Game 44 2022-23: Oilers at Sharks

I don’t believe the Oilers should make a big trade at the deadline, the organization’s strengths do not match up with ‘rental for reasonable return’ exchanges. Put another way, Edmonton pays in full and then some. If I was inclined to suggest a big deal, the San Jose Sharks would be the ideal partner for trade.

THE ATHLETIC!

• New Lowetide: Oilers should consider obscure options as reinforcements
• 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

I love the Seals jerseys worn by San Jose at times this season, have had fun thinking about the number I would choose if I was a collector of jerseys (I am not). It’ll be interesting to see if the Oilers come out and establish their presence with authority again tonight (17-8 shots, 4-1 goals versus Anaheim Wednesday night). The Oilers spent last night watching the out of town scoreboard, with the Seattle Kraken, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets all posting two points. The Kraken beat Boston, as rare as anything in the NHL this season. It is so very hard to catch up in the Bettman league.

JANMARK, RYAN AND HOLY FORK

I don’t do this often because sample size, but it’s always fun to see how well Oilers players perform away from birthday man Connor McDavid. It’s a cruel exercise for most, but sometimes you get a pleasant surprise. Here they are, pts-60 five-on-five and minutes away from 97.

1. Evander Kane 3.18 (132 minutes)
2. Klim Kostin 2.56 (234 minutes)
3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 2.10 (427 minutes)
4. Leon Draisaitl 1.81 (366 minutes)
5. Kailer Yamamoto 1.70 (318 minutes)
6. Derek Ryan 1.55 (349 minutes)
7. Ryan McLeod 1.44 (334 minutes)
8. Mattias Janmark 1.44 (344 minutes)
9. Warren Foegele 1.14 (316 minutes)
10. Jesse Puljujarvi 1.08 (333 minutes)
11. Zach Hyman 1.02 (236 minutes)
12. Dylan Holloway 0.81 (296 minutes)

Surprises among the high cap forwards include RNH (oh my!) and Zach Hyman (what’s happening there?) with a few interesting items in between. Klim Kostin leads the bargain contracts, I think Ryan McLeod deserves a mention. Among pure checkers, Derek Ryan and Mattias Janmark rock the casbah. These are much better numbers than in most years. Here’s the defensemen with minutes away from McDavid and goal share away from the captain.

1. Markus Niemelainen 57.1 pct (159 minutes)
2. Philip Broberg 54.6 pct (142 minutes)
3. Darnell Nurse 51.2 pct (512 minutes)
4. Tyson Barrie 50.0 pct (442 minutes)
5. Evan Bouchard 45.2 pct (452 minutes)
6. Cody Ceci 44.8 pct (437 minutes)
7. Brett Kulak 42.9 pct (441 minutes)
8. Ryan Murray 36.4 pct (119 minutes)

The two rookies play depth minutes, so their performance away from McDavid, while impressive, is also traditional based on qual comp. Darnell Nurse is the most impressive number, playing difficult minutes sans 97 and over 50 percent. Nurse and Tyson Barrie are performing well enough to be considered quality. The other men who play top-four minutes are less impressive, Brett Kulak bringing up the rear.

AHL ROOKIES AT 20 (FORWARDS)

The Condors play tonight and with our new attention on prospects and development (until further notice) I thought it might be an idea to re-run AHL totals at 20, including the three current rookies.

1. Tyler Benson (18-19 Bakersfield Condors) 68gp, 15-51-66 .97 Benson was an exceptional rookie, aided by fellow rookie (21 years old) Cooper Marody. The stated reason for keeping him on the farm was to have a full and healthy season, but we’re several years on and Benson isn’t an NHL player. His passing ability alone makes him a candidate for (very) late blooming.
2. Rob Schremp (06-07 SWB Penguins) 69gp, 17-36-53 .768ppg Schremp had a tough first year pro, getting benched a few times and was a healthy scratch a few times too. His coach did have some nice things to say about him and Oilers fans were certain he would be a star. Reminder No. 1,000 actual skill players don’t spend 69 games in the AHL age 20.
3. Jarret Stoll (02-03 Hamilton Bulldogs) 76gp, 21-33-54 .711ppg Stoll had a big shot and often played the point, but he also had two-way skills and a fair complete game. He was traded at 25. One of the best NHL careers in the group of men who played for Edmonton’s AHL farm teams age 20.
4. Marc Pouliot (05-06 Hamilton Bulldogs) 65gp, 15-30-45 .692ppg Pouliot played on a shared team (like Stoll) and put up excellent results. Injuries impacted his career progress and he would finish with fewer than 200 NHL games.
5. Jean Francois Jacques (05-06 Hamilton Bulldogs) 65gp, 24-20-44 .677ppg Jacques had a helluva pro debut and his size and speed made him a promising prospect. He lost a lot of momentum due to back injuries and may have lacked ‘hockey sense’. Most famous for a stunning scoreless streak as an NHL rookie.
6. Kailer Yamamoto (18-19 Bakersfield Condors) 27gp, 10-8-18 .67 ppg Yamamoto is one of my favourite players from this era. He bombed along in the AHL, turning over pucks and creating chances for linemates. He emerged as a legit NHL player and posted a 20-goal season in 2021-22.
7. Dylan Holloway (21-22 Bakersfield Condors) 33gp, 8-14-22 .67ppg His scoring rates in the AHL as a rookie may have been suppressed by two offseason surgeries on his hand. Holloway is a dynamic player, I think he may post superior numbers to most on this list once he makes the NHL.
8. Teemu Hartikainen (10-11 Oklahoma City Barons) 66gp, 17-25-42 .636ppg The big Finn was a pure delight and the first 20-year old AHL forward in a couple of years to show up on the radar. He was a little shy on speed but I loved his hands and spirit.
9. Kyle Brodziak (04-05 Edmonton Roadrunners) 56gp, 6-26-32 .571. Brodziak has a nice combination of size and skill. His AHL debut at 20 came on a very poor offensive team. He improved during his entry deal, finally emerging as a legit NHL player about the time Edmonton traded him.
10. Jani Rita (01-02 Hamilton Bulldogs) 76gp, 25-17-42 .553ppg I thought Jani Rita would make it, swear to God. I remember at WJC goal he scored (it was real, and it was spectacular) and also saw a few AHL games in which he always looked like he was having an impact (plus he could score goals, 63 in 204 AHL games).
11. Slava Trukhno (07-08 Springfield Falcons) 64GP, 14-21-35 .547ppg. I loved his passing, Trukhno could really find the lane. He had a nice debut but was a bit of wide body skater and I don’t think Edmonton had a tremendous need for a slower skill LW at the time.
12. Raphael Lavoie (20-21 Bakersfield Condors) 19gp, 5-5-10 .53 ppg. Disappointing numbers for a player who has the best shot in the group since Jarret Stoll. Still matriculating, and there is some hope, but the competition in Bakersfield is fierce.
13. Bogdan Yakimov (14-15 Oklahoma City Barons) 57gp, 12-16-28 .491 ppg Big man with some skill, foot speed was the concern and he didn’t play long in the Oilers system.
14. Marco Roy (15-16 Bakersfield Condors) 48gp, 8-12-20 .480 ppg Roy didn’t get an NHL deal from the Oilers, but outplayed the forwards who did get one. A true curio, he was a two-way center and a second-round pick.
15. Xavier Bourgault (22-23 Bakersfield Condors) 32gp, 8-7-15 .47 ppg. The numbers remain disappointing but the visual is encouraging. He’s constantly around the puck and making astute plays. My guess is that Bourgault lands around Yamamoto-Holloway levels by the end of the year.
16. Josh Winquist (14-15 Oklahoma City Barons) 46gp, 8-11-19 .413ppg. Impressive offense from a player who didn’t get much of a push (or an NHL contract).
17. Ryan McLeod (19-20 Bakersfield Condors) 56gp, 5-18-23 .41ppg McLeod’s speed was the big selling point early, but he’s developed into a legit NHL player. As this ranking shows, the offensive side is the concern.
18. Phil Cornet (10-11 Oklahoma City Barons) 60gp, 7-16-23 .383ppg. He looked like a tweener from the start, and his AHL debut showed he was shy offensively.
19. Tyler Pitlick (11-12 Oklahoma City Barons) 62gp, 7-16-23 .371ppg. He scored pretty well in his WHL season, at many of the goals at even strength. The Oilers slow played his AHL rookie year and he got hurt too, those injuries impacting his pro career.
20. Greg Chase (15-16 Bakersfield Condors) 19gp, 1-6-7 .37 Chase had impressive junior numbers and there was some buzz about him. The AHL totals age 20 suggested an NHL career wasn’t imminent.
21. Kyle Platzer (15-16 Bakersfield Condors) 48gp, 6-11-17 .35ppg Platzer had a nice range of skills and some impressive junior numbers. Offense wasn’t enough to get him a feature role in the AHL.
22. Ryan Martindale (12-13 Oklahoma City Barons). 41gp, 6-8-14 .341 He showed well in a couple training camps, you could see the size being an advantage and he could pass the puck. He didn’t deliver enough offense in the minors.
23. Tyler Tullio (22-23 Bakersfield Condors) 27gp, 4-4-8 .30 ppg Tullio’s skills give him some advantage over the pure skill kids. He can play multiple roles and that means playing time. I’m looking forward to seeing his splits between first and second half this season. More than any true prospect on the current roster, his playing time has been negatively impacted by veteran Condors forwards.
24. Carter Savoie (22-23 Bakersfield Condors) 24gp, 4-3-7 .29ppg He is playing more now, and has shown that impressive shot a few times. The Condors have had lots of injuries, but the AHL veterans get plenty of playing time. I think the staff is having a difficult time incorporating three young rookies into the lineup, which is a shame. They’re all worthy.
25. Curtis Hamilton (11-12 Oklahoma City Barons). 41gp, 5-6-11 .268ppg. A wildly disappointing pro debut based on his final junior season, Hamilton never did get untracked during his entry level deal. Improved in year four and made it to the NHL but more was expected.
26. Kirill Maksimov (19-20 Bakersfield Condors). 53gp, 5-8-13 .25 ppg. Maksimov had some strong support coming out of junior, but only two forwards from this group who scored at similar (or lower) levels were enforcer types.
27. Jujhar Khaira (14-15 Oklahoma City Barons) 51gp, 4-6-10 .196ppg. He has enjoyed one of the most productive careers on this list. Offense always a problem, Khaira was an effective checker and brought and edge to every shift.
28. Travis Ewanyk (13-14 Oklahoma City Barons) 68gp, 7-5-12 .176ppg. Ewanyk had a lot of nice things but the offense in junior foretold his pro future.
29. Zack Stortini (05-06 Iowa/Milwaukee) 64gp, 2-8-10 .156ppg Low event offensive player. Got all he could out of his career and should be remembered as a guy MacT played over many more talented kids.
30. Mitch Moroz (14-15 Oklahoma City Barons) 66gp, 5-4-9 .136ppg. Big man came off injury at the end of the Memorial Cup and then had some issues in the AHL, among them ice time. His offensive game was never going to be enough for an NHL career.
31. Kale Kessy (13-14 Oklahoma City Barons) 54gp, 2-4-6 .111ppg Enforcer who didn’t move the needle offensively.