The Edmonton Oilers needed a game like the 8-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes last night. The big guns fired, and the lesser lights shone. The team is 2-1-0 on this current home stand, with one game to go. The Coyotes are not a contender, but did give the Calgary Flames some trouble on Monday night. Edmonton hammered all night, and did it by playing everyone. It was a good night.
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Who’s Edmonton Oilers’ next impact recall and what do they bring?
- DNB: Stuart Skinner has been the Oilers’ saviour — and that’s not a good thing
- Lowetide: Analyzing Edmonton Oilers defensive pairings deployment
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2022
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers avert disaster with strong finish to November
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers look for rugged forward in a trade
- Lowetide: Oilers’ young players providing a spark after a slow start
- Lowetide: What could Oilers forward Dylan Holloway accomplish in AHL?
- DNB: Oilers’ win over Rangers shows how valuable secondary scoring can be
- DNB: Oilers GM Ken Holland Q&A: Can the team be improved? If so, how?
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins into 2nd decade of being misunderstood
- DNB: Oilers have a long way to go as defensive problems persist
- Jonathan Willis: Oilers’ Jack Campbell will be better, but can he be a true No. 1?
- Lowetide: The Edmonton Oilers and early-season trades during road trips
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ lack of secondary scoring is a critical situation
- Lowetide: Oilers rookie Stuart Skinner is chasing history
- Jonathan Willis: Jakob Chychrun would look good on the Oilers, but is there a deal to be had?
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers reasonable expectations for every player in 2022-23
WHAT TO EXPECT IN DECEMBER
- On the road to: MIN (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 0-1-0)
- At home to: MTL, WAS, ARI, MIN (Expected 3-1-0) (Actual 2-1-0)
- On the road to: MIN, NAS (Expected (1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: STL, ANA (Expected 1-0-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: NAS, DAL (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: VAN (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: CAL, SEA (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: WPG (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- December expected result: 9-5-1, 19 points in 15 games
- December actual result: 2-2-0, four points in four games
- November results: 7-7-0, 14 points in 14 games
- October results: 6-3-0, 12 points in 9 games
- Oilers in 2022-23: 15-12-0, 30 points in 27 games
The win gives this version of the Oilers a 91-point trajectory. A win over Minnesta on Friday and this month will be off to a solid start.
SUMMARY
- Leon Draisaitl went 1-1-2 on the night and had a strong game. One shot, two HDSC, his passing was strong and he was a bear on the puck all night. The pass to McDavid for 97’s first goal on the night was outstanding.
- Connor McDavid scored 2-2-4, five shots and one HDSC. Drew a penalty. His pass to Leon for his goal was also impressive.
- Zach Hyman had an assist, four shots and two HDSC. He drew a penalty on a play that could have injured him (that’s two in a row!) and skated miles. He’s a fine player and the Oilers are a better team because of him.
- Dylan Holloway had an assist, a shot on goal, three HDSC, drew a penalty, two takeaways. He played 15:04. Huzzah! A new level for the young player.
- James Hamblin had a shot on goal, won seven of 12 in the dot, and moved the puck well. He looked good in the middle. I’d like to see this line again.
- Jesse Puljuarvi had a solid night, three shots, two HDSC and a takeaway. I think he’s getting chances and sooner or later one or more will cash. He does have to contribute offensively, it will come.
- Mattias Janmark had another solid game and it’s clear he was a good signing despite the Bakersfield detour. A smart two-way type, probably too shy on skill to play top-six minutes but he won’t hurt you. Coaches love these guys for a reason. Three shots, one HDSC.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had another fine night, going 2-1-3 with four shots and several heady plays. Won seven of 14 in the dot and his line was effective across 200 feet.
- Kailer Yamamoto had his best night of the season. Two assists, one shot, one HDSC, drew a penalty, turned over pucks in good places. Three TK and one GV.
- Klim Kostin had a great night, including a fight and some nasty work. He scored 1-1-2, one shot, one HDSC, drew three penalties and was general a pain in the ass for Arizona. If he plays like that, Kostin will never come out of the lineup. Fine trade by Ken Holland.
- Devin Shore had one HDSC, took a penalty and remains outside the PK which is a reason to have him on the roster. Hamblin may take his job by the end of the year. Or Malone.
- Derek Ryan scored a fantastic goal, combining intelligence, diligence and pure skill to get it done. Two shots, two HDSC. Fine performance.
- Darnell Nurse played well, picking up an assist, a takeaway and several suppressed sorties on the evening. Now owns a 48 percent goal share at five-on-five (22-24), and 9-0 at other even-strength game states.
- Cody Ceci took a penalty, blocked a couple of shots, played a simple and uneventful game. He is also 48 percent goal share at five-on-five this season. This pairing should be 50% and are trending in that direction.
- Brett Kulak had a great game, scoring another goal (great shot and location), two shots, 2GV and 2TK. Skated miles, catching forwards and derailing plays. I know it’s Arizona, but they have some good players and Kulak had a great night agrainst them.
- Tyson Barrie had one assist, two shots, a giveaway and dished the puck well on the power play. Went 4-1 goals five-on-five and is now at 57 percent goal share.
- Philip Broberg had an assist, two giveaways, blocked a shot and played his best game of the season. Played almost 17 minutes, won several battles along the wall and made some good decisions with the puck.
- Evan Bouchard had three shots on goal, 1GV and 2TK, some sound defensive plays and his usual great passes. He was 1-0 goals at five-on-five.
- Stuart Skinner had a rocking chair evening stopping 16 of 18. He was beaten by two HDSC chances out of five and is now 8-6-0, 2.86 and .915 over 15 games in his rookie season.
WHO WILL BE IN THE LINEUP WHEN EVERYONE IS HEALTHY?
This is going to be a great problem for Jay Woodcroft and his staff. When Evander Kane, Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele return, who are you taking out? Klim Kostin? Pish tosh! Mattias Janmark? I don’t think so. If Holloway keeps building on his current success he’s not going anywhere either. This would not be my choice but I can see this happening:
- Kane-McDavid-Hyman
- Nuge-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
- Foegele-McLeod-Holloway
- Janmark-Ryan-Kostin
This could be the lineup when all return. That means Jesse Puljujarvi, Devin Shore, James Hamblin, Brad Malone and Tyler Benson would have to be traded or sent to Bakersfield. Time is running out for Puljujarvi. Those who wish him traded may get their wish. I expect it’s a mistake.
LOWETIDE AND JAMIESON
A busy show, we begin at 10 this morning and chatter right through until 2, TSN1260. James Duthie with the tales of the unexpected from the World Cup, Tyler Yaremchuk talks Oilers trades and we’ll have plenty of mlb talk. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. See you on the radio!
Adam Larsson scored his 3rd Goal and increases his lead by 2 Goals over Jesse and Yamo combined.
Who would have predicted that COL, EDM, LAK, CGY, and MIN would be the teams fighting for a wild card spot this season? That might have been my guess at the top 5 in the conference. I think I would have said COL, EDM, LAK, CGY, MIN, and then VGK before the season started.
Sitting by the pool and scanning some of the counting numbers of other teams, some random things stood out:
Rasmus Ristolainen, chosen 1 spot after Nurse, and signed this off season to 5.1 million x 5 years has exactly zero points. This, along with the fact that Caleb Jones has more points than Seth Jones, makes Nurse’s deal seem like a bargain.
Seattle’s top goalie is Martin Jones, who is sporting an 0.888 save percentage. They are due for some major regression.
Hellebuyck is having a Vezina-calibre season, and Jets are winning games without Ehlers having barely played this season. Those guys are legit.
Andrei Kuzmenko has 13 goals and 25 points … probably the best bang for the buck signing this off-season; I totally poo-poo’d this, but he’s been very good, though a shooting percentage of 25% is likely unsustainable. Despite this, the Canucks are still terrible.
Jack Eichel only has 1 more assist than Alex Tuch in the same number of games. VGK are more than the sum of their parts somehow.
Josh Archibald has 4 goals and 2 assists in 25 games.
Some players with draft pedigree who also need a change of scenery, and where their teams might also be looking to make an exchange of struggling forwards:
Barrett Hayton – 5th overall in 2018, 1.775 million for 2 seasons, 0 goals, 3 assists in 24 games
Dennis Gurianov – 12th overall in 2015, 2.9 million for 1 more season, 1 goal, 3 assists in 20 games
Archibald is also 9-2 goals at 5 on 5 – ya, for real.
The mental gymnastics required to make Darnell Nurse’s contract look like a bargain are something else!
Some positive trends in the Oilers game lately, even with the injuries they’ve been playing through.
Their SF% (all situations) is 10th in the league (last 10 games), SCF% is 9th and HDCF% is 10th. Also 52%GF (13th).
Their defensive metrics are also much improved from earlier in the season. 11th in SA/60, 9th in SCA/60, 8th in HDCA/60
in their last 10.
5v5 isn’t quite as impressive but still solid (16th in SF%, 14th in SCF%, 10th in HDCF%, 13th in GF%). The team over 50% at 5v5 in all those categories. Defensive metrics at 5v5 are also much improved (13th in SA/60, 11th in SCA/60, 8th in HDCA/60, though only 18th in GA/60).
Overall they’re 6-4-0 in their last 10 games (5-2-0 in their last 7). Decent but not great. Definitely good to see the defensive game tightening up though.
Lots of the improvement is probably weaker opposition (though this stretch still includes games vs. VGK, NJD, NYI, NYR, FLA, MIN and MTL who are all at least +2 wins). This last 10 is probably a more normal representation of the quality of teams they’ll be facing going forward. Keeping all the real and underlying numbers above water through the recent injuries is definitely a positive IMO.
Why are you using all situations instead of 5v5?
5v5 is there too if you finish reading. Both are much improved from earlier in the season.
It’s like you’re placing more value on 5v5 than the whole game?
in terms of what the underlying numbers tell you in a ten game set, those numbers do have more value? In each game, teams play an equal number of minutes at 5v5 and it’s the largest game state. Public models don’t track pre shot puck movement and lack context, in small sample sizes like 5v4, 5v3 and vice versa. Other game states are highly influenced by officiating and those standards are inconsistent on the best day. Even more so in the playoffs.
I rarely, if ever, see anyone in the analytical community evaluate team performance by numbers from all game states. Teams that outscore at 5v5 tend to be the strongest teams in the league.
5v5 is likely the strongest predictor of team success. It makes the most sense to use it as the measuring stick to compare to the rest of the league. I’m not discounting the importance of a good kill or power play, but you’re putting far too much faith in officiating if you’re a team that relies on the PP to win games.
Again, I did include 5v5 initially, so this is all a bit moot. The Oilers have been far better at 5v5 as well as in all situations by the underlying numbers. In particular the defensive numbers, which I believe you’ve railed against previously.
Beyond that though, while I agree PP and PK numbers are more more volatile, I don’t believe that 5v5 success is a better predictor than all situations success. Do you have anything to support that claim?
Klim is funny
Great to hear another player talk about the team atmosphere as like a family
At the end of the day in pro sports it’s up to the players to make their way
It’s like any industry top job
Still in athletics the mental part is the difference
Every player who makes the NHL in any way is an exceptional athlete and hockey player
I think about Marty St L and how he moved the Habs forward. I think of Herdman and how he has his three things, one is tactical excellence, the other 2 are about the people
Woody is not Flattop, but maybe he could use a little more French and a little less old school off the Saskatchewan tree
Summarizing!
Petrov’s blast from the top of the left circle forced extra time, but the Battalion lost in a shootout. He also had 4 SOG to go along with his 11th goal of the season.
Everyone needs to calm their tits about JP. The guy is physically gifted enough to play 1000 games in the NHL if he’s willing to play and get paid like a bottom 6er. If he can keep up his physicality and pot 8-10 before the year’s out he might even make $2M as a UFA. Everyone keeps saying Carolina but I bet he winds up in Minnesota next year.
He could also make similar cash being a star playing close to home with a much easier schedule to boot
They pay players 2M U$ per season in Europe? That surprises me
Leafs wax the Kings tonight. Jets working over Blues. Tampa beating up the Press
Man o Man so much anger and angst for our team these days and yet… two out of three against Minny and Nashville and they’ll firmly be in a playoff spot.
Between Spec running JP out of town and horribly overpaying Bourgault for Joel Edmundson (fart sound) I’m back to really liking the fact that Holland doesn’t panic like Oiler fans do lol.
Meanwhile that McDavid kid has SIX four point games this season already. Clipping along at 1.93ppg in the process. Ten four point games is top twenty all time. 14 four point games put him up with the two Giants.
A few weeks ago I mused about what it might look like in December as he closed the year out. I figured it would be pure insanity to suggest he hits 40 and 80. No way a guy could go and put up those kind of numbers right?
Now I’m not sure. If we keep getting real live NHL hockey players back into the lineup you never know.I think we’re gonna see a December for the ages.
Also I’ll put a bet down that the Oils end the year within four points of the division lead. JP will be on the team, Edmundson won’t be (my goodness what a silly set of trade Spec is pumping, guts the damn team just so he can smirk over running JP out of town lol.)
Shoulda mentioned that the Kraken go on the road for Caps, Cats, Bolts, Canes and back home to Jets, Blues and Nucks in the next two weeks.
Vegas without Pietreangelo until further notice as well.
Kraken will sink as the flames and oil rise from supposed ashes.
Vegas not likely overtaken but kings/flanes/oil will be jockeying for position to stay out of wildcard race.
I like Jesse Puljujarvi and want him to succeed but I’ve always held the opinion that he will not become a productive NHLer.
Ya, it might actually be hard for Klim to NOT be a fan favourite, what a beauty:
https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1600958053503086598
His post-game last night too. I’m going off memory here so won’t have the wording exactly correct:
I just want to play hockey. I don’t want to fight. But if someone wants to fight me, I’m not going anywhere.
Is Slim Shady the next Patty Maroon?
Lol… let’s see him pot ten first and go from there.
I’m wondering if Connor should have JP over for dinner and give him some confidence.
Sometimes having a good friend lift you up can do wonders.
I’m picturing it like when Gus Fring has his employees over for dinner.
Nap time!
I did not realize Spector posted here??
Maybe Skinner can have him over for some steamed hams.
Nice change from his latest dining on leftover soup?
I completely agree with the OP – too many puck bunnies here who rush to defend the kid despite all evidence that he’s a failed prospect for where he was selected in the draft. Just like the love fest for Yakupov, the single worst number one overall player ever. Jesse’s career is trending towards a Magnus Paajarvi trajectory. He won’t be qualified after this season and he’ll head back to Finland to to be a star in his own backyard. The Oilers should have stuck to their list and drafted Sergachev like they were reported to want to do.
“Puck Bunnies”, interesting word choice you took there, I hope all is well…
HOPE is a drug that is highly addictive where some fans are quick to flip on a player, while some are protective to a fault.
My HOPE now is that something, anything positive comes out of this situation. It could even be Jesse as a 3rd line fixture that at minimum saws off at evens. Reality could be something altogether different, but HOPE is a drug that is highly addictive…..
All is just fine – I’m on my yearly pilgrimage to Maui, taking a vacation from work and the Oilers.
I understand on some level the love fest that goes on for these kids where there is a lot of HOPE attached … but I would like to remind everyone here that the P originally stood for Paajarvi.
Honestly I have always found the level of attachment that some fans have on the Oilogosphere and Oilers Twitter to be kind of gross bordering on creepy. Like McGuire and his fetishizing of Crosby’s huge thighs level of creepy. I cheer for the crest on the front … and if the name on the back is not helping win us games then it’s time for that player to sail on, regardless of how much HOPE was attached to the player.
Jesse would be fine as a third liner getting paid half his salary. Fancy stats have to eventually translate into counting numbers, otherwise those fancy stats are flawed. Some players are just not cut out to be top 6 forwards in the NHL … Jesse himself has already alluded to that. The tools are there but he just doesn’t process the game fast enough to keep up with McDavid or Draisaitl.
Fair enough, Paajarvi had that tantalizing speed/size combo. I had high hopes for him, but I was ignoring the results. That was a great trade!
Paajarvi, punted for Perron, Puljujarvi picked post-Petry. *Peers at prospective professional prospect profiles; Petrov!!!
We still have some semblance HOPE on the horizon! 😀
I am glad you are able to get away! Great choice, I hope (lol, word choice) to make it to the islands one day. Definitely at the top of my bucket list. Enjoy!!
Pajaarvi is a great comp
Big fast defensive no finish
At this point, I couldn’t care less about his draft position and its a complete non-factor.
Bust vis-a-vis top 5 pick, sure?
Ability to be an every day NHL player, middle six/3rd line, with some potential top 6 upside? Yup.
Shit year so far but, of course, its 27 games.
I’m reading opinions that Puljujarvi should be waived ahead of guys like Benson and, in general – no big deal if he gets claimed?
Really?
For me, its a no-brainer the Puljuarvi plays ahead of Shore, Malone Hamblin, Benson and also Ryan and, at many times, Shore.
Sure, if Jesse doesn’t “pick it up” and there is a FULLY healthy lineup, maybe he doesn’t play a game here or there but he remains an effective player, even if not value for his current cap hit and certainly more effective than many others currently on the roster.
He played an effective game last night and was part of a dominant line.
100%
I do wonder if that narrative is coming through the lens of “what happens when Kane’s is activated and his LTIR $$ are not in play”
I do believe it would be very poor asset management, but also wonder what the return is on an pending RFA that can’t score. You can’t possibly resign him at a 3$ mill min cap hit.
Do you go to a lot of Oilers games ? Just curious to see what you think about his ‘away from the puck’ play – the things that we don’t always see on TV. Have you seen the Coyotes play live lately ? They are really bad. To not have an effective game would be a serious issue, I would think. My $.02.
Jesse isn’t worth his cap hit. He won’t be qualified next year. If you can lose his cap hit on waivers, then the team will have more cap flexibility when Kane gets back and at the deadline.
Waiving an unproductive player is not just about the player. It’s about maximizing the entire team under a restrictive salary cap.
Jesse is a third liner being outplayed and out produced by 4th liners, rookies and AHLers. He’s no longer a prospect either: if he doesn’t produce then he should be waived.
If he is waived, the Oilers only lose his whole cap hit if another team claims him and that happens only if another team believes he is worth something that approaches his cap hit currently. Seems unlikely he’d get claimed. More likely he would clear waivers in which case the Oilers save around $1.125 million in cap. Given that however woody uses him so far this season, he is still getting more ice time than the likes of Shore, Hamblin Malone, Benson and Kostin, Woody so far places higher value on him than any player that could replace him at the cap hit they would save by waiving him. That might change if his production stays at this level by the time Kane returns and if all other forwards are healthy, but it doesn’t seem the Oilers are close to that decision right now.
Holland doesn’t make knee jerk reactions like Chiarelli did on several occasions (see among others – Eberle, Strome, Manning, Petrovic – and even the Hall trade seemed reactionary) and the team is generally better off as a result of Holland’s patience.
At this point, there are numerous other players on the roster that should be removed from the roster prior to Jesse if we are talking about icing the best team – the cap space does not factor in currently.
I’m curious why he doesn’t end up in any special team blender especially pk.
Granted his best work defensively is generally board work related retrieval but size and such could really be groomed to decent I’d think.
But I can’t conjure clear opinion about his Edgework and acceleration from standstill to really advance this too far.
Big man syndrome they don’t appear fleet of foot no matter what almost to a man
Would also like to suggest that I have said x times that JP could save his career with a switch to D but this gets the type of traction that all brilliant radical ideas get, which is nada, which is also why everything sucks.
What did you smoke at lunch?
why can’t
edmonton
enable
defence
Cheering for a player rather than lighting torches repeatedly? Doubt I regret it ever.
JP is a naturally defensive player. He might shine as a defenceman but since players rarely change positions aside from centre to wing etc in the NHL I’ll not hold my breath on it.
Ah, the reverse Burns, hey? I’m listening.
I don’t actually recall ever seeing him skate backwards. The D–F transition is easier than F–D IMO.
I just realized I have massive black hole regarding skating intricacies which seems surprising.
I’m still wondering why 4th line winger isn’t a spot you tuck a hybrid primarily additional defenseman on most rosters.
Way less radical has been done (norm maciver for oil slicks, big bygefulin, burns) with varying degrees of success. Pretty much ideal. There was a Larson who played here for a short stint heavy player with heavy shot. Think MacT was one who suited him up a couple times s wing and he was solid bang and crash 4th liner…but blinked and it was over.
Unlike current oilers was assuming we’d be further down defensive deith chart and with skinny roster d padding was where I once again pondered this type of roster versatility…but hedging bets is never a guaranteed success just generally a better managementb strategy vs reacting to what fate had in store based on averages.
Becuase there are sooooo many examples of Forwards switching to Defense half way thru their careers and having Great Success…..
OK.
Definitely wayyy more outlandish than defenseman being serviceable bottom 6 winger as well as a 6-8 lvl defenceman.
Don’t bother
I really miss LT’s alter ego!
Fun game last night to watch. By my eye JP had a great game I liked what he brought out there all game. He played well with Hamblin and Holloway the whole line was cruising. I hope they play together again soon. In the first period JP tried to make a fancy pass through the D legs that would have sent Hamblin or Holloway in alone from the high slot in that was just barely clipped by the D’s skate. Loved it.
Kostin is getting better every game too.
Can not stop watching the replays of 97s first last night: that pass from 29 has me in a volcanic state.
I get “why” people are upset they aren’t on the “best team in the world” but also, they transcend wins/losses. They are in their R&D phase for the season. Their 5v5 stats evidence that. When it’s time to turn the switch, they will.
BUT win or loss, these two represent something else altogether. I’m reminded of Johan Cruyff, the Ajax great: “Winning is just one day, a reputation can last a lifetime. Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you, that is the greatest gift.”
Great comment.
Thanks Bruce I was more missed than hits last night.
At 27 GP, Oilers are wrapping up the first period of their regular season. A 15-12 record is underperforming somewhat, but maybe only ~3 points shy of where they should be.
Edmonton will have to harvest at least 30 points over the second period to get themselves into striking position at the deadline. The goaltending will have to stabilize, and the middle of the roster will have to contribute to wins and points.
I have no doubt that Holland and the Oilers intend to be shoppers around the 50-game mark. Reason dictates that they’ll trade a $3M winger for a better, higher-ticket player (they can afford up to a $6M player with salary retained). On defense, either Broberg has a breakthrough and is trusted to be a second-pair anchor, or they need to spend assets on a more established 2nd pair LD.
But in the meantime, goaltending is going to have to improve and some of the depth players are going to need to make meaningful contributions.
We’ll see who has a better second period. There is no shortage of candidates.
I will probably get a few thumbs down votes for this, but JP continues to unnecessarily hurt his trade value off the ice as well as on. It’s possible his comments about not having what it takes was a glimpse into a young man whose confidence was shattered and he is at a total honest loss to explain why. But there’s another part of me that can see this as at least unconsciously sabotaging his team and GM. Who is gonna give up anything of value for a guy who thinks he cannot play in this league? We blamed his agent for the return to Finland situation and the “top 6” role comments but if nothing else, this guy needs to hire a PR person for interview tips.
Maybe theres a translation issue at work but the “I am trying to find out who I am as a player, since it looks like I don’t fit anywhere here (in Edmonton)” reminds me of the same old story that he feels part of the problem is the environment rather than his own play.
If he wants a trade, why would he want to sabotage his trade value?
Could be many reasons. Or maybe the simplest explanation is he knows the Oilers won’t qualify him at $3 million + 10% so he will then be a UFA and can pick his destination whether it is NHL or elsewhere.
But I don’t think any of us know whats been going through JP’s head since he became an Oiler
Technical: No +10% – QO will be at 100%.
I think it’s as simple as Europeans don’t think it’s a crime to be a human and an elite athlete
Markstrom, Laine, etc etc have done the same
He’s hurting, he’s young
I thought is the core too cliquish? Maybe, but maybe they have tried to include him. Maybe he’s a solitary type like Yak
I’d prefer they get something and not just walk him
In a trade for a D, for another young guy. Getting nothing for assets spent is a part of what is hindering the growth of the team
Reality is the NHL is a tough league. Most draft picks never play a game in the NHL and a lot of 1st & 2nd rounders don’t experience more than a Cup of Coffee.
Altho we fall in Love with our teams prospects, sometimes they just arent good enough, at the NHL Level. Sometimes they do need a fresh start.
Ppl were upset when Yakupov was moved, Khaira, Jones, Bear, etc ….
JESSE is 24. He has had a lot of rope and plenty of opportunity in Edm. If it doesnt work out in Edmonton, so be it. We hope it works out for him on another team or in Finland.
Bob: I don’t know if the Oilers are going to add a D. But I guarantee you they will add on or two forwards–to the bottom 6, they don’t need more scoring when Kane gets back–before the end of the season.
I disagree but only slightly. I think the org will give Broberg every chance before they go looking for a D. I think that’s always been the play despite this corner of the internet’s focus on a D trade.
Right now, they want a Cogliano.
I’m not opposed to the Oilers adding a bottom 6 forward or two, but I am discouraged to hear that the blue line is less of a priority.
Defence should be the number one priority. This blue line isn’t Cup-worthy whatsoever. It wasn’t last year, and last year’s blue line was better than this year’s. So I am confused if Oilers management doesn’t see it as a desperate need, if indeed Bob’s reporting is accurate.
Because bringing in another LD means Broberg sits, and that does not serve the organization well, from my perspective. He gets to audition first, and then they will look at D if he can’t help and the situation still demands it.
I think you’ll see a similar learning curve as we are seeing with Holloway, probably quicker, where he’s hitting his stride 20-30 games in. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already better defensively than Bouchard is (right now) by the end of the season.
Because injuries are inevitable, and because of his ability to play both sides, it is highly probable Broberg will need to be relied on for serious minutes. He needs to play at this level now. Godot has been beating this bongo and I agree with him. I think the org does too. If it wasn;t for injury, we would’ve seen him before now.
The time to add a Dman is at the deadline when they’re cheaper and more plentiful. Prioritizing it now isn’t the best strat, IMHO.
The Oilers need a D because one cannot win with Bouchard AND Barrie. One of them, yes, but Bouchard has decided to take the slow train.
The Oilers don’t need bottom six forwards or 3rd pairing D. They need a top six forward to push Yamamoto down to the bottom six. And a top 4D, so the Oilers with have two on the roster, and two with the potential to be top 4D (Broberg, Bouchard) to go with all the 3rd pairing D…Kulak, Ceci, Barrie.
I agree
Spending on replacement players wastes assets as it has
Either make the team better with a better player or go with what you have
He already added lots of bottom end depth and they don’t make the difference when it matters
Let the youngsters grow
The D part of that, once again, doesn’t not need to be dealt with till the deadline. Rumour prior to season start was that Klingberg would be a person of interest at the TD. The quality of player they want won’t be available right now for a decent price.
And I disagree. The Oilers want, and need, a solid 4th line C. A step up from Shore and Malone. Hamblin might seize that job, and he’s getting a look, but the org will be leery at adding yet another rook to the every day roster. Doesn’t look like Philp can get there this season either, so they’ll have to get that guy elsewhere, and that deal, is likely coming before the Dman.
A top 6 F can’t be done in this season. And likely will have to be developed from within for cap reasons. Holloway has the best shot at being that guy first.
Benson is on waivers.
I hope for his sake he gets picked up. It looks like the door has closed in Edmonton for him.
I can get that POV. I hope he stays and commits to the organization as that tweener veteran that helps bring along the youth in Bako. He’s clearly skilled enough at the AHL level and seems like a great person and that combination is a useful veteran to have around. Highly unlikely, but I think that’d be a pretty cool thing to do! Doing so would all but guarantee a chance at a job within the organization if he wanted it down the line, as well.
I guess it depends on if he believes he still has untapped growth potential or if EDM is limiting him. Either way, I’d wish him the best!
I was really rooting for him. He really did look like he made enough progress to stay with the team. That damn injury came at the worst time, again. Not sure he gets another shot with the team this year unless another horrendous wave of injuries hit.
Probably having to make room for Foegele and/or McLeod to come back. Seems like the role Benson was trying to carve out for himself on the Oilers as an energy 4th line energy guy who could play a physical, belligerent, defensively responsible style and maybe chip in a point or two has been grabbed for the time being by Kostin. Faster and bigger are assets for that role that, even if Benson has the better hockey sense (and I haven’t seen enough of Kostin to even know if that is the case), are hard to overcome. That Kostin hasn’t been found wanting in his own end so far doesn’t hurt his cause.
I’ve been onboard the “Set him free” train for a while now. It’s the right thing to do from both a business and human perspective IMO. A swap for another struggling W w/ high expectations seems like the best bet. I like Gurianov as an option, but have also seen Tolvanen and Kapanen- though the latter is probably just salty PIT fans.
wanted to report I’ve had Sledgehammer playing in my head for three hours now…
Didn’t LT call that Vollman chart years ago, Vollman’s sledgehammer?
Sledge Hammer was also a great ’80’s sitcom that parodied cop shows.
“S”ell “O”ut
Jesse is looking for a set of eyes in who he is complete, but the red rain keeps pouring down on him.
/whoosh
space over my head*
*happens not infrequently
Should I “Say Anything”?
Check out the song titles on the album. Peter Gabriel’s “SO”, shorthand for his “Sell Out” album.
Jesse lacks confidence. a few goals off his ass and he’s cooking with fire as a solid two way 3rd liner with size. That at this point is his ideal spot. Trade him or play him there the whole year. Sort it out next off season if you can’t move him (and unfortunately moving him seems likely and needed for all parties).
A 3rd line of
Foegele-McLeod-Puljujarvi is solid.
May lack in scoring, so maybe Holloway instead of Foegele or Puljujarvi.
A 4th line of
Janmark-Ryan-Kostin is solid as well.
Not much room at the inn for Jesse if Holloway continues to grow and impress.
I like the Holloway and Puljujarvi combo. Nugent-Hopkins, McLeod, Hamblin…any centre there except one of the Hart twins. Holloway will find the battle and take Jesse to it. Holloway is a player who creates mayhem, and Jesse is suited to mayhem. More reactive play, and less thinking.
If I’m Woody and we know Jesse is defensively sound stick him on the 3rd line and 2nd PP give the line a chance to grow. They keep trying to pound a round peg into square hole. Jesse has no chemistry with McDavid or Leon I could of told you this 4 years ago. Let the Kid do his thing pressure free on the 3rd line if he’s having a good game give him more PP time.
December is going to make or break this team.
Lots of games against western conference bubble teams.
The next two games are against the Wild. The Oilers usually look terrible against the Wild. Need to reverse that trend.
Seeing big Zack again last night confirmed (to me) a couple of things.
He was a big part of the group and the room last year. The guys loved him and liked having him around, he is missed. We have some awesome memories of Zack doing his thing.
It also confirmed he would not have been able to help this year.
I didn’t even notice Kassian at all. Then I drifted off to sleep near the end of the game and missed his fight with Koskin .
I noticed Kassian when Broberg was unafraid to take Kassian into the boards hard.
Would a JP + for Gavrikovmake any sense for CBJ? They get an RFA winger who might find magic with Laine, save some $ and trade a player who’s a UFA after this year and their season is over anyway.
Plus, what? A first rounder? LOL .
This post implies that you think Gurianov has higher value than Jesse – that’s likely just your bias though, right?
I mean Gurianov, also a 1st round pick (12th I think) is a year old, has 1G/4P this season, has not prior history of success greater than Jesse in the NHL and, essentially has the same cap hit and an expiring contract.
This post is about Gavrikov the Columbus defenseman and youre talking about Gurianov the Dallas winger.
Most established proven Russian players will head to a city or near a city with a large Russian ex-pat community if they are a UFA, unless they have already been around for awhile. It is pretty risky to trade assets to a pending quality Russian UFA.
Gavrikov is doing a pretty decent job eating minutes on an awful columbus team while getting 30% ozone starts 70% dzone starts. Hed make the Oilers better today for sure, who knows if the Oilers can or even want to re sign him for 23/24 if they make the trade.
Also havent heard of this logic for Russian players only choosing areas with big russian populations?
Does anyone know the ailments and timelines for McLeod and McLovin? Are they off on their Sea Doos? I’ve missed what happened
Foggy skated yesterday. Might join the team on the next road trip.
Highlander has an LBI and has yet to skate, I think there’s a rumour floating around…high ankle sprain.
Lot of asphalt between now and “when everyone is healthy.” If it ever happens this season.
No decision has to be made on any particular normal roster player right now. If I’m Holland I might even let it drop internally that all of Foegele, Pujo and Yams are auditioning for two jobs and then make the final decision, when health demands one, based on their performances over the next stretch.
It’s not Holland’s style that it’s JP that is automatically gone. Could well be Potato Ninja or McLovin.
And if he does trade Pujo, it isn’t automatically a mistake either. Some things are driven by timing and the Oilers only have so much time they can use to wait on this player (and others).
And who knows what convos are being had internally. It could well be Yams who is closest to being traded at this point in time. I suspect in any case, it isn’t a slam dunk on who will go. Not to mention the decision in part will be made on what can be returned in a deal.
Truth
I think Yama has established more than BK
BUT given Yama is trying to play a physical game I don’t think he’ll play a long career
I wish him health and a long career, but he can’t play that way. In the parts of the game I could watch, I saw him go into the offensive corner and try to hit his opponent and his head snapped back
Regardless of how it happens that is what hurts the brain. He’s already piling those up. If I was the org I would tell him to play any way but physical for the most part especially reg season. Use quickness and brains the body will not cut it here
I worry the team is still pushing that stuff. He’s a good player but that isn’t going to be his NHL game if he wants to survive
It was a good time for a big win, and enjoy it while we can.
But come on, Im reading “it was the Oilers best game all season”
We played the worst team in the league that were finishing up 14 games on the road. Lets be honest.
This was a game for Campbell. This was a game where you don’t need a top heavy first line. This was a game where Connor and Leon need to be feeding some underperformers.
The best part of the game was to watch those other two lines have some success, that was as good as the 2 points and should carry forward.
The Oilers manhandled the Coyotes much like they were manhandled themselves in the previous game against the Caps. Goes to show how well Skinner played in that one .
No doubt the Yotes aren’t a great team and have had a tough schedule – the Oilers should win that game, easily, but so should most teams, right? Last four games for the Yotes:
LAK – tied after 2 periods, LAK take lead early in the 3rd and score an empty netter
VAN – ARI with lead going in to the third, Canucks tie it up with 7 to go and win in OT
CGY – flames score with under five minutes in the 3rd for a one-goal win
EDM – 8-2 Oilers blowout
Prospectitorium!
Matvey Petrov gets the spotlight squarely on him tonight. With 31 points, he is tied (3 ways) for the team lead. Will he seize the lead all for himself this eve? The answer to this and other questions shall come once the puck drops at 5 p.m. Hylo time.
I honestly think Jesse will be back to Karput next year. He isnt comfortable in North America 😔 It happens, Koskinen was good enough to play NHL and KHL and ended up going home
I think Carolina will sign him for a million bucks.
The whole Jesse Puljujarvi Experiment has been a failure.
Whoever it was (his agent?) who insisted he would only come over to North America in his rookie year if he played enough games for the Oilers to burn a year of his ELC needs to get some heavy criticism.
He clearly wasn’t ready for the NHL and McLellan didn’t really know what to do with him – it’s telling he got sent down to the AHL as soon as the ELC games (40 or whatever it was) limit was hit.
Guys like Spector in the media have been hostile to him almost from the very beginning. I’m not sure if it’s xenophobia or just a bunch of gasbags who only know how to fit people into certain categories and Jesse doesn’t fit, but it’s been embarrassing. I would say Spector is outright trying to run him out of town.
I suspect, despite protests to the contrary, that he doesn’t fit in with McDavid, Drai and Nurse, the core of the team. McDavid had guys like Ty Rattie playing wing for him, you’d think if he had any desire to play with Jesse that it would have happened. You don’t ignore a generational force like Connor McDavid.
Pure speculation here by me, but I wonder about the desire. When Jarmo Kekalainen, a fellow Finn, passed on the chance to take Puljujarvi, who seemed the consensus choice, I wondered if he knew something the rest of us didn’t.
I’ve heard enough times from NHL-adjacent people that there are the crazy players like Crosby and McDavid who are hockey robots and live, breath and dream hockey, but there’s a large number of players who play in the NHL because they are good at hockey and they get well-paid.
Again, pure speculation, but I wonder if Jesse is one of those players. He seems like a truly lovely, funny person, but not a hockey robot.
Or he really just needs a change of scenery.
Jesse Puljujarvi has played considerably more minutes with McDavid than he ever did with Ty Rattie. I’m not sure I understand where you’re going with that point.
my point is if McDavid liked playing with him, he’d be a fixture on the first line, and that hasn’t been the case.
You don’t think coaches change up lines as chemistry/performance comes and goes? I’ve never seen a coach keep lines the exact same over the course of an 82 game season.
I’m not sure how you can take Ty Rattie playing on Connor McDavid’s wing on a 79 point team and use that as evidence of Connor McDavid disliking playing with JP because JP isn’t a fixture on the first line. That’s an Alan Eustice kind of leap
I’m not sure I can agree with this point. Coming in to this season, for the last three seasons combined, Puljuarvi is McDavid’s second most common line mates, like 50 minutes less than Drai – and Puljujarvi wasn’t an Oiler for one of those seasons.
For the last two seasons, Puljujarvi was McDavid’s most common linemate – nearly 600 minutes more than Drai at second.
If McDavid didn’t like playing with Jesse that much, he wouldn’t have been, right?
McDavid seems to like playing a certain way and with certain people more than winning. 8 years in, and he doesn’t skate as fast back to his own end as he does the other way.
I’m not sure the evidence from this past May is in line with this conclusion….
The playoffs filled me with a lot of hope, but it has been a fall of backsliding. The top guys have to lead by example.
Instead of loading up the top line the injuries hit, McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins should have gone to Woodcroft, and said give us two guys each (which two guys each doesn’t matter, we are going to play a system), and a (defensive) system that everyone will play till the calvary gets healthy.
The baseline should be playing the system and winning.
he’d rather play with Kane or Drai? What a selfish guy 😉
that being said, a lot of Oilers would do well to cheat a little bit more for defense. The offence is built in
In the last 2 and a third seasons, McDavid has played 1,260 minutes at 5 on 5 with Jesse and 1149 minutes without him. Jesse is well out in front of all other wingers left or right in that regard. Now of course, some of that is that Hyman then Kane were added at the beginning of and part way through last season respectively. Since his arrival, Hyman and Jesse are almost identical in TOI with McDavid, but of course, for most of last least season Hyman played LW with McDavid when they were together so not at Jesse’s expense. Jesse was still McDavid’s primary RW when he was healthy until game 5/6 of the LA series and the primary cause of that shift was to maximize the injured Draisaitl. Jesse has still played 100 minutes this season on McDavid’s line, some but not all of which is explained by injuries to Kane, Yamamoto and briefly Hyman. Jesse had played only 35 minutes with McDavid before the Kane injury.
If McDavid has been constantly telling the coaching staff he’d rather not play with Jesse, the coaching staff (2 regimes) generally haven’t been listening to him. And it should also be pointed out, the one thing McDavid has said a few times to the press is he actually likes having his wingers switched up from time to time as opposed to staying with the same combination consistently.
Spector is a tool. He gets on his high horse, like he ever was picked first for any team in his life, and thinks he knows more about hockey than anyone. Can we trade him to the leafs?
Just one small comment to your post, I think when Jarmo passed it was because he could communicate with Jessie, he had a long interview and he could understand the young man, where he was coming from, where he was in maturity and development on and off the ice.
Other teams interviewed Jessie and came away with what you see, big smile and seems like a good kid, not a lot more intel than that.
In my opinion this continues to this day.
When I was younger and had a problem, Id call home. I think Jessie talking to Finish media he is more open, more honest and he connects as in hes calling home. They get the honest perspective, we see the big smile and toolbox and wonder whats going on.
Agreed. The lack of comfort with English I’m sure makes it difficult for him. I honestly want him traded because I think he deserves to have a try elsewhere. There’s players whose attitudes or whatever I don’t like and I don’t particularly care if they leave the team, Jesse seems like a gentle giant and I hope he finds a good spot.
I want him traded because I want him freed and happy. As declared at the top, a mess from day one. No one held a gun to Chia’s head making him accept the agent’s terms, either. From day one I thought that was a stupid move. We are here.
The only place he might be happy is back in Finland. Where he can be a big fish in a smaller pond.
Freed from what? A $3 million contract and greater than 50% of his playing time with the best player in hockey. Regardless what happened under Chia, we’re here and Ken Holland and the past 2 coaches have done a lot of positive things to try to integrate this player. I’m not sure what else they can do, but at this point the fact that it isn’t working is as much on the player and his agent as it is on the team. I’d certainly move on from him because it’s the best for all concerned but to frame it as him needing to be freed from something is a bit rich. I’d be stunned if he amounts to anything other than a 30-40 point 3rd liner on any other team he is traded to. That can certainly have a lot of value given the other things he contributes, but he seems reluctant to accept that here for some reason.
The player wanted to stay in Europe because he was not sure he was ready. The GM made a bribe and false promises to lure him over, and the organization failed to live up to the promises it made. to an 18-year old.
Do you think the Oiler’s wouldn’t have a Finnish translator available at a pre-draft interview for a player they may possibly be interested in? Maybe not if they thought he may not fall to them in the draft. But then again Chiarelli was in charge at the time .
they did not
But even with translators, context is missed. People fill in the blanks as it suits them.
Spector has a long history of trying to run players out of town. He’s a terrible reporter and even though he’s been reporting on hockey for a long time doesn’t understand anything about the game.
Easily my least favourite hockey reporter.
I wonder if he physically developed faster than other kids his own age so he did not need to work as hard. Now that he is an adult, he does not have that advantage anymore and has been unable to adapt.
I have seen it happen to many kids in youth sports
It was more than just playing 10 games to burn the first year of his ELC. It was also being on the roster for 40 games which vested a year towards UFA status (he was assigned like the game after he hit that threshold).
Also, playing those games at 18 took two years off his waiver exemption timeline which, ultimately, hurt the player when he couldn’t be sent to the AHL (he would have been claimed) at a future point.
Seperate concept but you are right on the timeline there. 10 games played burned a year of his ELC and, then, being on the NHL roster for 40 games vested a year towards UFA status.
If an 18 year old European wants to stay in Europe, an organization should not bribe him with guarenteed money and NHL playing time. And if an organization is bribing an 18-year old with guarenteed money and NHL playing time, the GM and coach should be aligned on the bribe and the plan for guarenteed ice time.
And when the 18-year old arrives from Europe barely able to speak a word of English, the coach shouldn’t shun the player almost immediately.
Agreed. That was a red flag tright out of the gate. The GM, coach, agent & player seem to have been on 4 different channels.
With all due respect to Ken Holland, I just don’t get his response following Jesse’s comments… If one of my young employees expressed such low confidence and felt like they didn’t belong, I’d be so dumb for replying “Well, it’s a tough job! Not a place to learn.”
I’m sorry, but even if you believed that were true – that Jesse can’t learn, can’t get his confidence back, doesn’t belong in the NHL (which is utter nonsense, obviously) – why say that publiclly? The guy is one of your players, on a team that’s trying to win. It’s part of your job as manager to get him up to the level required, through training him and helping him adapt and build confidence… I just don’t get it!
Think Holland should be retiring soon
What i really liked about Holland recently, is he seems to be adapting. And I doubt he has changed that much so its more likely he is allowing more ideas and more participation from others in order to improve his team. That is admirable.
I think the quote you’re looking for is back in 2020. Remember, Holland and JP are in year three, and Holland is populating the roster with stronger options.
I respectfully disagree. He’s a player on the Oilers… until he isn’t. As long as he’s a player here I would keep trying to get his confidence up, theres always a way. Jesse can play in the NHL, just got to find what’s making him tick.
Due respect, Holland’s probably thining, “if you want me to trade you, don’t tell the media in any language that you’re not sure this is the league for you!”
I thin you’re right.
If Jesse wants to play in the NHL, it’s a good idea to pass on the opportunity to question your own ability with a reporter and microphone nearby.
I say this fully understanding that JP’s Finnish interview may not be completely accurate.
i posited last week that kostins process was there, the goals and points just hadnt come yet. It appears that they are starting to come.
If im Ken i give him 2 yrs at 900-950k right now.
He is positive in almost every metric and brings an honest hardworking game with physicality and ruggedness and a wicked wrister. Both of his goals have been scored from well out. I think he has more to his game that can be uncovered.
5v5 he is.
#2 in SF%
#4 in CF%
#4 in GF%
young enough and just breaking in to still take the security of the NHL 1 way contract at less than 1 mil.
If they do trade jesse (i wouldnt but thats just me) it could be best for Jesse to get a fresh start in a new city without the scrutiny of being a top end pick. It appears that the org does not view him as a top 6 player anymore and 3m is a bit rich for a 3rd liner who cannot finish. I would suggest that his replacement has already been found with Mr Kleem.
I just wonder what could be got in return for jesse. Perhaps another floundering player like eeli tolvanen? Or add more goodies to the trade and get Toews, O reilly, or Horvat?
just looking at it, denis gurianov in dallas makes 100k less then jesse and has 1 goal and 3 apples all year? perhaps a 1 for 1 swap?
Lots of chatter that Dallas is looking at acquiring Brock Boeser from Vancouver in exchange for Gurianov.
A pure cap dump for the Canucks since the latter is on an expiring contract.
Trade Jesse #FreeJesse
If Holland wants to extend Kostin, he’ll need to wait a little over 3 weeks to get it done. Kostin is on a 1 year SPC, he so can’t be extended until after Jan 1. That is very close to now in the grand scheme of things. Seems unlikely Kostin can do enough to really amp his value between now and then. Kostin is an RFA, with a very low QO level for the Oilers to retain, but he will have arbitration rights in the summer.
Of course, Kostin and his agent may not want to extend in January at that level preferring to wait to see how he does the rest of the season. If he is still NHL caliber by the end of the year, his worst case would still be $750,000 next season, so I don’t see that he’d have a lot of motivation to extend for a small raise at this point if he has any confidence in himself.
keep in mind a raise from 750k to 900k is a 20% jump and if it is guarunteed 1 way that is no small thing. Security and an organization that believes in you is valuable too, he said just this morning that he finally feels at home.
Do severed nerves and tendons tend to heal well?
depends how clean the cut and the rehab. If there attached successfully they heal quick its the rehab that takes time
There are no accounts that he should be anything less than 100%.
Being on the ice and using that hand/wrist to handle the puck, even if gingerly, 3 weeks post-incident, and Kane on Inside Sports with Reid earlier this week saying everything is on schedule so far, is the most recent information we have. Nothing negative.
I think Jesse has had it with Edmonton LT. HIS comments that Spector was talking about yesterday were quite sad for the young man. Those comments tell me he isn’t having fun here right now at all. Too much pressure it seems on the kid. He sounds defeated. I do hope Holland trades the kid. I like Jesse a lot, but he really needs a fresh start. I think Holland needs to do the young man a favour and just move him for whatever. If he isn’t happy and Not producing he will just get more depressed and the kid will just turn really negative eventually
its not easy when certain media members are obsessed with driving you into the ground. the pressure must be immense
I loath Spector but he has exactly one less goal than JP this year.
Jesse and Tippett connected. Jesse and McLellan certainly did not. Woodcroft was part of that past, and although both sides are trying, I don’t think Jesse believes that Woodcroft believes in him. Jesse is high maintenance this way. Dustin Penner didn’t care what the coaches and the GMs thought. He was a self-made player, and he was going to play his way because he knew it worked and that he was a good hockey player. Jesse is sort of the anti-Penner. Too nice a guy to say eff all that. I am what I am and I am an NHL hockey player. Eff the coach. Eff McDavid and Draisaitl who exclude me from the cool kids club. Eff the media aholes. Eff the haters. A good coach was going to play him, because he could play, even though the coach hated him (and Carlyle and Sutter hated him, not as much as MacT hated him, but they hated him).
I think Skinner, as the current #1, needs to start on Friday or else they are committing to playing Jack 2 out of 3 with the road back to backs coming up.
Bob said last night that he expects Jay to come back with Skinner on Friday.
Pretty sure last night was just the second game all season where the opposition wasn’t close enough to pull their goalie at the end, the other being the 6-3 win over Pittsburgh in which the Oil had trailed 3-1 so it wasn’t exactly clear sailing.
This was also just the second game all year where the Oilers scored 2 goals in the first period (how bad is that?) & just the second where they led 2-0.
Most encouraging moment to me was when Arizona did score to make it 3-1, Oilers responded 23 seconds later with the 4-1 & that was that, the ‘yotes were done. In keeping with the theme of 2 (my number from last night’s CoH podcast) Edmonton outscored Arizone by 2 goals in all 3 periods.
Nice to see some killer instinct for a change. They just need to play a few more teams on the homeward-bound leg of a 14-game road trip!
Jesse has no trade value and Kane is still 3 months away from playing so I suspect he will be the hanger oner until that time.
Carolina is going to get such a good player for a million bucks next summer.
The Klim Kostin trade is quietly looking better by the day. I’m not sure Samorukov will ever play in the NHL but who knows. This year it is helping the Oilers. Good trade Holland.
I use to cheer for guys like Rattie and Omark (never Benson) to make it big, Klim has now replaced those fading stars.
Why not Benson?
Maybe Jesse’s time is done or maybe it’s prudent to give it some time. I remember sending Strome and Eberl out on the down beat and they were good players. Jesse has been better in the past, maybe try something different from this season and see if he can get some mojo back
Big difference between those two players established level of production and Jesse’s, especially Eberle.
With Jesse we know what he can do. He can zoom around and force defense to move the puck. He can track back and disrupt plays. He can be a load along the wall as long as he doesn’t have the puck. He can be a load in front.
Putting aside his finishing skills let’s talk about his puck protection skills. It’s among the worst in the league. That first bump almost always causes a stumble or a bobble which costs him possession. He’s learned this so he now moves the puck the moment anyone comes into his space.
Id love to understand why it is that Ryan Smyth could maintain possession under a barrage of pressure and Jesse can’t. He’s solid enough when he’s standing up but when he gets a
in his hockey stance (puck on his stick) his balance goes to shit. Are his legs too tall? Is it edgework? Does he have a weak lower body or core? Flexibility? Guys like Smyth and Perry seem so slippery and I’d guess that’s flexibility.
I worry it’s those damned hips.
I was gonna have a one-word reply until I got to the last word of your comment, so won’t bother.
Jesse and his tragically hips?
I think the Oilers should be at the point of Sending Jesse down. He does help the team a bit but the cap hit is a problem. If he gets claimed off of waivers then great the Oilers have more cap room. If he doesn’t then great he can score in the AHL to build confidence. I’m out of ideas at this point.
His cap hit is no problem until Kane gets back at minimum, and until then he will always be in the top12.
I fear if the Oilers wait until the deadline (around when Kane gets back) to move Jesse then they will have to add a sweetener to get rid of him because there may be less teams interested. If the Oilers give Jesse’s ice time to Holloway and add 3 million in cap space it could be a blessing in disguise. Who knows, I doubt he would be claimed off of waivers anyway.
The kid is obviously not happy here. He wants to be a more offensive player it seems and it just isn’t happening here .
He’s been playing a lot with McDavid and/or Draisaitl here. If he can’t produce offense here, then where is going that he will? In his own words from yesterday, “In another league”?
Exactly. Set him free.
For pity’s sake if no other reason.
You hit the nail on the head regarding puck possession skills. Jesse just doesn’t have any, and that’s a big problem when it comes to him creating offense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUT5rEU6pqM