Close to the edge, just by a river, seasons will pass you by. Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse are underway for season nine in the NHL. Both men skate well enough to last another decade and then some. I’ve always said winning one Stanley in the McDavid era would be an accomplishment, but many thought there were five more on the day 97 was drafted. The world is turning as it should, the roundabouts and years of shoot high, aim low brought us here. One hundred years from now, none of it matters. Still, it would be nice to see Stanley again. I’ve seen all good people circle to the sky and back again. Perhaps a dream comes true in the days to come.
Raphael Lavoie will be lost to waivers because Brandon Sutter can skate against ne’er do wells! I think that’s a stretch. Lavoie showed well in his first pre-season game and will absolutely get more chances.
The team wants him to change his style!!!! He already has. I’ve talked about this endlessly. When Lavoie arrived in the AHL, he didn’t move his feet, use his size, looked slow and showed up only as a shooter. In the last two seasons the feet have been moving and he’s involved in the play far more. In the middle of an exceptional run last year, he started pushing people out of the way and using his size effectively.
So what? So, he did that the other night. Power move to the net, wrecked some guy and sent the puck to a good place. Lavoie is a legit NHL prospect who is NHL-ready or close.
Tell Jay Woodcroft to tell that to Jay Woodcroft’s face. Woodcroft last saw Lavoie play in live action on February 5, 2022. Now he’s seen him show well in a preseason road game. There’s miles to go.
Yeah, big whoop. He’s gone. We do this every year. We look at the roster spots, we put players in their slots and then fret over the quality. What we forget, annually, is that stuff happens.
Like what? Like injury. Would you swear on a stack of bibles that Connor Brown, Evander Kane, others, will be completely healthy all season?
No, but that doesn’t help Lavoie. Yes it does. The Oilers aren’t overrun with skill wingers.
The Oilers don’t think of Lavoie as a skill winger! The Oilers aren’t a bag of dummies you know. The reason you have training camp is to see where these kids are.
Where does he rank among skill wingers? From the top, we have Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, RNH, Connor Brown, Warren Foegele.
What about Dylan Holloway? What about Dylan Holloway?
He’s a skill winger. You’re such an ass. Holloway is a winger with skill, but we are best to place him as a third-line contributor at this time. I am projecting him to score eight goals and 25 points this coming season. I know the Oilers hope he’ll be a skill winger, Tyler Wright certainly projected him to be a skill winger, but we can’t say he is with authority.
He’s more skilled than Lavoie!! Both are unproven in the NHL, and have proven themselves in the AHL. We can say that with authority.
Connor Brown will play 82 games. Then you have nothing to worry about this season.
Dylan Holloway got great linemates a year ago in preseason. Yes he did. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman were his most common linemates five-on-five. He also scored twice while playing on a line with Jake Virtanen.
The Oilers don’t like Lavoie. The Oilers don’t want too many inexperienced hands on the roster at the start of the season. Management knows eventually some of these kids will need to play due to injury, but keeping the experience level high opening night makes sense.
Now you’re one of them. You can frame it as you wish, Edmonton is going to carry significant youth.
Like? Holloway, Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, Stuart Skinner and maybe Lavoie. That’s a lot for a Stanley Cup contender.
Could Lavoie clear waivers? He could. However, he showed enough in the first pre-season game to suggest some success in the coming games. If he pots a couple of goals, hits some guys, performs more power moves, it’ll be difficult to get him through.
So they’ll keep him? That’s my bet. Brandon Davidson was about to go on waivers in 2015, and the Oilers pulled him back. Something happened. A tip? That’s my thought process on the matter.
Today on Sports 1440, we’ll talk Oilers with Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal. Jackie Ray will join us to talk about some exciting changes at Sports 1440, and we’re lining up my favourite Blue Jays guest (Kaitlyn McGrath) and that hopefully lands today. We’ll also look at the waiver wire. You can leave comments here, @Lowetide on twitter or text us 1.833.401.1440 directly.
If there are a bunch of Oilers fans in your draft he probably gets over drafted. 😛
If he stays healthy 60 points seems like the absolute floor though.
Hopefully he gets a few more calls in the regular season. That trip on him resulting in a 3 on 1 with no call was bananas.
Victoria Oil
September 27, 2023 9:42 pm
Not sure I remember the last time McDavid didn’t start OT. He only needed 5 or 6 seconds to score once he jumped on the ice.
On a separate note, I thought Desmith was pretty solid for the Nucks. Not sure why the Habs traded him (career .912 save percentage) instead of Allen (.909) or Montembeault (.896).
Mayan Oil
September 27, 2023 9:42 pm
Love this site and the commenters as always. Is it possible to get a couple of hotlinks to the Oilers schedule/CapFriendly/stats summaries or other helpful resources on the page? Would be sooo convenient when commenting! Perhaps just before the comments section or on a sidebar? Anyone else like to see that, or is it just me…
GB&Q
September 27, 2023 9:34 pm
Connor McDavid. Still good at the hockeys.
Mayan Oil
September 27, 2023 9:33 pm
Wow. McDavid doing McDavid things…
cowboy bill
September 27, 2023 9:33 pm
YEA !! CONNOR.
OriginalPouzar
September 27, 2023 9:32 pm
Bouchard to McDavid – they should play together, in all game states.
What a pass!
Prairie_Sentinel
September 27, 2023 9:32 pm
In Connor we trust
cowboy bill
September 27, 2023 9:31 pm
I thought they would get better as the game went on. But they just seem disinterested.
OriginalPouzar
September 27, 2023 9:25 pm
Hoping to see Carter Savoie play on Friday.
Mayan Oil
September 27, 2023 9:24 pm
To my copper jaundiced eye, while things are not as crisp yet as we expect, I am seeing a much improved possession game. Particularly in our end, where we seem to be limiting rebounds and chances better than the first half of last season. A promising sign?
1-1 (1-1 in the second)
19-11 shots Edmonton (9-8 in the second Edmonton)
29-22 Corsi events five-on-five Edmonton (15-13 in the second)
==
I’m liking Stuart Skinner, Connor Brown, Warren Foegele, 97, and the Leon-Nuge bullet train.
fishman
September 27, 2023 8:35 pm
Oilers getting lots of PK time tonight????
Tarkus
September 27, 2023 8:34 pm
Nurse already in midseason form with the pointless icing.
cowboy bill
September 27, 2023 8:25 pm
I love it when the Nuge scores.
OriginalPouzar
September 27, 2023 8:19 pm
I know, I know, its just exhibition season, and the first exhibition game for many of these players but after all that talk by Drai about playing smarter and more mature and not beating themselves, half way through his first game he takes the same silly away from the play stick penalties that he was taking in the playoffs.
I thought there was supposed to be this focus early – that’s why they’ve been skating for like a month?
No I agree. Practice habits lead to in game habits. Regular season habits lead to playoff habits.
There’s that old saw about a young player being surprised at how seriously Franz Beckenbauer was taking a throw-in drill in practice and Beckenbauer was like “look I want to be as close to perfection in every element of the game”.
It is ridiculous the narrow mindedness of the decision makers at the networks catering to what they think is the larger broadcast market. In reality the Edmonton Oilers regional broadcasts have the 3rd highest ratings in the entire NHL behind only the Leafs and the Canadiens.
Maybe the feel the need to appease the fickle Vancouver fans, while loyal Oilers fans will watch their team no matter who calls the game.
The Canucks regional broadcast contract includes all exhibition games being televised – this was a Canucks produced broadcast. Its not about choosing announcers, its about contractual rights.
The Oilers don’t have their exhibition games in their contract with SN.
One interesting topic that I was contemplating yesterday… I like discussing these sorts of things, but your mileage may vary.
The coaches like to double shift McDavid and Draisaitl. More opportunities and ice time for these players, to a point, intuitively should be a good thing, basically a no-brainer, right?
What if it isn’t?
What if playing McDavid double shifted with bottom sixers on his wing, ostensibly to get him more minutes is actually, well, wasting McDavid’s ictetime?
Sample sizes are a problem here…
We know playing McDavid, last season, with Nuge or Draisaitl is going to win those minutes.
But there were a lot of minutes McDavid played with lesser lights where the goal share was lost (Puljujarvi, injured Kane, Kostin.
I have no conclusive answer here, just a question.
Do you actually get value playing 97 with lesser lights (who are poor shooters and can’t take/make a pass) or would you be better off only playing him with good forwards and flattening the opposition while he’s on the ice?
Serious deep contenders should conserve talent for when it counts which also engages the entire roster. They want that and coaches should coach the group up through the season so they are fully engaged in playoffs
Sometimes it seems coaches get too cute for school. Tall foreheads as LT says
Thank goodness Jackson sees it. Although there is a balance with sports science. It should be to reduce poor practices but not micro manage players
Chico21
September 27, 2023 2:24 pm
Does anyone know if the game tonight is on the canucks YouTube?
Also named Captain. Tough timing with the Snow announcement.
Bank Shot
September 27, 2023 1:21 pm
Anyone sign up the coaching forum to see Gulutzan’s presentation on D-zone coverage?
I know there have been calls for the Oilers to abandon man defence and switch to zone.
Glen Gulutzan claimed the Oilers were playing a hybrid system. Zone for the wingers and man v man down low.
He also made the claim that neither man v man or zone were inherently better systems than the other and that it really comes down to execution of the system.
Personally I don’t think the Oilers need to make any systemic changes. Last year they were top ten in most defensive metrics throughout the regular season. I think it mostly comes down to getting the saves.
True. Still the system has to suit the roster. At some point the coaches suggesting or saying it’s on execution points back at them
They have played better each year but don’t get over making key mistakes especially at key times. Drai addressed it. All teams and players make mistakes, to me it seems the Oilers are still prone to doozies, regularly
That is the difference in the teams that get farther. Luck is a part but reducing its effect is the thing by playing at a high level consistently
The clean looks in the high percentage scoring areas and open players the Oilers give up is a big part of the goalie’s struggles. There are different ways to protect the house, we don’t see that at a high level yet to me consistently. If it is in fact the players, it’s on the GM to fix that. Or no cups
Do you think man v man doesn’t suit the Oilers? They have a good skating team, and I would argue their offensive skills collectively are better than their D-skills. Theoretically man v man means they spend less time defending and more time with the puck.
I agree Oilers definitely could shore things up defensively. That and goaltending are the main weaknesses. I think their defence was better than their goaltending last year though.
I mean last year Campbell and Skinner played behind the same system with the same players but Skinner gave up 0.6 less goals per game. Goaltending is massive in how good the defence looks.
I mean the 16/17 Oilers finished 9th in goals against. Best result this decade. I don’t think they were close to as good as the 22/23 Oilers but Talbot was playing like a top ten goaler that year.
I think Brown is a good add for improving the players. Ottawa fans rave about his defence.
The D-men will chase somewhat because they are playing man on man.
I guess its up to wingers to drop back to protect the net front zone if it gets vacated.
Defencemen leaving the front of the net is a radical departure from what we all learned playing minor hockey, but it isn’t necessarily a fundamental mistake.
I always used to hear a lot of complaints about goalies always dropping to their knees as well. Turns out its more effective.
Never move the puck into the middle in your own end. Well it can be very beneficial at times.
Cherry always used to rail about D-men getting their sticks in lanes. Turns out getting sticks in lanes is better than not.
It’s pretty crazy how little attention hockey systems get from the media. Gulutzan started off his presentation talking about Dice coverage, and I’m not sure if I have ever heard the term before, but Gulutzan talks about it so casually that its probably a widely used term in NHL coaching circles.
I’m speaking specifically about the instances where Oilers defencemen chase from the corner, up the wall and then across the ice. It’s an absolutely moronic coverage moment that results in GAs all year.
Gulutzan’s comment suggests that isn’t the system…but observing the play it very clearly is part of the system. So I’m wondering what gives.
Wingers are not skilled nor trained from youth in protecting the front of the net. If that’s part of the system you’re going to attempt, you’d better have 8 Jere Lethinen types. And even he didn’t make his money there.
I’m consistently disappointed that we’re not having reporters and commentators look into what actually goes on on the ice. Systems. Deployment choices. All kinds of things. There should be at least a small group who’s on about this…but it’s exceedingly rare in any kind of detail.
Right now we’re getting “zone vs man”…which isn’t really the needed discussion at all.
What was evident the other night was that they are indeed trying something new. I need to see it a few more times to lock in on exactly what it is.
“Wingers are not skilled nor trained from youth in protecting the front of the net. If that’s part of the system you’re going to attempt, you’d better have 8 Jere Lethinen types”
I guess the rebuttal to that is that Defencemen are not skilled nor trained in scoring goals, and if a winger is in front of the net in a man on man system, he’s only there because he’s marking a defenceman.
Per Jay Woodcroft, the ideal 12th forward is a C (which he hinted should give Sutter the edge). However, he was clear that the Oilers are going to carry the best 12 forwards. He said Derek Ryan will see preseason time at C (which would allow Lavoie or Erne to get the last spot).
OriginalPouzar
September 27, 2023 11:35 am
Apologies if this was posted but on a quick look I haven’t seen it:
Could Lavoie clear waivers? He could. However, he showed enough in the first pre-season game to suggest some success in the coming games. If he pots a couple of goals, hits some guys, performs more power moves, it’ll be difficult to get him through.
If he plays as suggested, and I think he can and hope he does, then he won’t be subject to waivers and they’ll keep them on team.
I mean, they will keep him on the team, right?
If he performs like that and they keep Brandon Sutter on some fantastical hope that the player from 6 years ago (not 3 years ago) will show up, well……
If Lavoie doesn’t play as suggested then he’s likely waived on merit and that player, well, he very well could slide right through waivers like most 23 year olds that can’t make their drafted team’s NHL roster and have never made it.
They’ve been planting the seed all Summer. Yesterday Gregor mentioned 25% chance Lavoie gets picked up on waivers. Lavoie is not making it by the Habs, Staios, Guerin,Grier and 6 other G.M’s.
Harpers Hair
September 27, 2023 11:21 am
Flames AGM Chris Snow who suffers from ALS now unresponsive after cardiac arrest last night.
Yes…he was originally given less than a year to live but managed four.
Saw a photo of him mowing his lawn a couple of weeks ago.
One hell of a fighter.
I know HH rubs a few folks the wrong way, but I don’t think down voting a post where he calls a man’s severe health struggles as “one hell of a fighter” is good optics
The OIlers refused to play Lavoie in February, and if they refuse to play him in October, when are they going to play him. Before you know it, it is Febrary again.
Not so sure about that, players are far more skilled now, not too many plugs on today’s rosters
Scoring is always talked about, but it’s outscoring that actually matters. If he helps win his lines minutes he’s a player worthy of a spot even if he’s a 30-40 point player. Draft position wise that’s a team fail, but that ship has sailed now
Throw on top of it, Holloway has to compete against way more players from the US, Europe and elsewhere than any player did back in 88/89 (Almost no players from behind the Iron Curtain). In 89/90 there were 481 Canadians who suited up for at least one NHL game out of 655 total. Last season only 406 Canadians suited up for at least a game out of a total of 951. Almost 3 times as many kids play minor hockey in the US compared to 89/90 and it now is on par or even ahead of Canada’s participation rates.
It is quite likely to make an NHL team, a player today actually has to outperform a higher percentage of competitors than in 1989, not less.
None of this indicates that Holloway is comparable to Brindamour, but its not based on your awful logic.
Right off the top, your math is terrible as usual. With 11 more teams today, there are only 253 roster spots added (and only 220 game day line up spots).
Brind’Amour scored over 1000 points and is definitely not the comp for Holloway but it was also much easier to make an NHL roster in 1989. The Nordiques won 12 games and gave up 407 goals. The worst team last season was Anaheim with 23 wins and 338 Goals against.
I loved Moreau. Heart and Soul guy with good skating and lots of intangibles.
Hoping Lavoie can be more than Isbister, but who knows.
I am going back to the 1990 CUP (Yes I am old). The Kid Line was monumental. Maybe Holloway – McLeod – Lavioe is a 2023 Kid Line??
JJS
September 27, 2023 10:57 am
Slight quibble but Vinnie really doesn’t fall into the ‘youth’ category. He certainly lacks NHL experience, but is in his prime years.
Regarding Lavoie, the decision isn’t whether he plays or he is moved from the org. The decision is he plays or is exposed to waivers. These decisions are made every year.
I am getting the impression from some posters that the Oil are giving up on him if he doesn’t make opening night. That just isn’t the case. It is a calculated risk with the hope he clears and continues to improve his game.
The element that makes this year a little different for the Oilers (and similar to last season when they broke camp) is that their cap situation (assuming no LTIR level injuries in camp – please) likely requires them to risk waiving players that they could have been able to keep on the roster if they had cap space to have a 23 player roster. Seems likely that if the Oilers could keep 23 players in the NHL, Lavoie would have a high probability of being one of them and they could ease him in and out of the line up and still have their depth center available to them. With only 21 spots, and almost certainly wanting to keep 7 defenseman, the Oilers won’t be able to have their cake and eat it too, so Lavoie’s chances of not making the opening roster are greater than they would have been otherwise.
Saying 21 vs 23 roster spots doesn’t make it sound as bad as saying the team gets only 1 spare player in the press box instead of 3. And since most things in the NHL are evaluated at the margin, that is a significant difference. All things being equal, that your 22nd best player is exposed to waivers vs your 24 best player does carry greater risk. Now in the past, players like Samorukov (2022) and Lagesson (2021) cleared waivers when people thought they might not (though the prior season (Jan 2021) where Lagesson was possibly kept on the roster over that concern, the Oilers lost their 3rd goalie (Forsberg).
Perhaps Holland could have managed things differently to get to this point so that the team would have the cap space to have a 23 man roster, but people do need to account for the challenges he faced with the mess Chiarelli left behind with a team well out of the playoffs, the career ending injury to Klefbom, and a pandemic that flattened the cap in the worst point in the team building cycle of the Oilers.
Perhaps Holland could have managed things differently to get to this point so that the team would have the cap space to have a 23 man roster, but people do need to account for the challenges he faced with the mess Chiarelli left behind with a team well out of the playoffs, the career ending injury to Klefbom, and a pandemic that flattened the cap in the worst point in the team building cycle of the Oilers.
=====================
I think this needs to be said again and again. Holland hasn’t been perfect but the swamp was full of alligators when he arrived.
It’s been over 4 years for Holland enough with blaming Chiarelli and MacTavish for the short roster. Just keep playing McDavid and Leon 25 minutes a night for a 100 games and wonder why we haven’t come closer than 8 wins away from the Cup.
The Oilers still have 1.9M this year and next year due to a Chiarelli mistake. That’s the difference between 21 and 23 players. They decided to take a risk (and correctly so) to get the best 20 players on the ice.
Sekera buyout was strange if the Oilers were going all in bringing in Hass Jurco Kahun seemed to go against that theory. Why not bite the bullet and keep Sekera for 1 year anyhow maybe he becomes a serviceable D or he hits the LTIR list. I can’t stand buyouts. Holland is leaving the next G.M a 3 million dollar hit with Brown. Will never know if we had the player already on a dirt cheap contract in Lavoie. Some team out ther is going to give Lavoie a honest chance not on the 4th line with Burt and Ernie but actual playmakers to get him the puck in the soft areas where he can wire his shot.
That is true that other teams will have similar issues. The Leafs, like the Oilers, gave big contracts to the likes of Matthew and Marner and Tavares, then got caught with a flattened cap. And Toronto is in a similar cycle to the Oilers having drafted Nylander, Marner and Matthews 2014 to 2016 (and Morgan Reilly in 2012).
And unlike Chicago 2015, Tampa 2021 and Vegas 2023, they so far haven’t gotten fortunate with LTIR allowing them to have a playoff roster that would be well over the regular season cap.
You can’t blame either team for being sharper when it comes to the grey areas. It doesn’t matter what rules or contracts are in place there will always be a few management teams that’ll find the loop holes.
I didn’t expect Yes quotes today. Changes, I guess.
John Chambers
September 27, 2023 9:25 am
Wouldn’t it be stunning to hire a Director of Analytics, cite knowledge of aging curves and underscore the importance of prospect development, and then waive a 23-year old homegrown prospect in favour of 34-year old PTO?
The chances we lose Lavoie for nothing are really slim. The answer to most difficult roster decisions is almost always that injuries come into play. Also, if they think Sutter is a viable solution to a roster need, they can stash him in Bakersfield to prove he can still play. It’s not like any other team is going to plunk him off of waivers.
He won’t even need waivers if he’s still on PTO, is my take. He’ll just have the AHL version of that, which is up to 25 games like Jason Demers got last year.
More stunning that citing sports science and injury prevention in an interview with Friedman and Marek and then having Nurse play over 25 minutes in the first exhibition game the night the interview dropped publicly.
Pretendergast
September 27, 2023 8:53 am
Remember when the Oil and Nucks were the finalists for Kuzmenko? And he chose opportunity (and likely lifestyle).
I think he’s going to have a very good year with Pete. I like the player, has a nose for the net for those tap ins. Would have looked great with Connor ala much more skilled Maroon (get in the right area and put your stick on the ice).
Ya, he was listed in the regression targets article at The Athletic yesterday. I was shocked when I read that number – apparently the highest shooting percentage since 2000.
You know who else has a 47% goal share shorthanded? Evander Kane, that’s who. Not just for one season, but for the last SEVEN. 21 SHGF, 24 PPGA.
In 4 of the 7 seasons he was >50%. ~370 minutes total overr that time, so small sample. Not sure what it even means.
OriginalPouzar
September 27, 2023 8:45 am
The Oilers don’t think of Lavoie as a skill winger! The Oilers aren’t a bag of dummies you know. The reason you have training camp is to see where these kids are.
Well, even the coach talked before Lavoie’s first exhibition game about “stars in the CHL becoming 4th liners in the NHL” – talked about Lavoie needing to change his game as there is no top 6 spot in Edmonton. Lavoie himself talked about changing his game because he knows he won’t be a top 6 player here.
For me, I don’t like the talk because, well, how do they know he can’t be a top six player in Edmonton, maybe even this season?
In any event, for me, Lavoie clearly outplayed each of his competitors in their first games: Pederson, Erne and Sutter.
At the same time, we know the org pines for a 28 year old Brandon Sutter – they talk about a 31 year old Brandon Sutter but that player was already on the verge of not being an NHL player.
They talk about giving Sutter time to get up to speed because he hasn’t played in so long. He’s going to get a long look and one good game near the end of exhibition might trump 3-4 good performances from Lavoie.
Lavoie should be in the lead in the minds of the managers and coaches but I don’t sense he is.
Here is hoping he gets some games playing with established NHL players – playing with Malone and Erne as a top 6 line against a decent Jets best players is not easy – he showed well, imagine what he might be able to show with some higher end linemates.
Meh. Woodcroft was describing the 2022 Lavoie he saw, and now he sees the 2023 edition. Minds can change. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. Trades could be made, those deals might involve Lavoie, but he made an impression on Woodcroft. Guaranteed. Needs to keep it going.
Brandon Perlini looked pretty good in the preseason too. Lavoie’s best linemates might be Foegele & MacLeod. Does Holloway need to clear waivers? there’s the possibility we see both of Sutter & Lavoie on the opening night roster.
Exactly. People are assuming that Ryan and Janmark are locks for the team. They are the favourites but that is not the same as locks.
The only thing I can say for certain is that Lavoie got himself at least two more games off of his play the other night. Consistency wins more bottom six roles than skill does and to start that is the position he is trying to claim.
Both players became more and more important to Jay Woodcroft over the course of last season. We know how valuable Ryan was down the stretch and he was an important part of the 3rd line in the playoffs.
Janmark’s injury in the playoffs seems to “leave a mark” on the team and its team defence structure. He became on of the staff’s most trusted PK guys.
I know Janmark was waived/assigned to start last season but we know that was mainly cap reasons even though he did have a poor camp – a poor camp after arriving from Europe like the day before – this year he’s been here for weeks and already had one strong game.
I guess noone is really a lock but its tough to imagine Woodcroft not insisting on both these players on his roster.
At the same time, we know the players on this team and we know the coaching staff and we know what they want.
They are looking for that 12F spot to be filled with a veteran if possible (and a center if possible).
In the context of this training camp for this edition of the Oilers, plus the verbal from the head coach and the GM and the early performance of player in camp, its seems a very very very long shot that a Ryan or a Janmark would be waived – that’s just my view on how everything looks.
I could see the Holloway assignment but, as of now, he’s been the best Oiler forward in each game he’s played (save for the Nuge/Kane/Hyman line in game 1).
Holloway does not need to be exposed to waivers – of course, he was the Oilers best forward in both games he played (and was better than Lavoie last season when both were on the Condors)
17th annual hockey draft this weekend.
Am I a madman to think Bouchard could get 90 points?
If there are a bunch of Oilers fans in your draft he probably gets over drafted. 😛
If he stays healthy 60 points seems like the absolute floor though.
Hopefully he gets a few more calls in the regular season. That trip on him resulting in a 3 on 1 with no call was bananas.
Not sure I remember the last time McDavid didn’t start OT. He only needed 5 or 6 seconds to score once he jumped on the ice.
On a separate note, I thought Desmith was pretty solid for the Nucks. Not sure why the Habs traded him (career .912 save percentage) instead of Allen (.909) or Montembeault (.896).
Love this site and the commenters as always. Is it possible to get a couple of hotlinks to the Oilers schedule/CapFriendly/stats summaries or other helpful resources on the page? Would be sooo convenient when commenting! Perhaps just before the comments section or on a sidebar? Anyone else like to see that, or is it just me…
Connor McDavid. Still good at the hockeys.
Wow. McDavid doing McDavid things…
YEA !! CONNOR.
Bouchard to McDavid – they should play together, in all game states.
What a pass!
In Connor we trust
I thought they would get better as the game went on. But they just seem disinterested.
Hoping to see Carter Savoie play on Friday.
To my copper jaundiced eye, while things are not as crisp yet as we expect, I am seeing a much improved possession game. Particularly in our end, where we seem to be limiting rebounds and chances better than the first half of last season. A promising sign?
Exhibition season, AKA overpassing season.
So preseason for officials as well I see!
Looks like it, Kane with 2 minutes for being stronger that the Canuck d-man
After Two:
1-1 (1-1 in the second)
19-11 shots Edmonton (9-8 in the second Edmonton)
29-22 Corsi events five-on-five Edmonton (15-13 in the second)
==
I’m liking Stuart Skinner, Connor Brown, Warren Foegele, 97, and the Leon-Nuge bullet train.
Oilers getting lots of PK time tonight????
Nurse already in midseason form with the pointless icing.
I love it when the Nuge scores.
I know, I know, its just exhibition season, and the first exhibition game for many of these players but after all that talk by Drai about playing smarter and more mature and not beating themselves, half way through his first game he takes the same silly away from the play stick penalties that he was taking in the playoffs.
I thought there was supposed to be this focus early – that’s why they’ve been skating for like a month?
Words, lots of words.
No I agree. Practice habits lead to in game habits. Regular season habits lead to playoff habits.
There’s that old saw about a young player being surprised at how seriously Franz Beckenbauer was taking a throw-in drill in practice and Beckenbauer was like “look I want to be as close to perfection in every element of the game”.
Drai should take a lesson from his countryman.
I dunno. I think preseason was the perfect time for that.
From where I was sitting Draisaitl got clipped with a headshot away from the play. The Canuck deserved more than the whack he got.
Oilers need to practice their PK anyway. 😛
I just played out the entire season on NHL 24. I can tell you all with certainty:
McDavid will score 324 points
Drai will score 95 goals
Campbell wins the Vezina
Brogan Rafferty sign with the Oilers mid season and wins the Norris
!!! You keel me, you keel me….
Those McDavid totals seem a little low….
Can’t say I am a big fan of watching a home game being broadcast by the visiting team.
It is ridiculous the narrow mindedness of the decision makers at the networks catering to what they think is the larger broadcast market. In reality the Edmonton Oilers regional broadcasts have the 3rd highest ratings in the entire NHL behind only the Leafs and the Canadiens.
Maybe the feel the need to appease the fickle Vancouver fans, while loyal Oilers fans will watch their team no matter who calls the game.
The Canucks regional broadcast contract includes all exhibition games being televised – this was a Canucks produced broadcast. Its not about choosing announcers, its about contractual rights.
The Oilers don’t have their exhibition games in their contract with SN.
Every year the only 2 televised preseason games are the 2 vs. the Canucks. Alas, it includes their boradcast team.
Canucks homerism notwithstanding, it’s refreshing to hear a PBP guy not calling the game like it’s a WWE match and going off on tangents.
Nurse 11-0 Corsi in the first period – Norris!
After One:
0-0
10-3 shots Oilers
14-8 Oilers Corsi five-on-five
==
I think we’re seeing a bunch of guys playing their first game of preseason. One hopes for a better second period.
OK lets see that #1 PP get it done!
Obviously some rust….
Drai getting some early PK time – #sportsscience!
Brandon Sutter just made the Oilers by winning a defensive zone draw down 5 on 3 – might even get term!
Come on your better than that
Your probably right no face-off win is valued as much except maybe with 30 seconds left and the Goalie pulled as when a team is 2 men down.
Where can you watch tonight’s game? Doesn’t seem to be on Oilers+
On Sportsnet 218 Telus
That is certainly a preseason/early season call on Bouchard.
Jason Gregor
@JasonGregor
·
18m
Warmup lines… Oilers will go with this tonight..
Kane – McDavid – Brown
RNH – Draisaitl – Hyman
Foegele – Sutter – Janmark
Erne – Pederson – Ryan
Nurse – Bouchard
Gleason – Desharnais
Niemelainen – Kemp
Skinner starts.
Pederson and Sutter battling for 4th line centre spot.
One interesting topic that I was contemplating yesterday… I like discussing these sorts of things, but your mileage may vary.
The coaches like to double shift McDavid and Draisaitl. More opportunities and ice time for these players, to a point, intuitively should be a good thing, basically a no-brainer, right?
What if it isn’t?
What if playing McDavid double shifted with bottom sixers on his wing, ostensibly to get him more minutes is actually, well, wasting McDavid’s ictetime?
Sample sizes are a problem here…
We know playing McDavid, last season, with Nuge or Draisaitl is going to win those minutes.
But there were a lot of minutes McDavid played with lesser lights where the goal share was lost (Puljujarvi, injured Kane, Kostin.
I have no conclusive answer here, just a question.
Do you actually get value playing 97 with lesser lights (who are poor shooters and can’t take/make a pass) or would you be better off only playing him with good forwards and flattening the opposition while he’s on the ice?
I think you are on it
Serious deep contenders should conserve talent for when it counts which also engages the entire roster. They want that and coaches should coach the group up through the season so they are fully engaged in playoffs
Sometimes it seems coaches get too cute for school. Tall foreheads as LT says
Thank goodness Jackson sees it. Although there is a balance with sports science. It should be to reduce poor practices but not micro manage players
Does anyone know if the game tonight is on the canucks YouTube?
on tv
Flames sign Backlund 2X$4.5 million
Also named Captain. Tough timing with the Snow announcement.
Anyone sign up the coaching forum to see Gulutzan’s presentation on D-zone coverage?
I know there have been calls for the Oilers to abandon man defence and switch to zone.
Glen Gulutzan claimed the Oilers were playing a hybrid system. Zone for the wingers and man v man down low.
He also made the claim that neither man v man or zone were inherently better systems than the other and that it really comes down to execution of the system.
Personally I don’t think the Oilers need to make any systemic changes. Last year they were top ten in most defensive metrics throughout the regular season. I think it mostly comes down to getting the saves.
True. Still the system has to suit the roster. At some point the coaches suggesting or saying it’s on execution points back at them
They have played better each year but don’t get over making key mistakes especially at key times. Drai addressed it. All teams and players make mistakes, to me it seems the Oilers are still prone to doozies, regularly
That is the difference in the teams that get farther. Luck is a part but reducing its effect is the thing by playing at a high level consistently
The clean looks in the high percentage scoring areas and open players the Oilers give up is a big part of the goalie’s struggles. There are different ways to protect the house, we don’t see that at a high level yet to me consistently. If it is in fact the players, it’s on the GM to fix that. Or no cups
Do you think man v man doesn’t suit the Oilers? They have a good skating team, and I would argue their offensive skills collectively are better than their D-skills. Theoretically man v man means they spend less time defending and more time with the puck.
I agree Oilers definitely could shore things up defensively. That and goaltending are the main weaknesses. I think their defence was better than their goaltending last year though.
I mean last year Campbell and Skinner played behind the same system with the same players but Skinner gave up 0.6 less goals per game. Goaltending is massive in how good the defence looks.
I mean the 16/17 Oilers finished 9th in goals against. Best result this decade. I don’t think they were close to as good as the 22/23 Oilers but Talbot was playing like a top ten goaler that year.
I think Brown is a good add for improving the players. Ottawa fans rave about his defence.
If what Gulutzan is saying were true, the defencemen wouldn’t chase up to and across the top of the zone. But they do.
So what’s the deal?
The D-men will chase somewhat because they are playing man on man.
I guess its up to wingers to drop back to protect the net front zone if it gets vacated.
Defencemen leaving the front of the net is a radical departure from what we all learned playing minor hockey, but it isn’t necessarily a fundamental mistake.
I always used to hear a lot of complaints about goalies always dropping to their knees as well. Turns out its more effective.
Never move the puck into the middle in your own end. Well it can be very beneficial at times.
Cherry always used to rail about D-men getting their sticks in lanes. Turns out getting sticks in lanes is better than not.
It’s pretty crazy how little attention hockey systems get from the media. Gulutzan started off his presentation talking about Dice coverage, and I’m not sure if I have ever heard the term before, but Gulutzan talks about it so casually that its probably a widely used term in NHL coaching circles.
I’m speaking specifically about the instances where Oilers defencemen chase from the corner, up the wall and then across the ice. It’s an absolutely moronic coverage moment that results in GAs all year.
Gulutzan’s comment suggests that isn’t the system…but observing the play it very clearly is part of the system. So I’m wondering what gives.
Wingers are not skilled nor trained from youth in protecting the front of the net. If that’s part of the system you’re going to attempt, you’d better have 8 Jere Lethinen types. And even he didn’t make his money there.
I’m consistently disappointed that we’re not having reporters and commentators look into what actually goes on on the ice. Systems. Deployment choices. All kinds of things. There should be at least a small group who’s on about this…but it’s exceedingly rare in any kind of detail.
Right now we’re getting “zone vs man”…which isn’t really the needed discussion at all.
What was evident the other night was that they are indeed trying something new. I need to see it a few more times to lock in on exactly what it is.
“Wingers are not skilled nor trained from youth in protecting the front of the net. If that’s part of the system you’re going to attempt, you’d better have 8 Jere Lethinen types”
I guess the rebuttal to that is that Defencemen are not skilled nor trained in scoring goals, and if a winger is in front of the net in a man on man system, he’s only there because he’s marking a defenceman.
I posted Staples take on this yesterday. For those who missed it.
https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/nhls-best-defensive-teams-did-it-one-way-the-oilers-another-should-edmonton-change
Wow. That is one heck of a lot of Yes references in one opening! Hat tip, sir.
Indeed. That one went straight to the heart of the sunrise.
This link is from many moons ago, but it’s still a gooder:
Yes Lyrics To Be Added To New Testament
Hah! Only in the Onion…. we have similar tastes in humour, hockey and music, mi amigo.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman
@DNBsports
Per Jay Woodcroft, the ideal 12th forward is a C (which he hinted should give Sutter the edge). However, he was clear that the Oilers are going to carry the best 12 forwards. He said Derek Ryan will see preseason time at C (which would allow Lavoie or Erne to get the last spot).
Apologies if this was posted but on a quick look I haven’t seen it:
Tony Brar
Tonight’s top-six forward group for tonight’s Pre-Season game:
Kane – McDavid – Brown
RNH – Draisaitl – Hyman
Skinner in the starter’s net.
Third line is Janmark/Sutter/Foegele
Not many better Top 6’s in the league than that. Maybe none.
Yeah, none.
If he plays as suggested, and I think he can and hope he does, then he won’t be subject to waivers and they’ll keep them on team.
I mean, they will keep him on the team, right?
If he performs like that and they keep Brandon Sutter on some fantastical hope that the player from 6 years ago (not 3 years ago) will show up, well……
If Lavoie doesn’t play as suggested then he’s likely waived on merit and that player, well, he very well could slide right through waivers like most 23 year olds that can’t make their drafted team’s NHL roster and have never made it.
They’ve been planting the seed all Summer. Yesterday Gregor mentioned 25% chance Lavoie gets picked up on waivers. Lavoie is not making it by the Habs, Staios, Guerin,Grier and 6 other G.M’s.
Flames AGM Chris Snow who suffers from ALS now unresponsive after cardiac arrest last night.
https://x.com/kelsieswrites/status/1707079338385133884?s=20
I think he got a lot more time than anyone expected, but it’s still tragic for a husband and father with young children.
Yes…he was originally given less than a year to live but managed four.
Saw a photo of him mowing his lawn a couple of weeks ago.
One hell of a fighter.
I know HH rubs a few folks the wrong way, but I don’t think down voting a post where he calls a man’s severe health struggles as “one hell of a fighter” is good optics
In fairness HH has built his reputation to the point where some people likely just downvote him on principal without even reading his posts.
True. He and his family have been courageous throughout this fight. Hard not to feel for them today.
The OIlers refused to play Lavoie in February, and if they refuse to play him in October, when are they going to play him. Before you know it, it is Febrary again.
The Oilers organization played Lavoie right where he needed to be in February.
Is a realistic comp for Holloway like Ethan Moreau?
Maybe Lavoie can be Brad Isbister (not Invisibister)
Rod Brind’Amour is the comp for Holloway.
Brind’Amour scored 26 goals and 61 points in his rookie season when he was 20 years of age.
It was much harder to make an NHL roster in 1989.
Not so sure about that, players are far more skilled now, not too many plugs on today’s rosters
Scoring is always talked about, but it’s outscoring that actually matters. If he helps win his lines minutes he’s a player worthy of a spot even if he’s a 30-40 point player. Draft position wise that’s a team fail, but that ship has sailed now
There were only 21 NHL teams in 1989.
Thats more than 400 fewer roster spots available and a reason why so many very good players spent significant time in the AHL.
I can pretty much guarantee that if there were only 21 NHL teams today, Holloway would not be in the NHL.
Throw on top of it, Holloway has to compete against way more players from the US, Europe and elsewhere than any player did back in 88/89 (Almost no players from behind the Iron Curtain). In 89/90 there were 481 Canadians who suited up for at least one NHL game out of 655 total. Last season only 406 Canadians suited up for at least a game out of a total of 951. Almost 3 times as many kids play minor hockey in the US compared to 89/90 and it now is on par or even ahead of Canada’s participation rates.
It is quite likely to make an NHL team, a player today actually has to outperform a higher percentage of competitors than in 1989, not less.
None of this indicates that Holloway is comparable to Brindamour, but its not based on your awful logic.
Right off the top, your math is terrible as usual. With 11 more teams today, there are only 253 roster spots added (and only 220 game day line up spots).
did you have a window seat in math class 🙂 ?
Brind’Amour scored over 1000 points and is definitely not the comp for Holloway but it was also much easier to make an NHL roster in 1989. The Nordiques won 12 games and gave up 407 goals. The worst team last season was Anaheim with 23 wins and 338 Goals against.
I have proposed the Ethan Moreau comp a few times.
If Holloway can perform even close to peak-Moreau – that is a massive win.
these are great comps, well done.
I loved Moreau. Heart and Soul guy with good skating and lots of intangibles.
Hoping Lavoie can be more than Isbister, but who knows.
I am going back to the 1990 CUP (Yes I am old). The Kid Line was monumental. Maybe Holloway – McLeod – Lavioe is a 2023 Kid Line??
Slight quibble but Vinnie really doesn’t fall into the ‘youth’ category. He certainly lacks NHL experience, but is in his prime years.
Regarding Lavoie, the decision isn’t whether he plays or he is moved from the org. The decision is he plays or is exposed to waivers. These decisions are made every year.
I am getting the impression from some posters that the Oil are giving up on him if he doesn’t make opening night. That just isn’t the case. It is a calculated risk with the hope he clears and continues to improve his game.
The element that makes this year a little different for the Oilers (and similar to last season when they broke camp) is that their cap situation (assuming no LTIR level injuries in camp – please) likely requires them to risk waiving players that they could have been able to keep on the roster if they had cap space to have a 23 player roster. Seems likely that if the Oilers could keep 23 players in the NHL, Lavoie would have a high probability of being one of them and they could ease him in and out of the line up and still have their depth center available to them. With only 21 spots, and almost certainly wanting to keep 7 defenseman, the Oilers won’t be able to have their cake and eat it too, so Lavoie’s chances of not making the opening roster are greater than they would have been otherwise.
Saying 21 vs 23 roster spots doesn’t make it sound as bad as saying the team gets only 1 spare player in the press box instead of 3. And since most things in the NHL are evaluated at the margin, that is a significant difference. All things being equal, that your 22nd best player is exposed to waivers vs your 24 best player does carry greater risk. Now in the past, players like Samorukov (2022) and Lagesson (2021) cleared waivers when people thought they might not (though the prior season (Jan 2021) where Lagesson was possibly kept on the roster over that concern, the Oilers lost their 3rd goalie (Forsberg).
Perhaps Holland could have managed things differently to get to this point so that the team would have the cap space to have a 23 man roster, but people do need to account for the challenges he faced with the mess Chiarelli left behind with a team well out of the playoffs, the career ending injury to Klefbom, and a pandemic that flattened the cap in the worst point in the team building cycle of the Oilers.
Darnell Nurse overpayment has lingering effects.
Perhaps Holland could have managed things differently to get to this point so that the team would have the cap space to have a 23 man roster, but people do need to account for the challenges he faced with the mess Chiarelli left behind with a team well out of the playoffs, the career ending injury to Klefbom, and a pandemic that flattened the cap in the worst point in the team building cycle of the Oilers.
=====================
I think this needs to be said again and again. Holland hasn’t been perfect but the swamp was full of alligators when he arrived.
It’s been over 4 years for Holland enough with blaming Chiarelli and MacTavish for the short roster. Just keep playing McDavid and Leon 25 minutes a night for a 100 games and wonder why we haven’t come closer than 8 wins away from the Cup.
The Oilers still have 1.9M this year and next year due to a Chiarelli mistake. That’s the difference between 21 and 23 players. They decided to take a risk (and correctly so) to get the best 20 players on the ice.
Sekera buyout was strange if the Oilers were going all in bringing in Hass Jurco Kahun seemed to go against that theory. Why not bite the bullet and keep Sekera for 1 year anyhow maybe he becomes a serviceable D or he hits the LTIR list. I can’t stand buyouts. Holland is leaving the next G.M a 3 million dollar hit with Brown. Will never know if we had the player already on a dirt cheap contract in Lavoie. Some team out ther is going to give Lavoie a honest chance not on the 4th line with Burt and Ernie but actual playmakers to get him the puck in the soft areas where he can wire his shot.
How many of the true contending teams are going to be able to ice a 23 man roster to start the season?
Honest question as I know the likes of the Leafs will be running a short roster.
I believe the Canes is one – I’m sure there are a few more but the Oilers will not be unique in running a short roster.
That is true that other teams will have similar issues. The Leafs, like the Oilers, gave big contracts to the likes of Matthew and Marner and Tavares, then got caught with a flattened cap. And Toronto is in a similar cycle to the Oilers having drafted Nylander, Marner and Matthews 2014 to 2016 (and Morgan Reilly in 2012).
And unlike Chicago 2015, Tampa 2021 and Vegas 2023, they so far haven’t gotten fortunate with LTIR allowing them to have a playoff roster that would be well over the regular season cap.
The Leafs haven’t won a Cup in 58 years not the greatest to compare with.
How about Colorado who would be effed in Landskog wasn’t going on LTIR?
How about Tampa?
You can’t blame either team for being sharper when it comes to the grey areas. It doesn’t matter what rules or contracts are in place there will always be a few management teams that’ll find the loop holes.
What?
That seems like a random statement with nothing to do with the topic – I shouldn’t be surprised.
I have never been able to decipher that lyric. ” I’ve seen all good people circle to the sky and back again. Very cool. Thanks LT.
To be fair, Yes’s lyrics are notoriously cryptic, even by prog standards.
That’s a mashup of more than one song. The one that opens Side Two of The Yes Album goes like this:
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied I’m on my way.
…with a bunch of chess references later in the song (for clarity)
I’m sure the team will awaken.
I see what you did there.
I didn’t expect Yes quotes today. Changes, I guess.
Wouldn’t it be stunning to hire a Director of Analytics, cite knowledge of aging curves and underscore the importance of prospect development, and then waive a 23-year old homegrown prospect in favour of 34-year old PTO?
Bad Craziness.
The chances we lose Lavoie for nothing are really slim. The answer to most difficult roster decisions is almost always that injuries come into play. Also, if they think Sutter is a viable solution to a roster need, they can stash him in Bakersfield to prove he can still play. It’s not like any other team is going to plunk him off of waivers.
He won’t even need waivers if he’s still on PTO, is my take. He’ll just have the AHL version of that, which is up to 25 games like Jason Demers got last year.
More stunning that citing sports science and injury prevention in an interview with Friedman and Marek and then having Nurse play over 25 minutes in the first exhibition game the night the interview dropped publicly.
Remember when the Oil and Nucks were the finalists for Kuzmenko? And he chose opportunity (and likely lifestyle).
I think he’s going to have a very good year with Pete. I like the player, has a nose for the net for those tap ins. Would have looked great with Connor ala much more skilled Maroon (get in the right area and put your stick on the ice).
Kane does that, when he’s healthy.
Excited to see Stu and obviously 97 tonight.
Kuzmenko shot 27% no that is not a typo. Good player though.
If Kuzmenko shot 15% this year that would be a good year for him.
Kuzmenko had only 1.77 shots per game last season.
In a recent interview he mentioned that he plans to shoot a lot more.
Ya, he was listed in the regression targets article at The Athletic yesterday. I was shocked when I read that number – apparently the highest shooting percentage since 2000.
New for The Athletic: Should the Edmonton Oilers alter how Connor McDavid is deployed?
https://theathletic.com/4900119/2023/09/27/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-line/
McDavid has a 47% goal share 4v5?? That almost made me spit-take with my coffee!
Remember down the stretch when Edmonton was like 4-2 shorthanded over 10 or so gams? I made those numbers up but something to that effect.
Those final 20 games were the best Oiler hockey since ’88. Shame VGK got so many favours. ’23 was Edmonton’s Cup.
You know who else has a 47% goal share shorthanded? Evander Kane, that’s who. Not just for one season, but for the last SEVEN. 21 SHGF, 24 PPGA.
In 4 of the 7 seasons he was >50%. ~370 minutes total overr that time, so small sample. Not sure what it even means.
Well, even the coach talked before Lavoie’s first exhibition game about “stars in the CHL becoming 4th liners in the NHL” – talked about Lavoie needing to change his game as there is no top 6 spot in Edmonton. Lavoie himself talked about changing his game because he knows he won’t be a top 6 player here.
For me, I don’t like the talk because, well, how do they know he can’t be a top six player in Edmonton, maybe even this season?
In any event, for me, Lavoie clearly outplayed each of his competitors in their first games: Pederson, Erne and Sutter.
At the same time, we know the org pines for a 28 year old Brandon Sutter – they talk about a 31 year old Brandon Sutter but that player was already on the verge of not being an NHL player.
They talk about giving Sutter time to get up to speed because he hasn’t played in so long. He’s going to get a long look and one good game near the end of exhibition might trump 3-4 good performances from Lavoie.
Lavoie should be in the lead in the minds of the managers and coaches but I don’t sense he is.
Here is hoping he gets some games playing with established NHL players – playing with Malone and Erne as a top 6 line against a decent Jets best players is not easy – he showed well, imagine what he might be able to show with some higher end linemates.
Meh. Woodcroft was describing the 2022 Lavoie he saw, and now he sees the 2023 edition. Minds can change. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. Trades could be made, those deals might involve Lavoie, but he made an impression on Woodcroft. Guaranteed. Needs to keep it going.
They do need 28 year old Sutter…in March. Miles and miles to go before then
Brandon Perlini looked pretty good in the preseason too. Lavoie’s best linemates might be Foegele & MacLeod. Does Holloway need to clear waivers? there’s the possibility we see both of Sutter & Lavoie on the opening night roster.
Exactly. People are assuming that Ryan and Janmark are locks for the team. They are the favourites but that is not the same as locks.
The only thing I can say for certain is that Lavoie got himself at least two more games off of his play the other night. Consistency wins more bottom six roles than skill does and to start that is the position he is trying to claim.
Both players became more and more important to Jay Woodcroft over the course of last season. We know how valuable Ryan was down the stretch and he was an important part of the 3rd line in the playoffs.
Janmark’s injury in the playoffs seems to “leave a mark” on the team and its team defence structure. He became on of the staff’s most trusted PK guys.
I know Janmark was waived/assigned to start last season but we know that was mainly cap reasons even though he did have a poor camp – a poor camp after arriving from Europe like the day before – this year he’s been here for weeks and already had one strong game.
I guess noone is really a lock but its tough to imagine Woodcroft not insisting on both these players on his roster.
Everybody on the board knows all that OP.
Rosters change every year. Veterans start TC as favourites to return as Ryan & Janmark have this year.
Most years they return. Sometimes young guys show up and things change.
Sure, that is a fair statement.
At the same time, we know the players on this team and we know the coaching staff and we know what they want.
They are looking for that 12F spot to be filled with a veteran if possible (and a center if possible).
In the context of this training camp for this edition of the Oilers, plus the verbal from the head coach and the GM and the early performance of player in camp, its seems a very very very long shot that a Ryan or a Janmark would be waived – that’s just my view on how everything looks.
I could see the Holloway assignment but, as of now, he’s been the best Oiler forward in each game he’s played (save for the Nuge/Kane/Hyman line in game 1).
Holloway does not need to be exposed to waivers – of course, he was the Oilers best forward in both games he played (and was better than Lavoie last season when both were on the Condors)