hot dog cart.
Lol.
The Oilers are an LTIR team. No cap space accumulation in-season. Kessel’s full Arizona AAV hits the Oilers cap (less any retention0.
Top 6 – Perlini
The answer may be to put Hyman on the RW , f Jesse is out for any amount of time .
Eakins sure had some glowing remarks about the Oilers post game. He’s even wide eyed with our big 3 down the middle, said something along the lines of them being the best centers in the league. Hard to argue.
“There’s not a team in this League that has three guys down the middle like that.”
There be green alligators and long neck geese………..
thanks Randle, another song I got to empty out of my head.
lol… lets see if I can fix that for you
“We’ll drink a drink, a drink
To Lily the Pink, the Pink, the Pink
The savior of the human race
For she invented medicinal compound
Most efficacious in every case”
Had to look these things up, but Lydia Pinkhams formula is in step with today’s discussion, see the first ingredient.
The original formula for Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound was:
Yep. Ducks Broadcasters mentioned this as well about the pregame talk with Mr. Eakins.
Who knew playing these centres at their natural positions would be effective.( most important forward position)
Pretty tough to match up
McDavid
Drai
RNH
Word on the street – Tippet threw his cell phone at the tv last night at the continued use of our 3 best centres.
flip phone
There was a lot of talk about RNH playing 3rd line centre last summer & the main objection was that he wouldn’t get enough ice time even though I pointed out over and over that with PP & PK time he would easily average 20 minutes.
I see Woodcroft was able to figure it out.
But but math is hard!😉
Didn’t like what he brought when he was in Edmonton, but kudos for the good sportsmanship on this visit. It will be interesting to see if the Ducks can squeeze into the post season now that the Terry-Zegras magic has been countered. To my eye, Kings are the stronger of the bubble teams, hopefully now in the Oilers’ rearview mirror.
I like Tippett and he’ll easily find another job. He got stale with this roster. It happens. Every fan knows if Tippett was still coaching we would have seen Mcdavid and Draisaitl together for the 2nd and 3rd periods.
I haven’t seen a coach this universally liked by a fan base in Edmonton since the 06 run. #EXTENDTHEWOOD
Is Eakins’ post game interview on the Duck’s site?
Just saw some quotes on post game rundown on the NHL website.
“Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist, he’s in the middle of the most effective games played for the Oilers.”
It takes time for players to settle in on a new team. Foegele was brought in to play 3LW and then got bounced around for awhile due to injuries to other players and Covid.
Their will be ups and downs along the way. But he plays a style that seems to mesh with Nuge’s witchery, AND a style that usually transfers well come playoff time.
Even role-players need TOI
“Walk your street
And I’ll walk mine
And should we meet
Would you spare me some time?”
#BlueCollar
I think the same can be said for Ceci and Hyman. Both look more assertive now. Both were good acquisitions.
Foegele is perfectly suited for playoff hockey. His crash and bang style creates a lot of loose pucks for Nuge and Ryan. Earlier in the year if he was given an opportunity similar to his goal last night, he likely would have shot it in the corner. Confidence is an amazing thing.
Jay Woodcroft = Engaging youthful coach capable of leading this team to glory.
Proof – RNH running a legit third line.
Yep.
Centre is the most important forward position. on the ice. Or so we are told every single draft.
And taking advantage of the soft parade! Nugge is really bringing it.
Nemo was 3-0 in goals? I thought he was on for at least one against. Smith was talking to him about it.
Couple of things. The goalies. Just make the saves you’re supposed to make. That’s what makes guys like Gibson good. Second and third goals meant we had to score 4 to win. Is that a strategy that’s sustainable?
What is definitely not a sustainable strategy is keeping going behind 2 goals a game. That will kill us in the playoffs when the whistles get out away, or in the regular season if some guys hit cold streaks. I seriously don’t know what’s going on. But they need to get it sorted schnell machen.
Good things? This team is a freaking juggernaut when it gets going. Is just relentless. And ruthless. There was no let up last night. Just holding the Ducks underwater until the struggling stopped.
Hat tip to John Gibson. Without him, we would have had 10. Kane’s best game. Coach using mistakes by rookies as teaching moments and letting the vets that make mistakes that they should know better.
Two of the three goals ANA got were on the PP. Nemo was on for one of those. The EV goal was given up by the 97 line with Darnell and Barrie on D.
Ah, thanks Munny and Durag!
Smith was not good. He plays way too deep in the net. He was flopping around all night. He makes easy saves look like spectacular saves.
The goal against Nemo was on the PK, LT does 5v5 stats.
Agree on Kane, man he was a load out there. Huge goal to drag us back into that game and I loved instigating the nastiness when we were up two goals. No taking the foot off the pedal with that guy.
You’re praising the guy who got lit up for 7 while slagging the Oilers goalies? To repeat you’re praising the guy who got lit up for 7 while slagging the Oiler goalies?
You’re doing it wrong friend, you’re doing it very wrong.
Ok, you know that good or bad players can have good or bad games on good or bad teams, right?
Blindly praising teams and players when we were winning almost killed this team and likely cost a coach his job.
A team is a process. It always has to change and evolve. You stay still, you die. Look at PP1. You do this by constant evaluation. As impartial as you can.
And please leave the Ukraine alone, ya big bully!
I wasn’t impressed with Gibson. He seems to be good at positioning and angles, but his lateral movement was non-existent. An east-west pass and he’s completely lost, he just turns his head to watch – little or no cross-crease reaction.
He also got low early on some of the shots, he made himself small despite playing high to cut down the angles.
That’s fair. But he’s still .915 on a very mediocre team, and that’s after getting lit up by the ‘Berta boys. I feel there’s a goalie there… he’d be our #1 and it wouldn’t be close until Skinner developed a little more.
Definitely he’d be our #1 in October/November. Not sure he’d hold the spot beyond that.
Gibson is a world class goalie, but only for the first dozen or so games every season.
2018-19
First 12 games: .935
Remaining 46: .911
2019-20
First 12 games: .926
Remaining 39: .897
2020-21
First 12 games: .923
Remaining 23: .894
2021-22
First 14 games: .926
Remaining 22: .909
Hardly the guy you want if you’re after post-season success.
A whole lot of dementoring going on there. Cannot only hold back the onslaught of Brylcreem tubes for only so long.
That is a tough critique. Quite a few breakaway chances for McDavid – just in the
1st period.
Gibson saw more of Connor last night that Lauren did.
He made multiple spectacular saves and then fell apart after barrage after barrage. The ducks defence was awful
That kinda sums up his career.
A few posters mentioned it yesterday but Derek Ryan’s post-game interview was a real indictment of the previous coaching group.
He alluded to a few things posters have been speculating about. E.g., the underuse of secondary scorers on the PP and how this had a negative effect on the offensive confidence of secondary scorers.
For those that didn’t see the Derek Ryan post game interview. I found this enlightening. https://youtu.be/8jlKuDQyXj4?t=548
Not a single word written about Ryan McCleod?? I thought he had one of his best games. He’s starting to use his speed out there and it’s working for him!
I think you have a case here… Why do you hate McLeod so much, LT?
I, for one, will not stand for McLeod being run out of town.
I have always thought McLeod had potential, but he’s progressing even more quickly than I expected. People want to keep slotting him on the fourth line but he’s too good for that. He is starting to see a lot of PK and PP time so that gives him a big boost. Such an elite skater and his vision on the ice becomes more apparent each game.
Its nice that Woodcroft has such an intimate knowledge of the Bakersfield roster and likely speaks with the coaches there on a daily basis. He will know the right time to bring Holloway or anyone else up if needed.
The give and go with Kane was excellent. His pass to Drai was sublime.
Not sure if he can hold a top-six spot but if he can chip in like that while he’s up there its sweeter than Yoohoo
His passes to Nurse & then Kane (for the goal) on the powerplay were excellent.
McLeod played >2 minutes on each special team last night & split his 5v5 time between 4C & 2RW. Nice to have such versatility at a young age.
Now 37 GP, 5-5-10, +1 on the season & only now starting to get anything resembling cherry minutes. A very promising rookie campaign.
Willy Leggs, Mackelienen, The Bouch Bomb, and thier Bro.
Are you kidding me?
Our ranking in prospects under 25 has to be off the charts right about now.