Midnight Rambler

There’s a swagger to this year’s Edmonton Oilers and it’s fun to witness. This group is like the original SNL crew, who called themselves the ‘not ready for primetime players’ not because they weren’t good enough, but because they were too good. That’s this Oilers team. They’re playing hard, and for each other. They’re having a good time. They are not intimidated, and seem to have shred the annual impatience that could sometimes result in poor stretches.

It’s like they’ve learned all the lessons and discovered that skipping ahead to the end only ruins the story. The world is unfolding as it should for these Oilers. What does the trade deadline hold in store?

THE ATHLETIC

• Lowetide: Which under-the-radar Oilers prospect could be traded before the NHL deadline?
• DNB: How Calvin Pickard has affirmed his spot on the Oilers
• Lowetide: Is Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie a tweener?
• Lowetide: What’s the ideal deployment for Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane?
• Lowetide and DNB: Who says no? Evaluating 20 of your Edmonton Oilers trade proposals
• Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers enter spring signing season under pressure
• DNB: Goals aren’t coming for Connor McDavid. He’s helping the Oilers more than ever
• Lowetide: How can Brad Holland and Oilers pro scouts impact trade deadline?
• New DNB: Why the Oilers shouldn’t trade Warren Foegele before the NHL trade deadline
• Lowetide: Where can the Edmonton Oilers improve their draft strategy in 2024?
• Lowetide: What are the Edmonton Oilers’ 5 biggest trade deadlines ever?
• Lowetide: Breaking down the Oilers’ 50-man list at the trade deadline
• Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers top 20 prospects ranking, winter 2023

WHAT TO EXPECT IN MARCH

• On the road to: SEA (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
• At home to: PIT (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
• On the road to: BOS, CBJ, BUF, PIT (Expected 2-1-1) (Actual 1-0-0)
• At home to: WAS, COL, MON, BUF (Expected 2-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
• On the road to: TOR, OTT, WPG (Expected 1-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
• At home to: LAK, ANA (Expected 1-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
• Overall expected result: 8-5-2, 18 points in 15 games
• Actual March results: 3-0-0, 6 points in three games
• Oilers in 2023-24: 38-20-2, 78 points in 60 games

I have the Oilers going 8-5-2 for the month, last night was the first game my prediction (loss) didn’t match the result (win). Can the Oilers win 15 in a row? Of course the answer is no. When did they do that previously? Pipe dream.

THE NUMBERS

So many moments. The Ryan Nugent-Hopkins back check was sublime, second time in a week he’s done it. Nuge will never register with some, but for me he’s always been the thinking man’s hockey player. I mentioned Dave Keon and Ralph Backstrom on twitter when someone asked who he reminds me of, and since they were the first two names that hit me it’s probably right. On a team packed with fult tilt boogie offensive brilliance, it is RNH who minds the store, puts away the dishes before bed, lets the dog out at 4am. This is my favourite player type, always has been and always will be. Miss you Gregg Sheppard, Don Luce, Craig MacTavish, I bet those men love watching 93 and his giant brain track the rubber biscuit from sunup to sundown. I know I do.

Connor McDavid’s artwork on the winning goal belongs in the Louvre. His Barry Sanders change of directions at high speed are something out of a Jack Reacher flick, and the pass across the holiest of holies to Leon Draisaitl is hockey on a higher level. Jesus H. Christ what a hockey player.

Leon Draisaitl cashed twice, he’s the guy 31 owners watch and slam holes in the wall because he’s not playing in their town. Leon in any NHL city is a rock star. The first goal could have had many authors, the second goal only one. He has 32 goals and has played in 60 games, meaning he needs about one goal a game to make 50 (again). He can’t make it. You tell him. Go ahead. I’ll wait here.

A couple of notes: I wanted to see something offensive from Ryan McLeod and he had a gigantic chance but shot wide. It’s either luck or fate but that would have been fine fine fine. I hope he cashes the next one. Corey Perry is a damned hyena the way he throttles, rumbles and trolls. His hit on Brad Marchand was effective and served as a reminder not to mess with the franchise. It hurt Marchand, who is kind of Robocop out there. Subtle moment, but for me an important one. The Bruins were a load, but I liked Edmonton’s defence. I thought Evan Bouchard and Vincent Desharnais, who are after all the younger set in this sextet on defense, both played well and kept their cool. This was a button-down effort with a couple of timely and thrilling offensive moments. Cody Ceci’s walkabout was the only moment that was truly costly in the entire damn game. What a time for the Oilers to deliver that game. Wow.

Finally, Stuart Skinner. I’ve given up on people who can’t see him and what he is now, today. His .921 save percentage since November 24 (the date Kris Knoblauch and Paul Coffey finally got the defensive system straightened out) in all strengths ranks No. 4 in the NHL. That’s fantastic. That’s 32 games of fantastic.

Still, the ‘discerning’ commentator online just isn’t convinced. The ‘discerning’ individual online believes their ability to evaluate is higher than the mere mortal, more credible because there’s something they think they see. I have a word for these people. I assure you, it is not ‘discerning’ and in fact is such an offensive word I shall not speak it here. Imagine the word that is so unacceptable that I wouldn’t publish it. Yeah. Stuart Skinner is all that, give him the love, you stubborn mule.

Jeff Krushell is my friend. A few months ago, I reached out to him because I needed to (in the words of Cher) turn back time and get into better shape. Happy to say he has been an enormous help and Jeff is an ideal partner on a project because he’s as excited about the results as I am, and gets his point across in a fun way. His passion is athlete development and he has an event for parents of athletes and athletes I’m hoping you’ll consider attending. He’s such a motivator and he has so much research on best practices in athlete development. Read more about him here.

SAM GAGNER ON WAIVERS

The first player I remember getting squeezed out of NHL minutes with the NHL Oilers was a Finnish winger named Kari Makkonen. He was a left winger for Edmonton in 1979-80, and couldn’t pry much playing time from Brett Callighen, Cam Connor, Dave Hunter and Dave Semenko. He played 9 games with the big club, 15 with the CHL Houston Apollos and then went back to Finland where he was productive for more than a decade. He played for Pori (the bear city) in the Liiga, he had NHL ability but that left wing depth chart was too much to bear for Makkanen.

I think Samwise holds a special place in the hearts of Oilers fans for several reasons. He arrived in a miserable summer to offer hope for the fans and franchise. He produced points and memorable moments and after being cast away, reinvented himself and became even more endearing as a contributor offensively in the lower portions of the batting order. He has been demoted, traded, scratched and spent summers without a contract. It’s clear he loves the game as much as we do.

Gagner is teaching us another lesson this week: Grace and class in a difficult situation. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, but I think all of us can learn about how to approach life from him. Embrace what you are, pursue your goal, and when life sends you an unfair turn, lick your wounds in private and pursue the best available option. That’s a valuable lesson.

BAKERSFIELD CONDORS

Condors play Henderson tonight, both teams 4-6-0 and Bakersfield struggling at the wrong time. The schedule is hectic and injuries have had an impact, but there are some good things happening among the prospects. Tyler Tullio has taken a step forward, he is passing well and waits for plays to develop. He’s scoring well at even strength, a true rarity on this team. I’m also impressed with AHL rookies Max Wanner and Jayden Grubbe. I expect we’ll see some turnover on this roster over the summer, some prospects turned into suspects overnight and there are simply too many AHL veterans on this team in areas the prospects need to play. Both wings could use a cull. Lane Pederson, despite result struggles, is a key player for this organization moving forward. Good centers who can play and mentor skill are extremely valuable in the AHL, especially for a team like Edmonton that has wall-to-wall prospects on the wing.

LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE

A busy day on the Lowdown, Sports 1440. Bruce McCurdy from the Cult of Hockey at the Edmonton Journal will join me to discuss last night’s game, Gagner’s waivers, and the trade deadline. We’ll also chat about the VGK adding another scorer and this rumour out of Philly involving the Oilers. You can reach me at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section or on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly.