After the Los Angeles game, I wrote “it isn’t a stretch to believe this team feels everyone is against them after the officiating last night. Sometimes that serves as a catalyst for a team. If McDavid sets his jaw, this road trip, a vital one, could still have a happy ending.” Edmonton took the first step last night, and there were several compelling stories.
THE ATHLETIC!
- New Lowetide: Oilers winger Warren Foegele has been odd man out, so what’s next?
- DNB: Oilers must act at the trade deadline
- Lowetide: Oilers midseason review of 2022-23 reasonable expectations
- Lowetide: Should Oilers GM Ken Holland trade the 2023 first-round pick?
- Lowetide: Making the call on young Oilers in need of a contract this summer
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Klim Kostin’s sudden impact, injury and immediate future
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ December sleep walk a touch of deja vu
- Lowetide: Bakersfield Condors’ 2022-23 season review to date
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen pursue final defence spot
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Darnell Nurse remains the top defenceman despite struggles
- DNB: How Oilers are different yet similar to last season through 35 games
- Lowetide: Oilers’ Evan Bouchard’s difficult season disguises elite talent
- New DNB: Why the Oilers should, but probably won’t, acquire Jakob Chychrun
- New DNB: Oilers throwing away points as defencemen continue to make crucial mistakes
- DNB: Oilers’ Klim Kostin much happier in Edmonton than he was with Blues
- Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects, winter 2022
- Lowetide: Will Oilers pro scouts help identify quality at the deadline?
WHAT TO EXPECT IN JANUARY
- At home to: SEA, NYI, COL (Expected 1-1-1) (Actual 1-1-1)
- On the road to: LAK, ANA, SJS, VEG (Expected 3-1-0) (Actual 1-1-0)
- At home to: SEA, TBAY (Expected 0-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: VAN (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: CBJ, CHI (Expected 2-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- January expected result: 7-3-2, 16 points in 12 games
- January actual result: 2-2-1, 5 points in 5 games
- December results: 7-6-2, 16 points in 15 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: 22-17-3, 47 points in 42 games
It was a fun game and for Oilers fans, a welcome respite from the last game against Anaheim at Rogers Place. So far in January the team has five points in five games. The winning streak needs to arrive soon.
SUMMARY
The dogs were barking as the cars were parking, the loan sharks were sharking, the narcs were narcing, practically everyone was there. The good timey stories rolled out from every corner, tempered only by the quality of the opponent and the memory of recent shortcomings.
- Jack Campbell had his third best game (loss to St. Louis, win v. Tampa Bay) of his season. He now owns a .925 save percentage at five-on-five since December 15.
- Darnell Nurse had eight shots, a giveaway, and a couple of blocked shots. Won the shot share 16-10, expected goals 65 percent, 1-1 goals overall. The big man had good minutes with Evan Bouchard and Vincent Desharnais.
- Cody Ceci played most with Nurse, but the numbers were better with Brett Kulak. Could we see a shuffle? I doubt it.
- Brett Kulak had four shots, a takeaway and a couple of blocked shots. His ability to close gaps with his speed came in handy a number of times. Most successful with Tyson Barrie, but worked effectively with Ceci, too.
- Tyson Barrie had an assist, plus a HDSC. He was a little exposed a couple of times when his foot speed left him vulnerable, but showed veteran savvy both times.
- Philip Broberg had an assist, moved the puck well and showed patience and calm feet most of the time (the five-on-five GA involved Evan Bouchard losting a battle to start the sortie). He is 5-2 goals (five-on-five) in the last six games.
- Evan Bouchard is 6-1 goals five-on-five in the last two games! He’s up to 43 percent goal share on the season now. He had two assists, one HDSC, and looks far more capable than in the recent past.
- Vincent Desharnais made his NHL debut a good one. He made one or two errant passes, but for the most part looked excellent with or without the puck. Took a penalty but got his money’s worth and looked completely at home with Darnell Nurse. I think we’ll see him again this week.
- Desharnais’ arrival makes it five men from the 2016 draft (Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyler Benson, Markus Niemelainen, Dylan Wells and now Desharnais) to make an NHL appearance. The last draft to have six? The 2010 edition, a year that also featured a late-round defenseman (Brandon Davidson) who worked his way to the show.
- Connor McDavid was majestic, that’s the word I’m using today. His pass to Dylan Holloway for the rookie’s goal was perfect, and his spinerama on his goal both inspired and perfectly executed. It isn’t just that he’s good, it’s that he’s getting better! How can anyone do less with a captain like that? Eight shots, six HDSC, 1-1-2 and is now 35-44-79 in 43 games. He belongs in a higher league.
- Dylan Holloway scored a goal, very nice one. I’ve mentioned a few times (including here) he should play a more prominent role, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Roll with it, Mr. Woodcroft, don’t let anyone get in your way. He had a goal, two shots and two HDSC.
- Kailer Yamamoto had a helluva game, he really did. His strength is anticipation, he’s always chasing a finer day. I loved his work leading up to the McDavid goal, just pure intelligence and exection. One shot, one HDSC, three takeaways and an all world assist. On track for 9-18-27 in 70 games, I think he’ll blow past those totals if he can stay healthy. Yamamoto is playing some of his most effective hockey right now.
- Mattias Janmark was very involved, picking up an assist, two shots, two HDSC, drew a penalty. Owns a 1.45 pts-60 scoring rate at five-on-five, 3-1 goals last night. Effective veteran.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is having a career year. Music! He’s 20-30-50 now, played on a line that drove possession all the way to San Diego last night. 1-1-2, 6 shots, HDSC, takeaway. He’s 7-3 in his most recent seven games at five-on-five goals.
- Klim Kostin had two goals, six shots, and showed great anticipation and awareness on both. Involved in many hits, I kept thinking of Warren Zevon’s “Hit Somebody” during the game. Many Oilers fans are hesitant to give credit to Ken Holland, I get it, online credibility often depends on following the crowd. Surely Holland deserves credit on this deal, even in the early days. If you have the gumption to mention it out loud, that means you have the courage of your convictions. Bullies should never be followed, it’s a losing end.
- Ryan McLeod had the wheels going last night, flabbergasted he didn’t score. Three shots, three HDSC, solid work in the faceoff circle.
- Leon Draisaitl scored a clever goal, made probably seven or eight passes that could have resulted in goals, and had four shots (two HDSC). Reached his personal halfway point in the season, 41 games with 23 goals and 63 points. What a fantastic hockey player.
- Zach Hyman’s numbers were lower than normal: Two shots, two HDSC. I still think he was effective, owing to his dogged puck pursuit and not allowing the play to die on his stick. One of my favourite players, there’s something in every shift.
- Warren Foegele worked hard, had one shot and a HDSC, two hits, skated miles. You can see his job with the Oilers slipping away, but I like his work ethic and determination. It isn’t over yet!
- Jesse Puljujarvi had one hellacious hit in the game, it was a show-stopper. Four shots, one HDSC, the time clock Gods took a grand opportunity from him. I expect we’re nearing his exit, have enjoyed watching him play these years. Jesse is a unique player with great gifts and he’ll find his place in the sun. I hope it’s warm and he wins Stanley there.
SO WHAT?
I mentioned on the radio last week and on the blog a few times that the Oilers have put themselves in a tough position. A 10-game winning streak solves everything, but failing that the math is revealing for this year’s model. After 43 games, Edmonton owns a 22-18-3 record, 47 points. Last year’s No. 8 team in the Western Conference finished with 97 points. In order for the Oilers to get there, the finish would have to be something like 22-11-6 in 39 games.
I would never bet against a team that houses Connor McDavid, but this is a tall order. How best to get there? A 10-game winning streak. A run of 10 wins from here, assuming last night was the beginning, would land the team at 31-18-3 after 52 games. That’s 65 points on the books with 30 to play, meaning a fairly pedestrian 15-13-2 finish gets them to 97 points.
How do the Oilers get there? There are signs of progress, young players are regressing in a good way. I do think Holland needs to add some defensive help. Fans have a right to be happy with the team while also saying ‘so what?’ about the record. If the Oilers beat Vegas, Seattle and Tampa Bay this month, you should be impressed. Otherwise? Not good enough. It’s a tough league and this Oilers team has wasted opportunities. That’s a fact, even on a morning when happiness roams the hills.
One great arrow? Last night looked like Jay Woodcroft the innovator returned. Godspeed.
Klim is more than a 3rd liner.
A quote from Gazzola’s Wednesday podcast about the Oilers and D deadline targets (in case folks have not seen/heard).
In print here, with a link to the podcast.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/amp/oilers_list_of_blue_line_trade_targets_includes_surprising_names/s1_16448_38345918
Haven’t seen it posted, but Kevin Weekes mentioned yesterday on the NHL Network that Evander Kane could be ready to play as early as next week’s game against SEA, on January 17th.
I hope not
The longer the better
I know he’s chomping but take no chances
So, I live in Calgary and this autumn we learned about the annual hot air balloon festival that has been held in High River for several years. High River is about a 40 minute drive from my house.
While we were there we ducked into their museum and stumbled upon the display of the long-running (15 years and going) CBC TV Show “Heartland”. We finally decided to start watching in late November and have been watching it almost daily on Netflix ever since.
Tonight we watched episode 8 of the 11th season. The first scene involves a horse named Holloway and the owner got on the phone and called “Dylan” to haul the horse for training at the Heartland ranch.
Given that Okotoks is the closest town to High River and that is where #55 played, I thought this was in honour of him. In doing the math, I figure this was filmed in the summer of 2017, which pre-dates his stellar AJHL season. Anyway, a happy coincidence for me 😀.
Also an earlier season had a team of horses named McSorley & McClelland. Interesting, despite the proximity to Cowtown, and many references to YYC in the show, no horses to date have been named after any fLames….
That’s funny. Ma Kettle and I are catching up on Yellowstone right now (just started season 4, wow). Since I’m naturally averse to CBC original programming I’d have never caught the references. Thanks!
Yellowstone is amazing and the prequels are supposed to be really good, as well.
With Colorado and Nashville losses tonight the Oilers, for now at least, are alone in 8th place in the West (points percentage).
The Oilers remain 6th in the West in goal differential (they’re also 8th in SF%, 6th in xGF%, 3rd in SCF%, 3rd in HDCF%).
Perhaps they’ll remain in a playoff spot this time.
Are this numbers 5 on 5 or all situations?
All situations.
Tks.
I guess the crappy PK comes close to sawing off for the great PP.
LA game was an outlier. Things are improving. Lots of blank outings since Mid-December.
Summarizing!
Matvey Petrov has decided he wants to fill the net again…starting with this…and then this. The pair of goals gives him 15 for the season.
He also added this aPPle for a 3-point night (with 4 SOG) as the Battalion prevailed 7-4.
Ron Francis is the real deal.
Hakstol too.
Seattle plays with extreme speed even on D.
A real pleasure to watch.
How’s Larsson getting around the rink these days?
He was struggling with footspeed even as an Oiler, but seems to be playing huge minutes in Seattle now?
He’s been exceptional playing in that structure and is contributing on offense as well with 19 points and an eye popping +25.
Careful HH, you don’t want to let Cale hear you talking like that… eye popping indeed.
I’m playing around with Evolving Wild’s player ratings.
It looks like Larsson is playing with Vince Dunn.
EW has Larsson in the 29th percentile.
Vince Dunn is in the 95th [!]
It looks like Dunn is the player that stirs the drink on that pairing.
5×5 PDO
BOS – 1240
SEA – 1200
EDM -1000
VEG – 996
LAK – 993
COL – 993
CAL – 989
If Edmonton where running as lucky as Boston or Seattle currently are, you’d be quick to see it…
If Francis buys heavy at deadline I’ll wager he’s not a genius.
You know..if you have that kind of PDO at the halfway point and slowly regress to 1000, you have a dominant team that made the playoffs.
If you’re a team at 1000 and out of the playoffs, you’ve got a real problem.
Francis has never been known to make rash decisions and I doubt he will start now.
Hakstol’s body of work in PHI was uninspiring, to say the least.
I raised an eyebrow when they hired him to lead the SEAmen.
Be interesting to see what’s changed between coasts.
The goaltending did Hakstol in in Philly.
Hextall too, ironically.
Just opened Mac-Talla Mara cask strength. I feel like someone lit a campfire in my throat. Delicious.
I’ll add that to a list of no thanks haha
Most peaty I can handle is the regular Oban. But I’m okay with that, half the battle of enjoying Scotch is understanding what regions one prefers.
I mentioned last night I thought on the first goal Bro misread the play. Because Bouch delayed a half sec going across the net to Bro’s side to cover the pass, as Bro went to the player in the slot
That being said, if they keep playing together, they’ll get rhythm with such things, will know what the other guy will do, I think Bouch was expecting a trade off on coverage – which is where the breakdowns happen for all teams in coverage
I’m very chuffed that they are showing chemistry, and solid already as a pair. A couple of big guys that can skate and have skill, could be worse!!
I had to look up “chuffed.”
then I had to look up Bouchard’s size cause he doesn’t give the impression of being a “big guy.”
Heh heh sorry
Trying to keep the verbal less boring. Bouch is still pretty light for a tall guy, but he’ll fill out some
A second pairing of BroChard has been my muse for several years now. Be nice to see it come to fruition.
People ask me all the time… Do you believe in alien life?
Well I do, in fact. Just this week I was outside fixing my telescope. It’s winter in Quebec and Orion was due South. I stopped for a minute, perhaps distracted by something. I took a good look at the constellation, noting Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, through the belt and down to Rigel which was very sharp but partly obscured by the trees.
I then noticed a faint glow in the direction of Rigel, but I thought it might be a car or someone in the woods. Then I realized it was in the sky, like a drone. It seemed to get brighter and soon I realized it was getting closer. I wasn’t afraid – I was just dammn cold. Soon a drone shaped like a flying saucer came buzzing onto the deck and landed beside the telescope. It was the size of an extra large pizza, maybe a bit bigger. I like ham & pineapple but there was none of that to be seen.
The aliens jumped out and said “take me to your leader”. I said Trudeau? No they said. Biden? Trump?
They looked at me scornfully. They said “The LEADER, you fool”. They then proceeded to explain that they were from the interplanetary hockey league and were there to promote a certain Connor McDavid to the big leagues. If I understood correctly he is not actually human and is on some sort of temporary loan to work on his footwork. Rigel means “foot of the great one”, by the way, so it all makes perfect sense.
I said that they needed to head West two time zones. I thought a bit and said to head West until they hit the mountains, then fly back East for a few minutes. Someone there will surely be able to help them.
They thanked me, jumped back in the their pizza (sadly lacking both ham and pineapple), and flew away, heading west.
I finished my repairs and headed inside. Made a note in the logbook about how nice and clear Rigel was.
I would have ordered a ham & pineapple pizza, but they don’t deliver to my observatory.
Ah, Psychadelics.
Watching Seattle at Boston and highly recommend if you have the chance.
The Kraken are outshooting the Bruins 21-11 and leading 1-0.
Their relentless speed is incredible.
Will be interesting to see if Seattle can hold on as Boston has not lost in regulation this season.
P.S. so nice to hear an actual professional broadcaster who doesn’t shriek throughout the play by play and actually allows the game to “breathe”.
2-0 Seattle end of two.
Eeli Tolvanen with another goal for the Kraken…what a steal on waivers.
Tolvanen 4G 6 P in his 7th game.
I hope for him he can keep it going except against the good guys
But I doubt it, you get there for a reason
As we have seen repeatedly, it often depends on opportunity.
BTW, Tolvanen was drafted one spot ahead of Klim Kostin in the 2017 draft and both seem to be thriving now that they’ve benefited from a second opinion.
Yes but
Both on waivers and both have issues right? Few who get drafted 1st rnd aren’t really good hockey players
Jack Edwards repeatedly mentioning that just turned 20 Matty Beniers looks like a young Patrice Bergeron.
Seattle weathers a furious Boston attack with the goalie pulled for the last 4 minutes and win 3-0 on an empty net goal.
That 7-0 in January outscoring the opposition 33-11.
Hey kids…these guys might be for real.
Were you listening to the BOS or SEA feed?
When we last played the SEAmen I listened to their ESPN feed, with Ferraro and Leah Hextall. What. A. Treat. They called the game, and spent very little time pumping one another’s tires with inconsequential stories that didn’t pertain to the game.
I’ve grown so weary of the constant daytime AM radio discourse during the live game action on the EDM feeds, that I regularly tune into the other teams’ feeds to see if there’s any elan remaining in broadcasting.
Martin Jones 19-5-3 with a 894 save percentage I suggested him last year on a dirt cheap contract. All he does is win even with the shitty save percentage. Woody needs to get his head out of his ass and play Campbell alternating him and Skinner. I know Skinner has a loyal following but he does let in questionable Goals in the 3rd period. Both Goalies are 2 games over 500 I don’t give a hoot what the save percentage is it’s the winning percentage that counts and Campbell is 81-47-15 lifetime. Please PLAY CAMPBELL Woody.
I think you mean the team wins despite his terrible save percentage which is still elevated despite a very hot start
LOL
I think I would play Desharnais with Nurse starting tomorrow.
Nurse Desharnais
Broberg Bouchard
Kulak Ceci
Barrie (11-7 until he is traded).
Trade in the other post.
A bit early to anoint DesCHARAnais as a 1st pairing defenseman, non?
I blinked, and he had me at hello.
Bear played there as a rookie.
Sometimes opportunity knocks. Of course, we all know how it went for Ethan after that star-cross’d season. By all accounts, Dezzy is a mature fellow; perhaps this is a union ripe for his skillset at this place and space in time.
But sample sizes reign supreme, I reckon. Not opposed to spot duty to have a look-see, but otherwise I’d pump the brakes.
Well then use Nurse & Desharnais as the 2nd pair it just doesn’t matter.
This is incredible. I love the conviction!
I don’t know about that but I’d try. You don’t get pleasant surprises if you won’t allow them to happen
Also I think Ceci needs a break. He’s half of last season
McDavid is probably going to climb back up above 2pts/game in the next four weeks.
Way too early to consider it but I think he’ll take a shot at 200 next season. That’ll be electrifying.
Cause of the DoD we’re conditioned to anticipate the worst. But the upside around these parts is incredible if a few things fall into place.
It can get so much better.
Both are due for a 4 point game.
My preferred move at the moment.
Broberg fixes Bouchard. They are sort of made for each other. So the move is to trade Barrie.
Barrie, 2023 1st unprotected, one of Foegele/Puljujarvi, one of Kemp/Kesselring
FOR
Gavrikov and Nyquist (50% retained on both).
This seems like a massive overpay for two soon to be UFAs.
An unreal overpay considering the stat lines of each.
I am asking Columbus to eat a lot of cap.space and real dollars this year and next.
Gavrikov may be fleeing to Florida in the summer, but Nyquist is a good candidate to re-sign on a value contract.
That might make the team worse and it gives up a first round and a prospect.
Speaking of which, Kesselring is two tiers higher than Kemp.
Someone started drinking early
I get the concept, but for me a first only goes for a very solid player. The two fellas are not that
A second even. The first and second are the only decent shot at a helpful player via draft. I don’t feel it for the games played method of assessing a player’s value. 100 games is great for them, not necessarily the team
Holland burning two seconds for a skilled but ultimately useless Atha has had a real impact on the org as I see it
Thirds and later for replacement level players, or why even bother? Trust who you have
I am gaining $2 million in cap space this year roughly, and dumping $4,5 million ($7 million if they take Foegele) next year. What is the going price for $6.5-$9 million in cap space plus half a season of a legit 2nd pairing D and an experience all around forward. Gavrikov is a decent all around D.
It seems that you are valuing Tyson Barrie as only cap space when he’s a much more valuable asset than that – based on his career and on his season and with his contract for which he is pure value for this season. His 5 on 5 numbers are not zoomed by McDavid as he’s played about 70% of his time away from McDavid.
Both Nyquist and Gavrikov could help the Oilers (IMO) but not at that price.
Does Gavirkon and Nyquist for Barrie and Foegele or Jesse make the team better?
I don’t think it does (let alone adding in a 1st round pick and a D prospect).
Probably not, and for sure adding a 1st on top makes no sense.
You can pickup Nyquist in the off-season for Ryan’s capspace.
Saying you want that player as part of an incredibly costly cap dump is crazy. OP is right this makes the team worse now and in the future.
Broberg is a 2nd paring D by the deadline. He and Nurse cover the bet for a decade and you can find a 3rd paring cheaper like I dunno Kulak?
Seems you missed the “but not at that price “ bit.
I won’t pay that unless it gives me a solid shot at the Cup
Marginal to average players don’t do that, and the cap space gained will be filled by free agents at a premium, unless you use it for pay raises
Depends on the cap situation. What have any of Holland’s deadliners done to help? Not much
Has nay Cup team added mid to lower players that made any difference? For depth just bring up Malone or whomever is playing best, it won’t be different and builds trust and confidence
Another great game by Kostin my new fave Oilers player.
Oilers now 3-3-1 in my season in a season.
Boy, doing this season in a season has changed my perspective – I didn’t even panic when the team was losing after the last big loss.
i had LA as a loss and one of the back to back as a loss.
They’ve gotten up for Vegas games the last few years. The top six barely played last night. I’d still bet Vegas, but it’ll be a fun game. If they can sucker em into a track meet that would be ideal. There will be regression in Vegas goaltending. When not if.
I wonder if they’ll run Soup back to back?
LT why do you think Foegele’s job is slipping away? Specifically in terms of which element of his game is the problem?
He doesn’t do much for the team perhaps?
I agree with Lowetide, he seems like he’s on a banana peel.
I wasn’t disagreeing with Lt. I was just looking for his opinion on what’s lacking from Foegele’s game.
LT explained his position in the linked article…
The problem with Foegele is he just isn’t any good. I’d move on from him at the first opportunity.
Before JP?
I feel like both are probably headed out by the deadline.
I can’t answer for David but, for me, yes, I’d move on from Foegele before Puljujarvi. I believe Puljujarvi is able to impact the game more than Foegele these days – Foegele isn’t really doing anything more than on a rare occasion – at least Jesse is turning in to a physical force of sorts and he is the more responsible 2-way player.
Moving on from Foegele also moves out a $2.75MM cap commitment for next season – moving Jesse out does not.
At the time of the trade, I read the opposing team blogs about Foegele. What I recall reading was that fans liked him. They seem to think he was able to get a lot of good looks, but said that he had stone hands.
What’s interesting is that Evolving Wild’s 3-year ratings for Bear and Foegele were fairly closed prior to the trade given that most of us felt that we lost the trade at the time.
Foegele 29-40-22
Bear 33-56-17
Foegele isn’t a great player for sure. I know the scouts liked him because he draws penalties and they had Sportslogiq data that he crashed the net.
One of the jokes about Foegele prior to the trade was about how he had drawn more penalties than McDavid at one point in time. He certainly still does on a per minute rate.
I like Foegele he’s good on the forecheck but that’s it. Foegele has stone hands he isn’t a pest he doesn’t have any nasty in him. What Foegele brings could easily be replaced with a hungry under a mil individual.
He makes more money than Holloway and Kostin. He doesn’t get to play with Leon or other top centers. I think his contract makes him vulnerable. I wrote an article over at The Athletic that basically said he was a productive player with Staal and could be with Leon. That isn’t in the cards imo. Expensive wingers are Kane, Hyman and Nuge when he plays there. Inexpensive wingers are Holloway and Kostin.
That leaves Yamamoto, who they like. Puljujarvi who they may walk over the summer. And Foegele. I think he can play and the Oilers should consider keeping him but the cap is the cap is the cap.
Thanks for this. 🙂 Sorry I had missed the link to the article.
I remember when you said that the Oilers needed to try playing Ryan Strome in the top six before trading him. Unfortunately, Chiarelli didn’t heed your advice.
I mentioned it late in yesterday’s thread, but it struck me late last year the similarities between Desharnais and Dallas’ Jani Hakanpää. I felt at that time that he should’ve got an NHL cup of coffee, so I’m not surprised he did well in his debut.
Hakanpää was actually only weeks away from his 28th birthday when he made his NHL debut but he hasn’t looked back since, carving a career out of defensive zone shutdown minutes on the 3rd pairing for 3 years now. I actually think Desharnais has more upside than Hakanpää as he appears to have more 2-way ability.
https://youtu.be/ylXk1LBvIqU
So what
Seriously ??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XoyDqFy5pU
The mighty Metallica.
Great game last night. I was impressed with Desharnais and his presence on the penalty kill. I’m m not sure if that is a good thing or an indictment of the rest of the D men. I keep him in the lineup with 11 -7 until he falters. He definitely brings a new dimension to the Oilers that they didn’t have.
A 10 game winning streak?
Ya, I don’t really see THAT happening but I do think this team has the capability to go on a couple of really good runs here. 15-16 points per 10 games, a couple of times.
The schedule is really something else coming up – its like middling team after middling team through February.
The time is now.
Must Win Games?
Who are we sending down once Kane comes back and Woody sticks with 11-7 because he wants Desharnais in the lineup? Without a trade.
Shore, Niemo (or Vinny), Ryan
The coaching staff seems loathe to move away from Nurse/Ceci. I presume the staff believes that pairing can handle tough minutes after tough minutes. They did do it last season but things do change – what works one year may not work the next.
Great pinch on the first goal. He hardly played in the third, if at all. Lowest ice of the d-man. I wonder if he “got hurt” or if he’s been playing through something (remember he and Drai both missed a few practices a couple weeks back.
Phil has been coming for a while now. The game is slowing down and he’s becoming steady – sheltered minutes but he’s going to earn more soon. Stay healthy and the payoff for this org is coming. Great player.
Hi offensive confidence is back and he’s throwing darts all over the ice. He still is prone to losing battles in the defensive zone, as we saw on the first goal against. What’s changed though is that he’s not giving the puck away with bobbles, bad passes and bad decisions – that was so weird as he’s so good with the puck. He’s so good and dynamic with the puck that we will live with some lost battles.
Barrie’s last shift in game ended with 7:26 to go. He played 5 shifts in the 3rd for a total of 2:39. I don’t believe he was hurt, but rather they wanted Deharnais to get additional ice time in a game that was already 6-2. After Barrie sat, Deharnais played almost 3:45 of that last 7 and a half minutes of the 3rd. Bouchard and Ceci each only played a little over 1 and half minutes each over that stretch.
Thank you for looking in to that – I didn’t think he played (that much) in the 3rd.
I think the play of Vinny Desharnais will force a shuffle sooner than expected. The coaching staff is very familiar with him. There’s going to be some surprises on the horizon.
The coaching staff was also very familiar with the likes of Benson and Hamblin and Malone and Niemo and Broberg, etc.
We know they respect Vinny and his game but I think we are a LONG ways from roster shuffles based off of the big man.
Barrie is playing his best hockey. He also regularly blows coverage. So either he goes to a position that mitigates that, or he’s super lucky. I take the latter. I don’t see a great breakout passer, he’s not that fast for a smaller D, and his offensive play is better described as good and consistent, as opposed to creative and dangerous
I like the fella, but without a top end guy to protect his errors in reads, it’s a high risk bet to count he won’t woof it when chips are down
Holland won’t do anything with him until the off season
Does Barrie blow coverage more than any other d-man on the team?
It seems that over the years Tyson Barrie is consistently a plus goal share guy without playing with that high end partner – unless Kulak and Niemo, his top two partners this season are top end? Unless Ian Cole was top end?
This “terrible defensively”, etc. seems to be a very common narrative that isn’t based on actual results, right?
I hear you, I said he blows coverage, I also said he’s playing at his best
It’s the little mistakes that are sinking them and I feel he makes a fair few (not alone but a highly paid vet), death by 1000 cuts
On the other hand he gets away with them more than others seem to, I don’t know why
I don’t see it that way by eye and the Cult of Hockey scoring chance data doesn’t either (I don’t think).
I don’t know if I heard correctly last night that Leon tied Kurri for PP Goals as a Oiler. I find that amazing that Kurri scored 474 Goals as a Oiler compared to Leon’s 277. It just goes to show me that the current Oilers PP is the best in history that also includes the stacked PP that the CCCP army had.
Leon passed Kurri for career franchise PP goals to move into the #3 spot with 108. He’s now behind Anderson and Smyth (tied at 126), and Gretzky at 125. Both of those totals are within reach, potentially this season.
Kurri did so in 754 games, to Leon’s 599.
If you adjust for the lower contemporary scoring rates, that’s quite an impressive feat for our Deutschland Dangler.
I would caution those anointing Broberg as the saviour.
According to the woodmoneys (PuckIQ), broberg has only played 13% of his ice time vs elite competition.
His relative DFF% is -13% in what is a very small sample. 66% of the goals.
From his recent run of strong play, I think it would be informative to see him take on tougher deployment and then evaluate the LD.
I doubt information is a priority for Manson. Development is likely far more important. Incremental pushes like they’ve been doing is the way. His TOI per game is increasing, which will expose him to more middle comp and the odd elite shift. That’s enough for now.
totally agree. I was mostly speaking with Hollands perspective in mind. Broberg will get more minutes if he continues to warrant them through his strong play.
one quibble I have is the idea information isn’t a priority with Manson. Young players generally need to earn the coaches trust, succeeding in the current opportunity and getting trusted with more minutes will give Manson more information on what he has in Broberg. That is vital to a coaching staff.
I would caution paying attention to anyone anointing a rookie D as any kind of saviour. Odds are rookie blue will break your heart. Straight lines and all that…
Seems to me the big hockey brains wait 300 games to allow an NHL defenseman to show you who he is.
Bob Stauffer certainly is a big man who talks about hockey and I believe he has a brain. If that’s what you mean.
But thats what’s a lazy and poor evaluator of talent does. How much would have Roman Josi cost if Poille didn’t make the call to go long after 100ish games?
Ditto Vegas moving on from Brannstrom to acquire Mark Stone.
Seems to me the “big hockey brains” try their best to take the information they have and use it to the best of their capabilities to build the best hockey team team possibly within the constraints of the salary cap.
I think you missed my point, and proved it in doing so.
Wasn’t specifically referring to Bob, but rather the numerous GMs and coaches, etc, who’ve said in the media that d-men take about 300 games to arrive.
what about your point do you think is hard to understand? That you get a better idea of who a player is the more games they play? That at 23-24 a player is closer to the finished product than at 20?
Two value added replies… I’m honoured.
We were essentially agreeing from the get go, with a different take.
The (over) reaction around here of Bouchard having a sophomore slump is incredible, yet predictable. My response was to temper similar reactions based on a few quality games by Broberg. To offer a colloquial corollary between both players, if you will.
After your last two replies, I’m not sure where your head is at. Of course, I do allow that I could have misread your position. In either case, have a great evening 🙂
Now I’m out here trying to find where you’ve made a “value added reply”. Wish me luck?
Reading is hard, isn’t it?
I think good NHL hockey guys should be able to see ability right away
There are ups and downs with players, but good smart players are always that, need some experience
Some players aren’t smart, and they won’t be even if they are helpful
Some players show glimpses of smart or ability, but they need the stars to align to become good regular players. Some players have fatal flaws like skating and it just isn’t going to happen
Outliers we hear of are that for a reason, it’s rare they become top half players
To me a coach if he’s good should watch a guy for a shortish stretch and have his book as to whether he’s NHL quality after he’s about 19, it/he’s not going to change a lot, other than experience
Watching a late Oilers game is much better for sleeping when we win handily
I’m curious about the need to shed cap space when Kane returns. What salary did we add in his absence?
Thanks
Just means they need to send several players to the minors to clear cap space (some would have to clear waivers). Same overall roster now as then, but they could only have 21 players on the roster with Kane healthy and counting against the cap.
It’s not really as easy as “just send several players to the minors”. For sure one of Niemo/Desharnais have to be sent back (if not both). But it was Kane’s injury that allowed them to bring up both Janmark and Kostin. I dare say, both of those guys have played their way onto to the team, so others need to go instead. That likely means waiving veterans Ryan and Shore, not an easy move to make (well Shore is…). And that would still leave us with only 6 defencemen. If you chose to keep one up, someone else has to go down. Who’s left? Foegle? You could argue sending Holloway back to get more playing time, but if he starts to light it up with McD on this road trip then?
Since it seems that gaining pure cap space is at a premium, Holland may have to make the dreaded 2 for 1 trade with someone like JP. No change in cap space, but get 2 players that make equal money as JP to fill out the roster. Problem is, what kind of quality players are you getting back with that?
If Kane were to come back now (i.e. no changes to organizational contracts), I think what Ryan is the $1.125MM player to be waived and assigned and the roster would be:
McDavid
Leon
Hyman
Nuge
Kane
Puljujarvi
Yamamoto
Foegele
Janmark
McLeod
Kostin
Holloway
Nurse
Ceci
Kulak
Barrie
Broberg
Bouchard
Deharnais
Skinner
Campbell
LTIR: Murray
Assigned: Shore, Niemlainen, Ryan
Pretty sure this is exactly what we’re looking at if no other moves are made.
That said, I think it’s pretty likely that one of Foegele or Puljujarvi does get moved before Kane returns (of course I also said that back in the summer).
From everything we are hearing, it sounds like this could be within 2 weeks – shit, some have been speculating he could be back for the game next Tuesday.
They haven’t really added any but recall the situation when Kane was on the active roster – 21 player roster with Janmark in the AHL. Without anything else happening, they are back to the exact same situation, a 21 man roster with a $1.125MM player (or more) assigned.
Sure would be nice to have a 22 or 23 man roster again.
Sounds like OEL will be healthy scratched tonight. At least the contract ends soon, 2027. No one foresaw that trade being a travesty, the second it was announced.
Jason Gregor assured me he’s a bonafide #1
He’s only 31 for a D-man you would think he’s still has 3-4 good years left. Have injuries slowed him down are is it he can’t keep up with the speedier league.
He fractured a foot while playing at the World Championships and, while reportedly fully healed, has had great difficulty pivoting in the defensive zone all season.
He was actually pretty good last season (GF 54.46%) but has been a tire fire this season. (42.25%)
When OEL was on the block, we really needed a D-man. Arizona was asking for Bouchard+ in return. I seem to recall that some wanted Holland to pull the trigger on the trade.
That might be worth keeping in mind, as the cries intensify for Holland to trade a young D for an “established” one.
It’s for this reason that I prefer paying the higher asset cost to get Chyckrun, than trading for Ekholm whose game is likely to decline before the contract expires.
What exactly is Chychrun good at?
How does his skillset differ from those already on the roster?
Genuinely asking 🙂
People here were saying that?
No matter how bad everyone thinks the Oilers D is, there’s always the Canucks. OEL looks done, maybe they can LTIR him for 4 more years.
I don’t recall anyone saying trade for OEL?
Actually Woodguy said he would trade Nurse and Draisaitl for OEL on twitter many years ago.
And they gave up a top top prospect for him
No.
They gave up a draft pick in return for Connor Garland but that hasn’t gone as well as expected either.
Dylan Guenther was the draft pick.
Yep..I am aware of that but he was never a Canuck so they could hardly give him up.
Hey, did everyone just see that. I swear the goalpost moved…..
Don’t forget they also picked up Conor Garland in the deal, so they had the added privilege of almost immediately signing him to a 5 year ~$5 million per season deal (only slightly less than the Oilers pay each of RNH, Hyman and Kane). He was good last season, but that deal is not looking good this season either. The current Canucks admin would like to move on from the prior group’s decision on that one too, but no luck so far:
https://theathletic.com/4083312/2023/01/12/nhl-trade-candidates/
The upshot is they sent away $12 million in salary, all of which would be off the books now anyway and replaced it with $12 million in salary for at least the next 4 seasons on 2 players not getting them what they needed. Throw in Guenther and the whole trade is looking like a disaster of epic proportions.
Don’t forget they also picked up Conor Garland in the deal, so they had the added privilege of almost immediately signing him to a 5 year ~$5 million per season deal (only slightly less than the Oilers pay each of RNH, Hyman and Kane).
Granted, Hyman and RNH gave up money for term. Nonetheless, right now you’ve got three point-per-game players at $5M per. I think Ken Holland deserves some credit there.
Garland is also a diminutive RW (5’10”, 165) who doesn’t kill penalties, rarely hits anyone and rarely blocks shots. All 3 Oilers, while they are at that 30 age range, are likely far better all around players than Conor Garland ever will be.
I became a huge Dylan Guenther fan the minute Zona picked him with the acquired pick.
So after all that, can we get him? Who has him locked up?
Question for the stats-minded folks: is Dante Fabbro worth taking a look at? Playing time is down this year, and while I freely admit to not knowing much about the player, seem to recall good things. Article at the Athletic indicates he may be falling out of favour.
Is he a potential cost-effective RD option?
Depending on the acquisition cost, might not be a terrible pick up.
His $2.4MM AAV is probably doable, and he’s an RFA with arbitration rights at the end of the season.
Looks pretty good against elites (~25% TOI this year) via puckiq:
http://puckiq.com/players/8479371?player=8479371&season=all&tier=Elite&group_by=player_season_team
Thanks for the info and link. Appreciate it.
Who is Fabro playing over on the right side?
$2.4MM seems expensive for depth, no?
I guess, given the contract is expiring, having the Preds retain wouldn’t be out of the question but that’s increasing the acquisition cost for a depth piece.
It’s more an exercise of trying to find quality defence on value contracts moving forward, especially on the right side. I’d like to see more well-rounded players on the back end, 2-way types. Hence my question about Fabbro.
The majority of the D core seem too one-dimensional for my liking and adding a different complexion might benefit the group. Plus, quality RHD are notoriously tough to find, so if an under-the-radar acquisition is available, it’s worth a look.
I believe Holland will find his defensive depth is on the farm. No need to expend the 2023 3rd rounder on someone who won’t move the needle. We have the forwards, just need cohesiveness, teamwork and toughness.
Agreed. It’s hard to produce cohesiveness, teamwork, and toughness, so we tend to want splashy solutions like trades. But trades are usually overpays, and don’t usually make a big difference. The Oilers have lacked cohesiveness, teamwork, and toughness for most of the last 15 years, but they did put it together the last half of last year.
HH posted this yesterday, but it’s got the clearest and most thorough scouting report on Chychrun I’ve seen, including strengths and weaknesses. It’s worth a read for anyone who’s curious about the player.
I can’t vouch for the validity of Seravalli’s take, but I assume he’s getting most of his info from scouts/managers. Presumably he would also be impartial as relates to Chychrun and the Oilers.
Like I said, worth a read, and I feel like I understand the player better than I did before.
https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/buy-or-beware-assessing-jakob-chychruns-trade-value
Did anyone want to offer insight on the down votes?
-It isn’t an accurate scouting report?
-Seravalli isn’t impartial?
If it’s just me then no worries, but if there’s anything constructive that should be added to the Chychrun discussion I’d love to know.
It’s quite the phenomena around here, I get them all the time too. LOL
Likely related to the first 2 letters in your comment. That seems to be an autodownvote from some here.
“Don’t take refuge in the false security of consensus.”
You mentioned HH. That’ll do it every time. 😉
I tend to agree with Frank. Chych isn’t really a stylistic fit, although I am far from the Edmundson camp, I think Bronis already a better NHL D than Mr E
Having better players makes the team better, but I’m not sure Mr C pushes them over unless playoffs look different this year than normally and is more open, but I doubt that
Bro
Don’t know who Bronis is
Wrong sport 😀
The playoffs is a battle, you need players you’d be comfortable going to war with. Mr. E has been there. Mr. C has never been to war. It will be an eye opener for Bronis, hope he doesn’t get broken.
Broberg has played in the playoffs.
Doesn’t seem like physical hockey has been a cause of injury for him.
Yeah, he would make the team better for sure (save injury). That should apply to the playoffs too, it doesn’t sound like he’s a shrinking violet at all.
The biggest issues with a trade are asset cost and injury risk, for someone who likely isn’t quite the perfect fit.
I feel like those assets would maybe be more valuable to the team over the next 2.5 years than Chychrun would, though it’s obviously a guess either way and depends on a lot of factors.
Great read – thanks for reposting.
Frank has laid out my case far better than I’ve been able to, unsurprisingly.
Hard no from me. Especially when Armstrong is asking for a Pronger-like return. There are better players to target with those assets.
Pretty sure suspect defender is going a bit far, though the article provides a lot more nuance as to why the defensive side isn’t noted as a strength.
I think it’s clear he’d be a significant add to the team, even if his strengths aren’t a perfect complement.
The biggest issues for me are asset cost and injury risk (with ‘fit’, relative shortcomings and AAV as lesser concerns but still concerns).
More generally, if you believe Seravalli’s, it’s a lot easier to understand why no teams have been willing to take the plunge yet.
Appreciate the balanced post, as always.
This is a player I’ve long been aware of and have often tried to sift out the good player on a bad team angle, because it’s an important factor.
Going off Frank’s take (Power Play Specialist, Middle Pair), it would seem acquiring JC would equate to someone who would be run out of town in short order.
It seems like people in general expect that Jakob could shelter Nurse from elite competition/reduce his TOI. Nothing from the above suggests that. Furthermore, I could see the local fan base castigating this player for such defensive flaws and running him out of town (a Jultzing, if you will), essentially resulting in a loss of assets and development time.
When I assess a trade for JC, it tends to be through this lens:
Is the reported ask worth the gain?
That’s basically the Pronger cost, for… Klefbom-ish. I’m certain we could do better.
Yes, expectations from a lot of people do seem extremely high. He’s obviously a good player. And I don’t think he’s a bad defender either, though it seems clear he does have warts.
Agree the cost is the biggest issue.
The Pronger like return is very well thought
If you’re going to do that, go after an even better D or stud kid on a lower team, and get the deal done
The kid who stood Connor up twice in a game is what I’m talking about. If it takes 3 assets, a first a second and a prospect, for the Oilers it’s worth it
They’ll spend more looking for him in the draft
Or maybe Hedman and Gudas
Woot woot!
That trade for Kostin is looking very good.
Also, he seems to be a “nice guy” but on the ice kind of a prick.
A perfect fit!
Speaking Kostin, Sammy was recalled earlier this week and might be in the line up vs the fLames tonight.
FYI, he will wear #37, which was Klim’s number.
All the best to him!
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/blues-notebook-samorukov-is-the-latest-thunderbird-to-join-nhl-squad/article_79efa447-f68a-5c59-a235-3f5ec307d457.html
While on one hand the trade can be described as one where both players might have needed a change of scenery (the proverbial second opinion), on the other hand, it could also have been driven by the teams’ needs. Samorukov was down on the Oilers LD depth chart and Kostin was likewise on the Blues depth chart.
Kostin certainly was in tough to crack St. Louis’ top 9, since last season they had nine 20 goals scorers up front and only Peron moved on for this season. I don’t think it is a big stretch to say that Kostin doesn’t appear suited to a 4th line role, but more like the one he is now filling in Edmonton as a 3rd line scoring threat and maybe part time fill in further up the line up. The Oilers needed more wingers on the roster who can score and play physical.
By the end of training camp though, St. Louis needed left D depth with Scandella and Perunovich, who both would have likely been in the St. Louis opening day line up, went on LTIR, for hip and shoulder surgery respectively, and, if lucky, they would be back by the playoffs. St. Louis traded for Samorukov only a few days after Perunovich’s surgery.
If Samorukov does play tonight, he will be the 10th defenseman to suit up for St. Louis in the regular season, (Krug, Leddy and Bortuzzo are also injured now -bringing the total to 4 or 5 regular D out of the line up).
Finally, opportunity may be knocking for Samorukov. Maybe this time he will be ready to take advantage of it.
I still find it surprising that he wound up in St. Louis, the site of his baptism by fire last December. If there is one team in the league who has seen him bad, it’s the Blues.
That said, I wish him well.
Sammy a no go tonight ☹️
Congratulations to Desharnais. For a moment I got Samorukov vibes with the early penalty but on replay he basically took off his head. Iron Mike would’ve played him the rest of the game.
If he brings the nasty he needs to and doesn’t get walked, he could be a fan favourite very quickly. Very much the blue collar story and Canadian, which I think would give him a fan love edge on Nemo. Not that that matters, but everyone in this town knows the more players who make life miserable in front the better.
If there’s a PK role he can earn doing the dirty work (I say give him a shot immediately, it can’t possibly get any worse), he’ll be around for the good times.
You’re a role model just for making it Vince, now keep proving us (and myself) wrong.
There’s a twin tower development happening in Edmonton.
I loved the McDavid stick twirl after he scored that magical backhand goal. I think he did it before the goal light went on and it was very quick and subtle. All the replays didn’t show it as there was bodies in the way of the camera. Jaw set… check!
“there’s something in every shift.”
Should be posted in big block letters on the dressing room wall.
Jesse had a good game. maybe he turns into a duck.
Possibly. I see him turning eventually into a hurricane.
Well, he could even get a blue Jacket or even become a coyote.
The Hurricanes are the best fit for him.
Prospectrov!
That’s right, the spotlight shines solely on the Russian who doth play in North Bay. He sits 2nd in team scoring, one off the lead with 13-37-50 in 37 games. Can he regain the team lead tonight? The answer to these and other questions will be determined when the puck drops at 5 p.m. Burtonsville time.
They definitely were experimenting with defense pairings last night. I’m sure they have a ton of data to sort out. Desharnais fits like a glove, I particularly liked his pairing with Nurse. Broberg & Bouchard are nearing top pair status, which can only mean less ice for Nurse. Looks like Kulak-Barrie & Niemelianen-Ceci can battle for third and fourth pairs. Or they can just continue to blend each pair as they wish. We may actually see some facsimile of a solid defensive unit yet.
On another note, before Kane returns, they will obviously need to clear up some cap space. After that, I believe the team will be in a very good space indeed.
Vincent looked good could he be our shutdown D that breaks the cycle? Does Vincent have any nasty in his game?
Why yes, yes he does
Were you watching? That penalty wasn’t just because he’s tall.
If Klim scores 20 what does his next contract look like? Does Janmark get another 1-2 year deal? I could see all of Derek Ryan,Yamo, JP, Foegele and Shore all being replaced. Does Bourgault make the jump next year?
I think they keep at least one of Yamamoto or Foegele simply because they are locked in for another year, and you can’t get rid of everyone. JP is gone for sure, Shore really doesn’t matter either way and Ryan may be aging out. He would have to take something around league minimum to stay.
I think Kostin will be in the $1.2MM range.
Don’t imagine the Ryan or Shore will be back.
Unless something pops, Bourgault isn’t close.
Based on how Chaulk is handing out minutes in BAK there’s next to no chance Borgault makes the roster in EDM next year. A cup of coffee, maybe.
The real prospect forwards have all received greater minutes, with better players, and in higher leverage situations over the last month. Bourgault has NOT taken advantage – it seems he’s hit the wall.
“Last night looked like Jay Woodcroft the innovator returned.” – LT
I agree wholeheartedly. Let’s hope this version of Woodcroft stays for awhile. Is this what positive coach regression looks like?
Let’s go streaking!
Last night looked like lottery team getting below replacement level goaltending vs playoff team getting around league average goaltending.
i thought Anaheim’s goaltenders kept the score moderately respectable, especially in the last 40 minutes when the Oilers fired 36 shots (18 Grade A shots by our count at CoH) & scored just 2 goals. The skaters sure had a rough night, though.
Stolarz was terrific for the Ducks.
No kidding the save on Bouchard plus a couple of breakaway saves then there was Klim with 2-3 excellent looks. If that’s below level Goaltending then my Uncle is really my Aunt.
What goalie recorded the loss again?
Gibson 6 GA 0.838
Yes stolarz did well. Just like last game that we lost against them thst we really shouldn’t have.
That seems like an odd comment – the Oilers probably “deserved” 3 goals in the third period – Stolarz was elite in his 20.
Roll 4 lines get everyone involved, place more responsibility on players not named Leon and Connor. Get Campbell rolling, I believe if we make a run with the team peaking Playoff time that Campbell is the key and answer.
Fun game. Lots of success in different areas(effective lines, goals from everywhere, goalie confidence, defence effective, ect…) but all with the caveat that it’s against the ducks.
It was a great game to try different things and the mostly worked out. Hopefully we see this lineup style(11-7, three centres separated)continue as I think it can be our best chance at synergy. Connor rarely gets tired and can have the bulk of extra shifts. Leon and Connor can occasionally load up with McLeod doing spot duty at centre to pick up the slack.
McLeod had one shift with Hollywood and Yammo and it was dynamic, super fast and effective. They controlled the puck the entire shift and got off two great chances. I sure would like to see that line every time Connor and Leon load it up.
Don’t touch the Nuge, Janny, Klim line. They are clicking right now. Feeding off of each other’s strengths and getting results.
Feel bad for Foggy and Puljujarvi. They don’t mesh well but then they don’t mesh well with anyone, really. 7-8 mins a night should be their limit.
Watching The Bro and Bouch grow together is fun. They’re on the same page now and both are making each other better. They deserve more minutes and that can only make the other pairings better, Nurse/Ceci in particular. Use Nurse/Ceci for Dzone starts, The Bro/Bouch 50/50 and Barrie/Kuls ozone starts.
Vinny looked great! He’s not ready, yet, to be a regular but I think he can be a good 7th and learn on the job.
Soupy needs to ride this and find his game. Now would be the absolute perfect time . All past crappy performances would be forgiven if he and Stew battle it out for the rest of the season.
The Bro and Bouch pairing emerging would be an incredible development for this team, but I’m really excited for the Niemelainen-Desharnais pairing down the road. Sun? What sun?
That’s gotta be one of the tallest D pairing ever, eh? Might have something there if Niems ever learns how to handle the puck better. It’s still a grenade to him.
But it would sure be the definition of a “shut down” pair. Huge, ok wheels and can knock your block off.
Could the timing have come any better for Campbell to have Stuey rush off to be with his wife.
Only if it works! lol This is his chance to get in a few games in a row and a bonus that it’s against the lesser lights. He was good last night and looked the most confident I’ve seen since we got him. Next couple of games will tell the tale. I’m rooting for him cuz we need him.
Anaheim-San Jose is pretty much the weakest two opponents in a row. If there’s ever a time for Campbell to build up some confidence, it’s now.
I t thought I’d share the results of the informal poll that I posted on Sunday regarding players y’all were in favour (or not) of acquiring or trading away. I have listed the top and bottom 5 by percentage and by number.
In favour of acquiring by percentage & by number of responses:
1.Toews 68% 1. Toews
2.Lafferty 63.1% 2. Schenn
3.Schenn 56.5% 3. Chychryn
4.Chychryn 52.2% 4. No Trades
5.Karlsson 47% 5. Karlsson/Ekholm
Not in favour:
1.Kulikov 0% 1. Kulikov
2.Edmunson 0% 2. Edmunson
3.MacEwen 15.4% 3. Karlsson
4.Gavrikov 23.8% 4. MacEwen
5.P.Kane 23.8% 5. Kane/Gavrikov
In favour of trading away by percentage & by number:
1.2023 2nd Round Pick 81.3% 1. Puljujarvi
2.Puljujarvi 81% 2. 2023 1st & 2nd
3.2023 1st Round Pick 61.9% 3. 2024 1st/Bouchard
4.2024 1st Round Pick 60% 4. Niemo/Kulak
5.Niemelainen 52.9% 5. Yamamoto
Not in favour of trading away by percentage & by number:
1.Draisaitl 12.5% 1. Holloway
2.Holloway 19% 2. Broberg
3.Bourgault 21.1% 3. Bourgault
4.Ceci 21.4% 4. McLeod
5.McLeod 30% 5. Barrie
*Note: I didn’t include some players, like Foegele and Draisaitl was one of 2 write-ins and only received 1 vote (ROR was the other write-in).
If you are interested in doing another soon, please give a thumbs up.
i think i want Schenn or some experienced RHD this year . just a rental or even Gavrikov on LD just for insurance. Bro is gonna get better but his prime is a bit far away
I missed the poll… ironic Toews is the consensus choice. However, I don’t believe that the 2023 2nd pick and JP get it done. My previous post about acquisition cost here got some flack. What will it realistically take to get him with cap compliance?
I don’t see Toews or any player over $6 million being a realistic acquisition. Retention is a necessity and the prices are just too high. The cap has him in financial handcuffs and he is loathe to ship away many picks or prospects from what is a bare cupboard.
Holland is not a bold moves guy and therefore will be restricted to shopping in the bargain bins, IMO.
I see Lafferty, but all I want to know is: where is Brogan Rafferty?!
All it takes is a Brogan Rafferty and Bam! Stanley Cup.
Uncle Steve, what is the timeline for your nephew’s arrival?
1) Optimistic note:
Broberg played with Bouchard, Desharnais, and Barrie. xGFs of 88, 88, and 100.
Bouchard played with Broberg, Kulak, Nurse. xGFs of 88, 76, and 54.
Arrows way up! An excellent game and well-coached, though I’ve been quite critical of Woodcroft lately. Nice to see the elevation of Holloway, Bouchard, and Broberg. All three players were/are deserving of the push.
2) An area of concern:
Nurse-Ceci a 33% shot share in over 8 minutes of ice, xGF 40. Yes Nurse played well with Desharnais (4-0 in shots), but then was a bit middling (by the standards of the game, and by EB’s) with Bouchard (maybe worse than middling; shot share of 25!)
I guess maybe Nurse – Ceci were playing tougher minutes, but it was the Ducks. By my eye, Nurse had real difficulties moving the puck. Even in no-pressure situations, he was turning the puck over or dumping it to nowhere.
Someone posted NHL_Sid’s microstats yesterday (thank-you), which seemed to echo this.
My issue is — if that pairing can’t move the puck against Anaheim’s top players, what hope do they have against a true elite team?
This is Woodcroft’s next project IMO. What will he do? Back off on Nurse 5v5 and PK? Get him to around 20 minutes max?
I do like Nurse, however I also believe that Broberg and Bouchard are smarter players already.
I agree with increasing The Bro/Bouch minutes on merit. They are really good together, the last three in particular. Add a few minutes and decrease Nurse/Ceci. Maybe having a more energetic Nurse will improve his awareness. He doesn’t seem to get physically tired but sure looks mentally tired at times.
The problem with the Nurse/Ceci pairing isn’t Nurse, it’s Ceci. Seems like he especially has been struggling for awhile
Ducks are a team that wants Bedard, and they are playing like it.
the Ducks have 4 regulation wins in 42 games. That’s not Good.
It’s awful, but they have won 12 games if you include the OT/SO wins.
It’s super interesting if you look who those wins came against:
Kraken
Leafs
Rangers
Hurricanes
Oilers
Golden Knights
Stars
(also SJ 3x, Red Wings, Canadiens).
But they’ve beat good teams more than bad teams for whatever reason.
Funny how facts can change a narrative.
It would appear we’re not the only team guilty of playing down to the opposition.
Yes, I think that’s clear.
The Ducks also shut out and beat the top team in the conference 2-0 a week ago.
Full credit to the Oilers.
Hands up all those who are worried they might lay an egg against the sharks.
I think that’s everyone, if everyone has been paying attention to this team.
Sharks are better than the ducks, but not by much.
The Schedule softens up and you will see a bunch of bottom feeders. And those teams will all sell off in the next 6 weeks, making them even worse for March / April.
Good on Edmonton for smoking the Ducks. But that is exactly what should happen. Well done boyz !
They should handle the Sharks too. Only difference with the Sharks and Ducks, is that San Jose can score a bit. But they can’t defend. Look for 6 more from the Oilers 🙂
This is definitely the case and the Oilers need to take care of business tomorrow and then show that they can keep it going against Vegas on Saturday. Do that and maybe some fans will start believing again lol
Yup. My heart wants to believe, but until they string together a few good games I’m going to remain skeptical. That said, very happy for Desharnais. His is a great story.
The thing about Desharnais is that he is tenacious mentally. When I saw him play in the AHL in his first 2 years I did not see an AHL player and I thought that he would be another Ben Betker or Martin Gernat, minus the good skating ability. Man did he ever prove me wrong!
The cool thing about Vinny is all the layers to his story, from having to learn English and paying his own tuition his first 2 years at Providence.
This is a guy I have been cheering like hell for for a long time and he has overcome so many odds. If you underestimate him, do so at your peril, lol.
Vital game tomorrow.
Saturday is the definition of scheduled loss: 3rd game in 4 nights on the road, 2nd of back to backs, lose an hour from the night before.
Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to winning that game but I think we are going to need a goalie performance in that regard.
I know Stu is scheduled to be in Vegas – not sure if everything is going according to schedule though – hope so (for many reasons).