The OHL and the 2022 draft

by Lowetide

If I lived in an Ontario city with an OHL team, chances are I’d be at a game most nights. In terms of supplying quality players to the NHL, the Ontario league is the Duke Ellington (possibly the most prolific musician in history) of player development. The Edmonton Oilers have benefitted heavily over the years, and the current roster is populated by a dozen or so grads. This year, the OHL has produced some fine quality and a large quantity of teenagers good enough to be considered real prospects.

THE ATHLETIC!

OHL 2022 DRAFT

Shane Wright will be the No. 1 overall selection, and I’d bet Pavel Mintyukov is also early off the board. My third choice here, David Goyette, is fast and skilled but ranked outside the first round by everyone but Craig Button (No. 17). I would be completely satisfied if Edmonton chose Goyette based on math and reports of foot speed.

Servac Petrovsky is an August 2004 birthday, one of the youngest players in the draft, and went 28-26-54 in 65 games. Vinzenz Rohrer is a September 2004 birthday, and he went 25-23-48 in 64 games! Honestly, a smart NHL team might have parked half their scouting staff in the OHL and dug deep all winter. I listed 38 players for the OHL, 23 for the QMJHL and 24 for the WHL. An amazing league.

LOWETIDE 2021 LIST

  1. RD Brandt Clarke Barrie Colts. Puck-moving D smart player with good size.
  2. LC Mason McTavish Peterborough Petes. He’s a pure goal scorer, PF’s tools.
  3. LC Francesco Pinelli, Kitchener Rangers  Smart, skill C who passes well, plus speed.
  4. LW Brennan Othmann, Flint Firebirds Best first-shot scorer in the OHL.
  5. RW Chase Stillman, Sudbury Wolves At 5.11, 170 he has plus speed.
  6. LC Brett Harrison, Oshawa Generals A two-way center with good speed.
  7. RC Connor Lockhart, Erie Otters.  Probably the best skater among OHL eligibles.
  8. LC Wyatt Johnson, Windsor Spitfires Skill center showed second half improvement
  9. LD Ethan Dal Mastro, Mississauga Steelheads A big, strong shutdown blue.
  10. LC Sami Päivärinta, Lukko. Small two-way center, fine playmaker.
  11. G Benjamin Gaudreau, Sarnia Sting. Impressive U18 (.919 SP) has him here.
  12. G Brett Brochu, London Knights. Under radar goalie delivered a .919 SP as a rookie.
  13. RC Ryan Winterton, Hamilton Bulldogs. Solid prospect, skilled and September 2003

Sami Päivärinta is in Finland now, but Brochu, who I had on my list in 2020 and 2021, is still playing well in the OHL. There were several players drafted a year ago I didn’t have on my list, a reflection of how difficult it is for math to come up with a list without, you know, math. There are some amazing overagers in this year’s OHL crop, including James Hardie, Tucker Robertson and others. That will come in the overagers post.

THE CHL’S 10 BEST FOR 2022

Since we’ve finally made it through the WHL, QMJHL and OHL, it’s time to post the 10 best names in the Canadian junior leagues.

  1. RC Shane Wright (O). Peter Harling (Dobber) compares to Patrice Bergeron.
  2. RC Matt Savoie (W). Scott Wheeler: Inside the offensive zone, he’s lethal.
  3. LD Denton Mateychuk (W). Elite skater, complete range, impressive passer.
  4. RW Jagger Firkus (W). Quick, skilled, difficult to contain.
  5. LD Pavel Mintyukov (O). Top-end skater, puck mover. Some chaos defensively.
  6. LC David Goyette (O). Speedy center with skill and two-way ability.
  7. RW Jordan Dumais (Q). Undersized skill winger impressive playmaker.
  8. LC Servac Petrovsky (O). Aug. 2004, slick, skilled, does everything at high speed.
  9. RC Conor Geekie (W). Best PF at the top end of the draft.
  10. LW Luca DelBelBelluz (O). Size, two-way ability, and an offensive spike.

CARTER SAVOIE

His signing is significant, because Savoie is part of an impressive group of first-shot scorers coming down the pipeline. Raphael Lavoie was the tip of the iceberg, and his development path has been uneven but has some successes (a strong run in December that bled into January and lasted 30 games). Savoie, who will be followed by Tyler Tullio and Matvei Petrov, is the most promising in the group (Xavier Bourgault aside, and he’s a bit of a different player-type) and his arrival in pro hockey is much anticipated. If you’re watching Condors games, don’t expect goals right away. The best way to measure progress is touches, how many times a new arrival touches the puck. Condors fans have been spoiled by Dylan Holloway this season, but being near the play and in the play is the first step we can monitor for a new player in a new league.

MIKE SMITH

Smith is finally healthy, just in time too based on the craziness in the standings below the Oilers in the Pacific division. I’ll be interested to see the ratio Jay Woodcroft used when deploying Smith-Koskinen. In April, Smith is 6-0-0 in six starts, with a .955 save percentage. That’s peak goalie. Koskinen is 0-1-1 in two games, with an .895 save percentage. Oilers need both. Is three Smith appearances out of four the sweet spot? We’ll find out.

LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE

TSN1260, 10 this morning, we dig deep on the Vegas Golden Knights collapse and what it might mean. Tyler Yaremchuk from Daily Faceoff will join us to talk Oilers-Kings (or perhaps another) and we’ll have plenty of Jays, Raptors and football talk throughout the morning. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!

You may also like

4.3 11 votes
Article Rating
263 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
JimmyV1965

I shouldn’t let it bug me, but NHL reffing is so bush league I’m embarrassed for them. Watching the Canucks game, they miss an obvious tripping penalty by Ottawa in the final minute. Then they miss an obvious tripping penalty by Vancouver in OT.

It makes the league look like a joke because everyone in the building can see the infractions.I guess they’re happy it evened out. Of course, the Canucks might have won in regulation if they ended the game on the PP.

Victoria Oil

I only saw the OT, but the uncalled trip that should have been called against JT Miller was so egregious that even John Shorthouse, the Canucks play by play guy was shocked that it wasn”t called. Horrendous refereeing.

JimmyV1965

The one in the last minute was even more egregious because it could have been a penalty shot.

JimmyV1965

And SportsNet doesn’t show either missed call during its SportsNet Central show. If they did, things might possibly actually change. And both missed calls had a direct impact on the game.

€√¥£€^$

It doesn’t make sense, because they ignore the rule book, so essentially the referees make up their own rules. How do the gambling companies put up with this?

The ref thinks he is managing the game/being fair, but that only works when calls are consistent. It doesn’t mean 20 penalties will be called every game, it means players will try harder not to take penalties if they know they’ll get called every time.

There needs to a consistent standard set and then maintained EVERY SINGLE GAME. Why is hockey so different from EVERY SINGLE SPORT. The logic is so flawed, they clear need to improve the leadership in this area.

Whaler Slamamoto

See Oakland vs BJs the other day. Some refs/umps are just bad sometimes. All sports.

Ice Sage

Agreed NHL is the worst but other sports have issues – NBA is well-documented homer and star biased, MLB, soccer and NFl all incorporating more tech to re-establish fairness.

Genjutsu

That’s one thing baseball has right.

They’re getting rid of umpires and going automated.

Bring on the robot refs.

fishman

Some of the strike calling at the plate is horrendous . They need technology like tennis has.

Redbird62

Every point seems to be so much more critical at this time of the season. Leaving one on ice in their own arena against the Senators has to really sting especially since Ottawa was playing back to backs and Vancouver led by 2 after 1 and by 1 going into the 3rd. Looking up at the scoreboard and seeing the Kings holding serve against the Ducks rubbed a little more salt in that wound too. Edmonton can give the Vancouver faithful a little extra false hope if they beat the Stars tomorrow night.

Last edited 2 years ago by Redbird62
Redbird62

Adding to the ‘Nucks dismay in not getting the 2nd point, is their next game is on the road in Minnesota, who are highly motivated to stay ahead of St. Louis for home ice advantage in the first round, followed by a stop in Calgary.

Ice Sage

Kings win, Canucks get a point.
forget the road, this is a rubber room

N64

538 moves Kings from 76% to 87% .

Funny Bissonness

Having dinner with my family and I have the flames preds game on quietly in the other room. Only I can see the TV from my seat [cause I’m smart like that (the kinda guy whose we-started-dating, engagement, and marriage anniversaries all fall on the same day of the year)]. Absolutely nothing is happening in the game outside mangiapane going to the box. Out of nowhere my 3 year old throws his arms up and shouts “Yes! McDavid!” My almost 2 year old follows with “Yes! Oilers!”

Raising ’em right.

Harpers Hair

Huberdeau with 3 assists.

He takes over the NHL scoring race.

What a season.

Ranford.85

Uh oh!

Ranford.85

“What a season.”

Did you say that last year when McDavid had 105 points in 56 games?

Of course you didn’t. You’re a squid. A literal squid. A creature from the depths that drags others down with you.

JimmyV1965

You know who doesn’t give a shit? McDavid.

Harpers Hair

Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) Tweeted:
Matt Duchene is the first 40-goal scorer in Predators history.

https://twitter.com/AdamVingan/status/1516588516259467266?s=20&t=xvPJZRMwQwW_R7PcYvjo4g

Forsberg also scores his 39th.

NSH leads CAL 2-0 in the second.

Whaler Slamamoto

Tell me more about your team: the Vancouver Canucks.

Ozoil

Every team is his team

kgo

Thought experiment….next off-season we look to sign a FA Dman to an 8 year contract.

Our crystal ball tells us there’s a 90% chance over the next 8 years this player will play 600 games plus 100 in the playoffs, score 100 goals and 200 assists, he will play top minutes vs elites and be a plus player every year. He will also punch a few faces along the way.

This player is 28, has extreme levels of work ethic and athleticism, and does tv spots for a vegetarian restaurant. He has ties to the community and to the stars of the team.

How much would you pay this player? $8.5M?

Harpers Hair

Given aging curves, it is highly unlikely this player will be very effective in the last 3 seasons of his contract.

Also 300 points in 8 seasons is only 37.5 per season while the top D are producing 60+ and some approaching 80.

$8M X 8….max.

jp

Given aging curves, it is highly unlikely this player will be very effective in the last 3 seasons of his contract.

When he’s 32, 33 and 34? lol

Harpers Hair

I’ve posted these aging curves before, and, yes, defensemen generally decline in those years.

An $8.5 million defenseman at age 28 is not often worth that much at the end of his contract.

Of course there are outliers but not many and teams that ignore reality very often get stuck with albatross contracts.

See OEL for reference. (There are many others.)

Ask yourself…what would Eric Tulsky do?

jp

You said “ it is highly unlikely this player will be very effective in the last 3 seasons of his contract“. That’s not at all the same as ‘may decline slightly’.

Nurse just turned 27 btw.

Harpers Hair

I did not say decline slightly or Nurse.

It is not uncommon for defensemen to decline in their early to mid 30’s.

There are dozens of examples.

Funnybird

Don’t worry HH, pretty sure Nurse is going to age well. A physical specimen who treats his body like a shrine. He can lose a step and still be one of the best skaters in the league.

Harpers Hair

He’s not one of the best skaters in the league now…never mind 6-8 years from now.

Spend some time watching Makar, Toews, Fox and Hughes.

Totally out of his league.

Reja

Nurse is a freak of nature the same way Chris Chelios was. I don’t think Nurse will peak until he’s 32 and go strong until he’s 40.

Redbird62

They are quicker and more agile to be sure, but Nurse is 3 to 5 inches taller and outweighs them all by 30 to 40 lbs. That’s like comparing Johnny Gaudreau’s skating to Chris Kreider’s. That said, none of them has a higher top end speed than Nurse.

BornInAGretzkyJersey

To my mind, the key problem with this kind of assessment is that you’re assessing that cohort against the plebs of the league.

When was the last time you watched Nurse backtrack against Connor going forward at full speed? It’s like velcro. Who else does that?

Side

You mean OEL, the one you said who had the kind of physical tools that would not degrade and how great the Canucks and Sedins were for getting OEL?

That OEL?

Ranford.85

Yes that’s the one. HH spent the whole month of September talking about how great of a player he was…

leadfarmer

Haha!!
how the tables have turned
and fell over
and then pinned the troll under them

Reja

Tyler Pitlick is playing for the Habs with his cousin Rem it’s his 7th team and he’s only 30 years old.

docweb

The Larry Sanders Show
The Office ( British original)
Derry Girls

I can see I am not in the popular crowd but…

BornInAGretzkyJersey

TLSS was a show I used to stay up late and try to like.

I knew it was my style, but it was too far ahead on the curve for me to catch up to at the time. I was about seven or eight years old.

Last edited 2 years ago by BornInAGretzkyJersey
Munny 2.0

That’s pretty edgy.

But Soap put the first openly gay character on TV and gave him relationships. I think I’d have to give that a nod.

Archie Bunker was pretty edgy. Miles from Happy Days, ie from the context of the time.

South Park sure has its moments.

LostBoy

Those are superb. I think I’d probably put Father Ted in 3rd. Derry Girls first season was magic (the final moments of the last episode when they were dancing around to Dreams I actually teared up). The first two seasons of Father Ted contain some of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen on television. Bishop Brennan and the rabbits is still among the funniest things I’ve ever seen, up there with “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

childishzamboni

I think Jay Woodcroft is the most significant move the Oilers have made since acquiring 97 or 29. I am trying to think of an individual that has had more impact. Just can’t.

I really knew very little about him before he became head coach of he Oilers. After seeing him in action and listening to his press conferences, I can’t believe I would have considered a lot of the other great coaches that were available. I was hoping against hope that Paul Maurice would be acquired, now I don’t even think about him anymore.

I know it’s early in his NHL head coaching career, but the guy gets it on SO MANY levels.

OriginalPouzar

Hired in the NHL twice by Ken Holland.

BornInAGretzkyJersey

That Woody is a relic of the ChiaPete and TMc era is an interesting curio.

When I really noticed him was how he’s a close talker when working with players. When I really noticed his impact was when Jujhar went from a perimeter puck optional player to someone who showed growth and teased flashes of potential. For instance, there was a clip I saw of Jay working with JJ on how to spin off the boards and maintain inside position to one’s advantage with the next move at hand. He’s a tactical thinker, with a communicator’s mind.

Harpers Hair

NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) Tweeted:
Marc-Andre Fleury plans to play in the NHL next season. “I would like to play at least another season,” the 37-year-old goalie said. https://t.co/lvh0t4lZ1e

https://twitter.com/NHLdotcom/status/1516527425873747979?s=20&t=QPvdctw8TZZOv4Dh6sfpvw

JimmyV1965

Seems like an obvious target fog Holland. Lol

OriginalPouzar

Why tough?

Smith has a better save percentage this season than MAF, and that’s with him struggling to find his game with injury for months.

Will MAF sign for one year in the $2M range with the Oilers? Sees highly unlikely.

Lets not forget, Skinner is almost assuredly on the Oilers next season. Now, i don’t know if he’s ready for 20, 40 or 60 games but I’m confident he’s on the roster.

Scungilli Slushy

Woody mentioned he thinks the team hasn’t tapped all of its potential yet

If they can learn to be better at attacking the net with HDSC off the cycle they’ll be very hard to beat. It’s been a lot better, but still can be crickets certain games such as Connor and Leon not producing the last few games

Add a couple of bigger meaner competent D and BOOM!

It is nice to think a team playing this well has a higher ceiling still. Love it!

Solly

These 3 nights off are bologna…nice to get the banged up boys some well-earned time off to heal up I suppose.

If I’m ranking potential playoff opponents in order of preference, it would be:

1) Canucks
2) Kings
3) Knights

I know the Canucks is a long-shot, but the heater they’re on is not a good representation of who this team is. They’ve been bad for the majority of this season and I’d take peak-Oilers over peak-Canucks all day in a 7-game series. They cannot match up against our forward depth. They also might be the only team out of the 3 that are smaller than us….that matters in playoffs…big time.
The Kings are older and slower than us and might be the most even match up in regards to goaltending. At this point, I’d give us the edge in goaltending now. They do have some good young talent that could out-perform our bottom 6 and they are much bigger than us. It would be a tougher series than most people think.
The Knights are a playoff-proven, veteran team. Lehner and Smith are both streaky so goaltending is wash. But they have a lot of leaders that have already been successful in the playoffs and know what it takes to win. They also will have 160 million in salary to play with to re-tool their lineup. This slump they’re in doesn’t represent who this team is, they’re good and they’re big. One good game and they could become a powerhouse instantly. They scare me the most.

Regardless…talking about playoffs makes me a happy guy. If we can secure home ice, I think this team gets out of the first round.

Hunter:
14 Wins
11 McDavid
16 Draisaitl

Harpers Hair

The average age of the Kings is 26.3

The Oilers average is 29.1.

Solly

I guess I was talking more of their core group…Kopitar, Brown, Quick, etc.
I did mention the young talent though and do believe they have some good up and comers. They looked good by my eye when we play them.

leadfarmer

Do they though?
I think their up and comers will barely be enough to replace their ageing guys

Harpers Hair

You don’t even know who their up and comers are, do you?

leadfarmer

https://www.tsn.ca/owen-power-top-nhl-prospects-1.1784400

one very good prospect in Clarke and 2 deeper prospects
All those great forward prospects you’ve been telling us about have magically fallen off the list

Harpers Hair

In a list of 50, if you have 3 players on the list, you’re way ahead of the competition.
And a reminder that Quinton Byfield is only 19 and is coming off a broken leg.

leadfarmer

Average age is a meaningless stat. A 4th line player is a lot easier to replace than a #1c. The age of the core is what matters

Harpers Hair

To a point.

But you also need some hairy assed vets who know what it takes to win.

Kopitar, Brown and Quick have two cup rings.

So does Keith but he’s no longer a core player and is older than dirt.

Stephen

Duncan Keith and his 3 cup rings at 38yrs is older than dirt but Kopitar, Brown and Quick with their 2 cup rings at 34, 37 and 36 are hairy-assed vets who know what it takes to win?

jimmyneutron

You’ll twist yourself into a human pretzel trying to sort through the contradictions and inconsistencies. However, the science is clear that hairy assed vets, with at least one cup ring are valuable only until age 37, and provided they play for a California based hockey club… or any other team not based in Edmonton, Alberta.

OriginalPouzar

Its interesting that hair-assed Keith is not part of the core but hairy assed Brown is when Keith plays 5 more minutes per game…..

Stephen

LA better lay waste this spring while they can. Next season Brown will be 38 and older than dirt.

OriginalPouzar

Lots of updates from Chaulk on the Condors – great stuff:

Samorukov – confirmed out for the year

Lavoie – confirmed out for the year

Broberg – full practice today – just need to see if he comes through it all-right and should be back soon.

Holloway – skated for the first time today – just a rehab skate – not full practice. Good step. Didn’t sound close at all (but he didn’t say that).

Niemelainen – week to week – nothing structural or bone but he’ll be a bit

Kemp – he’s doing well in his recovery from the scary incident

Philp – just arrived and getting on the ice (he was sick before he came down and only skated once so far) – may get in a game this weekend but we’ll see. He’ll play

Savoie – will be in town later this week – they’ll get him on the ice and see how he goes from there – they’ll get him in some games

Perlini – he’s out with a concussion – day to day – not skating

Last edited 2 years ago by OriginalPouzar
Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

Yikes. Sammy and Lavoie out for the year is brutal.

OriginalPouzar

Sure is – that was pretty much known though – just now confirmed.

jp

Yeah, the hope now is they’re good to go for training camp.

Any more word at all on Koekkoek?

OriginalPouzar

He remains on personal leave.

jp

Thanks. Doesn’t sound great whatever is up in his life.

unca miltie

Why dont I see love for the greatest sitcom of them all. Mash.

WKRP, Cheers, Newhart was fun, i even enjoy Big Bang Theory reruns and of course Seinfield.

Last edited 2 years ago by unca miltie
Gerta Rauss

Yeah, I overlooked MASH with my top 3 – it can’t be overstated how much of an influence MASH had on television, especially how the final episode gathered viewers to a single television event on a single evening – the end of an era with the arrival of satellite TV and pay per view channels and the VHS recorder.

I still enjoy the early episodes with Trapper and Colonel Blake – anything after that, not so much.

The Adam’s ribs episode and ‘For want of a boot” and 5 o’clock Charlie are television classics.

And the incubator:

Now wait a minute. This is a press conference, the last thing I want to do is answer a lot of questions..!!

-General Mitchell

unca miltie

That last episode, still one of the most watched tv shows in history. it will be 40 years ago, next year. no wonder no one mentioned it.

pts2pndr

I still chuckle at the time Frank Burns drives the tank. Great comedy!

€√¥£€^$

My favourite show was The Carol Burnett Show, Tim Conway – was a comedic icon.

This was my favourite skit and as a pre-teen it had me ROFLMAO.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqE_WmagjY

Harpers Hair

For us old folks, I Love Lucy was genius.

Harpers Hair

After all these years I can still see it graphically.

BornInAGretzkyJersey

This reference is funny to me, but in an oblique way; I only know of it because of that scene in the comedic classic, Wayne’s World.

McSorley33

Gold.

Munny 2.0

I was never a fan. I didn’t mind the early ones, but it seemed to turn from satire a lot and go serious. I was more of a Catch-22 guy anyways, lol. My friends watched MASH religiously, ate it up in re-runs. That and Flintstones, lol. Once through for both was enough for me. But yeah, talk about ruling the ratings for years on end. I think only Cheers and Seinfeld can compete in that regard.

Ryan

Question. Great to see the Amature tryout contract for Savoie!

What are the implications of this in terms of him being Oilers property vis-à-vis the Justin Schultz college loophole? He hasn’t signed an ELC yet?

Last edited 2 years ago by Ryan
BornInAGretzkyJersey

I think the implications are clear. Had he no intentions of signing he wouldn’t sign the ATO.

From what I’ve heard delaying the ELC is to ensure he is eligible for AHL playoffs as he wasn’t on the roster prior to the trade deadline.

My guess is the sweetener was that they’d burn a year by signing the ELC immediately after the AHL playoffs, and sign him to a higher pedigree contract than his draft status would otherwise merit (thus a higher signing bonus for this year) as a way to entice him to leave the NCAA.

Ryan

Thanks!

geowal

My limited understanding is that loophole applies to college grads – he isn’t far enough from his draft year – so the loophole is now closed

PokeCheck

Wouldn’t this be a really high risk from Savoie’s standpoint if he were to get injured badly during this “audition”?

jp

Not if you trust the GMs word.

Also, it would have to be a catastrophic, career ending type injury for a team not to still want to offer him an ELC.

Further, a flip side is maybe a good showing earns him some extra bonus money on the deal (though the terms are likely already agreed to unofficially).

Ryan

Oh right. Yeah I wasn’t thinking. He’ll lose his college eligibility by playing in the AHL.

OriginalPouzar

I think he’s already lost his college eligibility for signing the ATO.

The NCAA hockey eligibility rules are quite strict. Heck, even signing with the CHL team after being drafted voids it – don’t even need to play a game and, of course, the CHL isn’t even pro but its deemed to be for the purposes of the eligibility rules.

No doubt Savoie will sign an ELC – question is if its starts 2021/22 and they’ll burn that first year when he signs after the Condors are done or if its 2022/23.

Given where we are, probably the former.

BornInAGretzkyJersey

I asked my spouse and she reminded me that it’s been an age since we watched a sitcom. Been enjoying more dramas, Sci-fi, and thriller types of TV series lately.

Live action:

  1. Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  2. Seinfeld
  3. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Honourable mention: Arrested Development

Animated:

  1. Rick and Morty
  2. Family Guy
  3. Archer

Honourable mention: The Simpsons & Futurama

dessert1111

You and I have a very similar taste in comedies

BornInAGretzkyJersey

Well, one might say fools seldom differ haha 😉

On the other hand, there was a raft of nostalgic sitcoms from when I was a kid that I had considered, but left off because if I was reading between the lines correctly, the gist was to get LT into some current offerings.

Had I gone full nostalgia mode, I would have listed some gems like:

  • Night Court
  • Married With Children
  • The Dukes of Hazzard
  • Get SMART
  • Fraiser
  • MASH
  • Three’s Company
  • The Flintstones
  • Cheers
  • WKRP
  • Murphy Brown

It’s almost depressing when I realize how much of my life I’ve hoovered up watching TV. I’m a guy who abhors pop culture and upon taking this mental inventory, I see I’m more of a consumer than I’d ever realized. Ha! At least the irony is worth it.

Last edited 2 years ago by BornInAGretzkyJersey
hunter1909

What excites me about watching Vegas implode is…

Each night other teams, some like Canucks or Kings who can put even more pressure on the Valley of Fire Kings to win their next game. Losing last night was a disgrace. Vegas management is reputed to be crazy ruthless so everyone wonders if they get jettisoned in the offseason.

Meanwhile De Boer is a gate-opener style coach like McLellan with a largely over rated reputation. And Jack Eichel has emerged to be like a petulant spoiled middle schooler.

I could go on.

unca miltie

I truly believe that management outsmarted themselves. The first year, they truly became a team because they rallied around the shooting and as a result overacheived.

IMO, management treated some of those guys poorly and replaced them with “better” players. Not just the Flower but others as well. As a result the “team” is no longer, just a group of good players that lost the ability to work together. I am also glad to see them inplode.

Jethro Tull

Blackadder
The Young Ones
Only Fools and Horses

Redbird62

Any particular BlackAdder series or all of them? Series 2 was my favorite, but they were all good.

Jethro Tull

I like them all. Watching the evolution of the characters through the ages was great. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol is a family favourite every year at Christmas time.

Todd Macallan

That’s another great question, greatest sitcom Christmas episode. I’d say Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas from Community or Miracle on 3rd or 4th Street from Frasier are up there for me.

Yet another interesting one would be greatest TV theme song of all time, but I think we all know the answer to that and it (ironically) rhymes with Beers.

meanashell11

I liked Blackadder as well!

Scungilli Slushy

Watched the Young Ones When in Oz. It was fun

Bill

Married with Children
WKRP
M.A.S.H.

Tour of Duty was worth the watch as well.

Last edited 2 years ago by Bill
Oz

Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Mork and Mindy
WKRP Cincinnati
and Bryan Hall’s pronunciation of “Cincinnati” 😎

danny

1. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
2. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
3. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
99. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
100. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Last edited 2 years ago by danny
Kert

There’s a lot of ..implication between 3 and 99.

Munny 2.0

I was on Reddit after the GoT episode where Daenaerys and Snow are sailing north together and one of the nights on the boat, they get it on.

Someone was complaining that the two had hooked and asking GoT Reddit, “One boat trip and they’re now lovers, like how can this be?”

The very first response?

“Because of the the implication.”

Not sure I’ve seen anything voted that high that fast before.

Last edited 2 years ago by Munny 2.0
danny

Lol golden. I love when unexpected iasip references pop up

danny

I think there’s a dr mantis toboggan on this blog if I remember correctly

danny

Hahaha
But Lethal Weapon 5 is in there somewhere, and thundergun

Last edited 2 years ago by danny
meanashell11

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Fawlty Towers
Family Guy

OriginalPouzar

How heartening is it to sit here, with 6 games left, essentially assured of a playoffs spot (and very likely home ice), while the Kings, Knights and Nucks battle it out for the last Pacific Division spot (and a long shot at a wild card)?

Last edited 2 years ago by OriginalPouzar
hunter1909

I think Vegas are done. NJ held them the entire game.

They have 5 games left and every one will be a hard one. SJ hates them and will play hard, Caps are a quality team seeking points, Dallas the same, Chicago can upset anyone, and St Louis are emerging as a cup favourite.

Vegas look stressed out, you can see it in their faces. You can see it in their desperation style of hockey. Piss poor teamwork. Players making that split second too far move, over and over.

Vegas are maybe able to return next season, perhaps, but since the Oilers game they act as if they cannot wait to go back home(I assume none of them are Vegas locals).

Reja

I would be worried of facing a team on a streak and is in peak playoff form. For example if the Nucks run the table with 12 straight wins with a sizzling Demko would be scary. Hopefully everyone beats everyone and we get L.A

€√¥£€^$

On a scale of 1 to 10…

97

OriginalPouzar

On Carter Savoie, the first thing I will be looking for isn’t actually goals or touches but insertion in to the lineup. The Condors have a long history of working new mid-season arrivals in to the lineup slowly – often requiring quite a few practices before they get games.

With that said, Savoie is fairly highly touted so I think they’ll try and get him in soon but I’d be surprised if its tomorrow.

Also, his ELC will be interesting – the question is, will it be a 2021/22 ELC signed after the Condors are done to burn the first year or will it be a 2022/23 ELC.

I would have thought the latter but normally that would be signed at the same time as the ATO (see Holloway last year, Philp and Fanti this year). I guess they could be hagling over some nominal bonuses but, given its not signed and the fact it took a good week plus to get the ATO in place, I think they agreed with Savoie to burn that first year to get him out of schoool

Todd Macallan

I’m very interested to see if Hockey Canada corrects their previous oversight and invites Savoie to be a part of, or at least try out for, the WJC team in Aug. He and Bourg together would be so fun to watch.

Last edited 2 years ago by Todd Macallan
David

Is it a whole new selection process? It would really suck to be a player who made the January team that had to be cancelled and then not make the August team.

Todd Macallan

That was my impression but I could be mistaken. It is likely up to each individual team what they choose to do. I know the eligibility hasn’t changed despite the later date, ie. any player eligible for the Dec. tourney remains so for the Aug. one now.

BornInAGretzkyJersey

From initial reports (as I recall), the rosters will be as they were in Dec/Jan.

If that’s the case, I wonder what they decide to do for injuries. Further, it would be a bummer to have to bring a guy who’s slumping or just returning from injury, etc.

OriginalPouzar

I think the reports are that the roster from the prior team will be invited back although that is not confirmed.

At the same time, not all players will end up going – I don’t imagine Buffalo will let Power go, for example. Perfetti, McTavish, etc. may not be there.

Given its highly unlikely that Bourgault will be a NHL option in October, I presume management will let him go (and he’ll want to go).

BornInAGretzkyJersey

Be interesting to see how it all unfolds, for sure.

Who knows… maybe with some surging Oilers prospects we see some more interest, if not selection.

Younger Oil

1. Community
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
3. Arrested Development (first 3 seasons only)

Ice Sage

Good offerings there.
Some shows haven’t aged all too well and I’m not a wokey type – just bored by the stilted direction and laugh tracks of the 70’s and 80’s, (or maybe I’d seen them all)
1) Curb your enthusiasm
2) Parks & Recreation
3) F is for Family

DevilsLettuce

Mathew Panchyshyn
@mathewjdp
Edm is 33 – 1 – 1 this year when their netminder has a .904 sv% or better this year.
8:29 AM · Apr 19, 2022

Reja

Wow isn’t that something. I wonder what the record is for the rest of the league at the 904 sv% mark?

Psyche

Top 3 Sitcoms in my household:
1) The Office
2) Seinfeld
3) Community

“I’m out.” – Cosmo Kramer
“That’s what she said.” – Michael Scott
“Cool. Cool. Cool. Cool.” – Abed Nadir

Reja

1) Seinfeld
2) South Park
3) Curb Your Enthusiasm

OriginalPouzar

Yamamoto indeed back in the ice today after his maintenance day yesterday.

DevilsLettuce

1. Arrested Development
2. South Park
3. The Office

Cape Breton Oilers 4EVR

1 Seinfeld
2 The Office (US)
3 Modern Family

Cape Breton Oilers 4EVR

Honourable Mention to Brooklyn 99

Gerta Rauss

1- The Larry Sanders Show
2-Seinfeld
3-Taxi

honorable mentions to Cheers, WKRP

Munny 2.0
  1. Soap
  2. Seinfeld
  3. WKRP
Munny 2.0

Fawlty, non-American winner.

Tarkus

1) The Simpsons
2) Cheers
3) Arrested Development

HM: Three’s Company, The Good Place, Community, Fawlty Towers

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

Gaudreau is having an absolutely incredible season. 107 points and averaging ~18 minutes a night. He deserves a HUGE raise! 😉

Offside

The Flames should double his salary and stack on some signing bonuses

Reja

If Johnny finishes second within 5-7 points of McDavid he wins MVP same goes for Huberdeau

OriginalPouzar

If they are able to keep them both, Gaudreau and Tkachuk will likely cost in the $22MM range next season – which is more than McDavid and Drai.

Of course, a couple other scenarios:

1) Gaudreau does leave as a free agent

and/or

2) Tkachuk files for arb, takes a one-year settlement (which may be higher than his $9MM QO) and goes to UFA after next season.

Not to mention:

1) Mangiapane at apx $4.5M-$5M

2) Kylington also an RFA (although he’ll be grinded by Treliving presumably).

McSorley33

Two cent guess. Like Jacob Trouba and others….

I would not be surprised to see little Johnny head to the East coast.

hunter1909

1 – Steptoe + Son
2 – Honeymooners
3 – CNN News

McSorley33

Well played…

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

1) Arrested Development
2) Rick and Morty
3) The Office/Seinfeld/Bojack

Todd Macallan

Community was probably my #4 with Rick and Morty not far behind, good call!

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

It is an impossible list. So many good sitcoms.

Genjutsu

Same guy, same style.

Absolutely brilliantly funny television.

Jethro Tull

I wondered about shows like The Simpsons and Rick and Morty. Are they true Situational Comedies?

I have been re-watching Malcom in the Middle on Disney.

Archer has to be in there somewhere.

Todd Macallan

That’s a good point. The discussion of sitcoms or just TV shows in general could have pretty different choices. I’d agree Rick and Morty doesn’t fall into sitcom

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

I used a fairly liberal interpretation of “sitcom”.

Todd Macallan

1) Cheers
2) Frasier (more like 1B)
3) Seinfeld

Randle McMurphy

LT’s Radio show asks the question. What are your Top 3 Sitcoms of all time?

Me:

For great writing

All In The Family
The Simpsons
MASH
Seinfeld

For Laughs

Everyone Loves Raymond
Cheers
The Simpsons
Friends
Roseanne
Mary Tyler Moore

Last edited 2 years ago by Randle McMurphy
Harpers Hair

WKRP in Cincinnati?

Randle McMurphy

Yeah. Wanted to give honorable mention to WKRP, Cosby and the Redd Foxx show

Last edited 2 years ago by Randle McMurphy
McSorley33

Nice addition…

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

Well, if the Oil face the Kings in the playoffs there is little danger of being out-coached, again.

Randle McMurphy

Can you imagine?

The cap circumventing Las Vegas Golden Knights win the Draft Lottery!

In the words of the indelible Warren Zevon

“Send lawyers, guns and money…the sh*t has hit the fan”

Last edited 2 years ago by Randle McMurphy
Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

I can already imagine the HH post explaining how the lottery win highlights McCrimmon’s patience as a GM.

geowal

I think Buffalo has their pick?

Johnny Admiraal

Is it lottery protected?

OriginalPouzar

I was going to say, Buffalo would be so happy but went back and checked and Kelly M. did indeed top 10 protect the pick.

Redbird62

Where they sit right now in 15th last place (points %), even if they win the lottery, they can only move up 10 spots to number 5. Moving up into the top 10, the pick, as OP mentioned, is still protected, but they wouldn’t be getting a top 3 pick. And if they lose out, they can at most drop another 2 places in the standings, but are still more likely to finish where they are.

Randle McMurphy

Russell, Ceci, Foegele.

I’m still in shock.

Randle McMurphy

That one and “The Double Pumpernickel”

Randle McMurphy

Blue Jays 1st place American League East.

Team Canada headed to the World Cup.

Edmonton Oilers a virtual lock for the playoffs!

OH CANADA!

Randle McMurphy

Jeff (LA Freeway) Walker is doing great!: But I miss Hernan.

Randle McMurphy

OK Folks! It’s time for that game EVERYONE knows is coming.

It’s time to play Skinner BINGO!

Try to predict in which playoff game will Stuart Skinner makes his first appearance on the Oilers bench?

I predict Round 2 game 7 (against the Flames)

Last edited 2 years ago by Randle McMurphy
OriginalPouzar

Round 1, Game 1 – 2023.

EDIT: That prediction is for Skinner playing a playoff game – I’m not going to predict in which game a goalie gets injured as that will be the only way that Skinner dresses for a game and is “on the bench”.

Last edited 2 years ago by OriginalPouzar
JimmyV1965

The gods may be shining on the Oilers right now. It looks like they will almost certainly play the Kings or Canucks in the first round. Never underestimate an opponent, but I can’t think of a better match up. The Stars have been meh this year as well, but we can never seem to beat them.

Durag

I’m just glad Chicago is safely eliminated.

Oz

The Canucks are playing well with good goaltending and coaching, they could give us trouble.

OriginalPouzar

I don’t necessarily disagree except to note, a hot Demko can win a series almost on his own and, if the Nucks makes it, it will certainly be largely due to a hot Demko.

Randle McMurphy

VEGAS! ….. or as I like to call them Buffalo West.

“All work and no play(offs) makes Jack a dull boy!”

Randle McMurphy

Will Jack Eichel turn into the Golden Knights version of John Tavares?

hunter1909

Hunter1909’s Playoff Death March for 2022…

1 – Predict how many playoff wins Oilers get 

2 – Predict how many goals McDavid gets

3 – Predict how many goals Draisaitl gets

eg: Wins 11; McD 7; Leon 9

Its easy! 

note: Make sure to keep the McDavid/Draisaitl(tie break) predictions separate

teamblue

Wins – 14, McDavid-13 goals, Drai-16 goals

31saves

Some important games on the schedule toinight:

Los Angeles vs Anaheim

Vancouver vs Ottawa

Vancouver is now 4 points back of Los Angeles for the 3rd spot in the Pacific. They also have a game in hand. They are currently on a 6 game winning streak, which I am not sure how sustainable it is to ask them to win 10 in a row, but its playoff season baby. One game at a time. They can help themselves big time by winning tonight and leapfrogging the Knights in the standings.

Meanwhile the Kings are not quite in a must win, but if they lose and Vancouver wins, the Canucks will be 2 points behind them with a game in hand.

As long as the Canucks keep in the race, the game on the 28th between the Kings and Canucks should be very good. The Canuckleheads play the Oilers the next night, and might very well be responsible for who their playoff opponent will be that night.

Personally, out of the three potential playoff opponents, the Canucks scare me the most. They have been really hot under Boudreau, have some good talent, and the best goalie of the three.

Vegas is out of sorts, very little chemistry despite high skill. They possibly are still injured or otherwise not up to speed, so I wouldn’t mind the matchup there.

LA is a much easier on paper opponent without Drew Doughty.

There are no easy outs in the playoffs, but if Vancouver squeaks in that could spell trouble. Although I kinda hope they do so that we can beat them in the playoffs again 🙂

Harpers Hair

Vancouver’s win percentage since Boudreau took over – .667

DevilsLettuce

It’s sweet that Woodcroft’s is better at 0.703.

Admiral Ackbar

Hey man, small sample size!!

maudite

Weren’t they just gimme games for Vegas a scant couple weeks ago in your ever shifting varaibles in narrative of “anyone in pacific that is winning is ceaselessly brought up to detract from oilers”?

Pick a rubber road and stay with it please.

Last edited 2 years ago by maudite
McSorley33

Yes, it is actually quite the run Vancouver has been on.

Vancouver has taken 5 of 6 points against a very desperate Knights team in the last few weeks.

Looking back, they may regret losses to Detroit and Buffalo (OTL) or else this would have been really interesting for them down the stretch.

Randle McMurphy

Let’s hope that continues!

Lutefisk

Are you rounding up?
I don’t think three significant digits are enough.
0.667234645 might be more accurate.

DevilsLettuce

Everything is lining up for a Mentor vs Protégé battle of the bench bosses imo.

Edmonton ending Vancouver’s push on the final day will be a delicious pre-playoff dessert.

Durag

The best case scenario is Vancouver stays hot on LA’s heels and forces them to go balls out through game 82, while the Oilers get the opportunity to rotate the roster a bit and drop the ice time of our big boys down the stretch.

Harpers Hair

The thing is…teams that keep their foot on the gas down the stretch tend to perform better in the playoffs.

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

You are saying the Oilers will likely perform better in the playoffs! Yay!

Harpers Hair

Depends on if they decide to rest some players or not.

Colorado has started to do so with a couple of banged up players.

DevilsLettuce

LOL everyone that is running full throttle going into the playoffs will be great except the Oilers. HH mathematics.

Durag

I might need you to show your work on that one.

jp

The thing is…teams that keep their foot on the gas down the stretch tend to perform better in the playoffs.

Is there any evidence of this? I’m not sure it’s at all true of bubble teams.

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

Dearest jp, never let facts get in the way of a good story.

Harpers Hair

Anecdotal but one shared by more than a few coaches including Sutter and Gallant.

Side

Given your knack for making things up to fit your narrative, please provide sources.

31saves

The top teams in the NHL over their last 10 games:

1.Florida Panthers: 10-0-0
2.St.Louis Blues: 9-0-1
3.Colorado Avalanche: 9-1-0
T4. Toronto Maple Leafs: 8-1-1
T4: Edmonton Oilers: 8-1-1

OriginalPouzar

I note that those last 10 games include a predicted “rubber road” appearance for the Oilers, I believe 5 games ago……

godot10

I can’t believe that I’m rooting for the dementor tonight. But I’m pretty sure that there will be dementoring going on, and that he will let me down again.

jp

I’m rooting for Flattop. I want LA to finish off the Kinghts.