I thought we could talk about the Oilers current depth chart, highlighting lines and pairings.
Center five-on-five points-60 in December
- Connor McDavid 3.68
- Leon Draisaitl 3.56
- Adam Henrique 1.00
- Derek Ryan 1.79
Center five-on-five goal share in December
- Connor McDavid 7-4 (64 pct)
- Leon Draisaitl 5-3 (63 pct)
- The Glimmer Twins 6-2 (75 pct)
- Adam Henrique 4-2 (67 pct)
- Derek Ryan 2-2 (50 pct)
- The rest 2-2 (50 pct)
So very good. The Glimmer Twins spent the month just about a moonlight mile down the road compared to the rest of the league. Adam Henrique’s scoring was poor, but there’s no exile on main street verbal because his line outscored. Derek Ryan had a before they make me run moment but ended the month on a positive note. The rest of the group were tumbling dice that kept the league at bay. This is a terrific stats run for the centers of this Oilers team.
Wingers five-on-five points-60 in December
- Zach Hyman 3.45
- Connor Brown 2.8
- Viktor Arvidsson 1.7
- Jeff Skinner 1.69
- Mattias Janmark 1.58
- Vasily Podkolzin 1.42
- Corey Perry 1.27
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 0.97
- Kasperi Kapanen 0.95
Zach Hyman spent December as Jumping Jack Flash, driving riff and rhythm section included. Connor Brown was like a Keith Richards album cut (Happy) you can’t get out of your mind. Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner began their Oilers careers as the second side of Black and Blue, but there’s some cuts from Some Girls making an appearance lately. Mattias Janmark gets overlooked, but shows up like the horns on Bitch often enough to be a valuable piece of the roster.
Vasily Podkolzin has been a revelation for the Oilers, eating Jeff Skinner’s lunch and outscoring Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among the team’s top two left wingers so far this season. Podkolzin has a 75-percent goal share at five-on-five, and even though Skinner is improving (50 percent in December). We’ll call Podkolzin You Got The Silver and Skinner is Love in Vain.
Nugent-Hopkins has a 73 percent goal share five-on-five in December but his scoring is off for the month and season. I’ve mentioned it several times but it seems Nuge has Oilers fans in his sway. I’m damned worried, gotta say. He is scoring 1.44 points-60 with Connor McDavid this season at five-on-five, and that’s in 250 minutes. In 2017-18, Milan Lucic (admittedly a complete different player-type) scored 1.43 points-60 with the captain and we beat him with sticks. No Sympathy for the Devil.
Defense five-on-five goal share (X-goal share) in December
- Darnell Nurse 83 pct (55 pct)
- Troy Stecher 70 pct (41 pct)
- Mattias Ekholm 67 pct (59 pct)
- Evan Bouchard 58 pct (61 pct)
- Brett Kulak 57 pct (59 pct)
- Ty Emberson 44 pct (48 pct)
Darnell Nurse is playing like the driving guitar in the live version of Midnight Rambler from Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out. Powerful, melodic, inspiring. His actual results are outrunning the expected goals, while Evan Bouchard leads the club in expected goals (all of this is five-on-five) and owns a rock solid goal share. Still, his reputation remains torn and frayed despite playing almost eight minutes a night versus elites (via Puck IQ) to lead the team. Mattias Ekholm remains rock solid and sometimes rips this joint with a piercing entry into the slot in order to fire rockets shelf. The last one didn’t count, but screw those guys. Brett Kulak has been a delight, like the first time you hear Jivin’ Sister Fanny. Ty Emberson is a country music outtake, but an obscure one like No Spare Parts, that you’re stunned never saw the light of day at the time.
Goalies five-on-five save percentage (December)
- Stuart Skinner .926
- Calvin Pickard .935
Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are kicking ass in December, a nice recovery from earlier in the year. I wrote about both men, and other things, this morning at The Athletic. Stuart Skinner would be best represented by the stunning alternate version of Dead Flowers. I still don’t know how they found a way to mix all of the guitars so high and still allow the listener to hear each of them clearly. Amazing. The song’s alleged genesis came when a fan gave Mick Jagger dead flowers. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Calvin Pickard would be an item from Exile, an album so deep it’s still possible to overlook a song like Rocks Off (incredibly).
Oilers are looking good. Don’t let Mick Taylor (Evan Bouchard) leave the band, and this cold, hard, hard winter will give away to the most amazing spring.
LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE
Steve Lansky and Tyler Yaremchuk will pop in, we’ll chat World Juniors, slow motion and the Oilers second-half expectations. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly. We can be heard at sports1440.ca; iHeartRadio, Radioplayer Canada, it’s available post-show on apple and spotify, and we tweet it out on X.
Cheryl Pounder is a good hockey analyst. Put her in prime time
Congrats to the Latvian kids. That’s a tough one for the Canadian kids to take. Hopefully it motivates them and the coaches make some adjustments with the Pp.
Goaltending master class. Well done to both of them.
That Latvian kid just got himself drafted next year. Book it.
Wow.
Worst team ever sent to a WJHC. Regardless of the eventual outcome.
That was the ‘98 team. Canada had a hockey inquisition after that tournament, haha
Phil Kemp with a seeing eye shot from the point gives the Condors the lead back (CV had tied it up on a tip of a point shot).
Savoie with a big hit on the forecheck that knocks the puck loose, to Pederson, to Caggiula to Savoie in front who buries the 1-0.
Summarizing!
A day spent on the road from St. Albert homeward meant no preamble.
A night without points for Berry meant no soup was proffered.
Of all the Stones references LT has dropped into his posts over the years this one is the tops. I had no expectations this would drop, but after nearly a week of no hockey this was an emotional rescue of sorts. Let’s hope the boys dance with Mr. D tomorrow as Drai puts up a hatty in a 4-2 win, leaving the Kings shattered.
Need either Dickinson or Ackey to be the QB on the Pp. Both are mobile and creative. Bonk and Molyndyck not so much.
I foresee a massive roster re-alignment after this game. We’re very light on speed and skill this year.
There seems to be some nepotism or something going on. Don’t know all the players well but Dickinsons stats vs Bonks stats with London don’t equate with how the two are being utilized.
They cut a returning player this year (Wood), and another is the 14th forward who hasn’t played a game yet (Rehkopf).
When the team is relying on four(!) 17-year olds, it’s a problem.
Someone else may know better, but I’m pretty sure Bonk doesn’t even QB the PP for the London Knights. Dickenson does.
Mackenzie Blackwood’s new 5 x $5.25M ticket is probably the floor for Stu Skinner’s next deal.
Not bad coin for a guy who went three consecutive years on the wrong side of .900
Wow. See likelihood of buyers remorse on that deal.
Career .905 in 219 NHL games.
If that’s all it took for Blackwood to get a 5×$5.25m with Colorado, can only imagine how much they will pay Rantanen on his next contract.
I was told that good teams don’t sign Campbell-esque deals. Good teams either:
-get cheap, decent goalies and spend on defense and offense
-sign elite goaltenders long term
I guess Burnaby PoHO took a page out of the Oilers playbook on this one.
Sakic saw Blackwood in an Avs jersey for all of 4 games before he payed premium penny.
If there’s any logic to his decision it’s that if you don’t have goaltending you ain’t got nothing.
Game 4 of Blackwood ended and Sakic started hearing Outkast’s ‘Prototype’ playing in his head.
Schaefer going down early really isn’t the way I was hoping Akey would get more ice time, but…
Random hockey adjacent things I have googled during WJHC watching and must share because Oilers.
Robert Nilsson’s wife is former Oilers teammate Nikolai Khabibulin’s daughter.
I think there’s a Rolling Stones reference in today’s blog… not sure.
As I was reading, I was half expecting a line with Faraway Eyes.
Obscure country outtake… was it here that someone posted a video of Bob Wills is Still the King?
No time line on Wanner’s return. Still not feeling good at all post break.
He had pneumonia prior to taking the pick to the head.
Hamblin is back for the Condors tonight after missing about 20 games. Sounds like they will ease him in as he won’t play both ends of the back to backs but will play center tonight.
That’s great, obviously, however, for me, I presume that bumps Grubbe down to 4C just as he’s been playing the best hockey of his pro career and has developed great chemistry with Petrov on his wing.
Can’t complain about getting a top player back but the top 3 lines had finally started rolling with consistency and I’m not sure how this will effect everyone.
Josh Brown is sick and will miss both games this weekend and Wanner is still out (I believe concussion).
Rodrigue starts tonight.
Check that: Hamblin is playing with Berglund and Stefan tonight so Chaulk keeping the top 3 lines as is. Love it!
Easing Hamblin back sounds like they’ve learned their lesson. Juvente was not eased back in.
Jarventie was also not feeling right after the first game but didn’t tell anyone – he made a stupid decision and is paying for it (we all are).
Due to your post I went down a rabbit hole and learned today that Ry Cooder played slide guitar on Sister Morphine.
So today I am better than yesterday.
My Mom loved Ry Cooder. His version of Dark End of the Street was one of her favourite songs. That man could play.
Your Mom liking Ry Cooder is so great and so random. So good.
He’s still alive so I assume he still can play but hasn’t done much for ~5 years …. hope his hands still work
Her musical choices were an education. She loved Little Richard, Elvis, Liberace, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Roy Drusky, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Meat Loaf (!!!!), Gerry and the Pacemakers and (I’m not kidding) strange artists who spent mountains of money selling their records with television commercials. We once went 10 rounds about Richard Clayderman. She said he was in the Beatles, I suggested that was incorrect. 🙂
Ry Cooder’s 1970’s albums are all fantastic, as is pretty much anything he touched. Loved his 2013 Live at San Francisco album too.
Paris Texas will always send chills down my spine.
He also played guitar on Captain Beefheart’s first album. Great album. Beefheart was never the same after that. Ry Cooder probably wasn’t either, based on his accounts of how crazy they were.
Per Stauff,
Looks like Nuge is back and Arvy dropped to 2RW with Kappy to 3LW:
I will miss the Podkolzin/Kapanen wing set.
Jeff Skinner has been the subject of alot of discussion on the negative side, with quite a few looking to move on from the player and contract. I understand his defensive game hasn’t been where it needs to be but, at the same time, he is managing to produce from the depths of the lineup and produce more regularly than some lauded players that have been playing almost exclusively with a leading Hart Trophy (and Rocket RIchard and Art Ross) candidate.
The lauded players play a 200ft game while Jinner plays a 30ft game that isn’t dominate enough to trumpet those that back check and play responsible.
Jeff Skinner is not a bad hockey player – tremendous hands and agility. But he is a bad fit for the Oiler’s lineup – poor straight ahead speed, gets knocked off the puck a lot, and play often dies on his stick. He needs to be placed in high leverage offensive situations to be most effective, and there are more talented players ahead of him on the depth chart for those situations.
He’s been passed on the winger depth chart by both Podkolzin and Kapanen, both of whom bring elements that Skinner does not (hitting and speed, respectively).
Arvidsson when healthy is an aggravating player to play against, and is a better forechecker, and proven playoff scorer. Kane will be slotted ahead of Skinner when he returns to the lineup and brings elements to the lineup that are important in playoffs (hitting, intimidation, thuggery) and is a proven playoff scorer (when healthy). Corey Perry brings the same elements in a lesser but no less important fashion. Derek Ryan is much maligned but he has been a right handed face-off ace and still kills penalties.
With a healthy lineup, Skinner is a 4th line winger on the Oilers or in the press box. I’m not sure that’s what he envisioned when signing up to play with the Oilers, and I don’t think the Oilers would have signed him if they knew he was going to end up on the fringes of their roster … hind sight of course is 20/20, and I’m not blaming anyone for the current situation.
Maybe Jeff Skinner is happy to get a chance to play for a Cup and is content with playing whatever role is required of him (and even spend time in the press box). So far he’s been a good soldier and I wish they’d play him on PP1 when that unit needs to change up its look.
But maybe he still wants to secure another contract. As it is, with the season he’s having, he’s going to have to accept a minimum salary 1 year deal or maybe even a PTO next season. Maybe he would accept a trade to a team that needs scoring punch, and will play him more so he can put up some counting stats before becoming a UFA again.
With all the talk about Edmonton acquiring Savard from Montreal. I was thinking I wouldn’t be against trading Skinner to Les Canadiens if they would retain $500,000 so the cap hits are equal. Another 34 year old bearded wonder might work fine.
I do not want David Savard on this team, not even a little bit.
Older, slower version of Ceci. Why not just get Cody back?
The man can score he’ll still get his 20 as a whipping boy and he’ll score some big goals come Playoff. Skinner will go from Zero to Hero Booook It…….
His track record shows he tends to go from hero to zero but maybe he’s doing things backwards this time.
Which historical events are you referring to?
Not sure what you’re talking about but I’m referring to Jeff Skinners tracks record of starting strong and ending up in the coaches doghouse.
Common knowledge for anyone who followed his career.
Fair enough, JSkinner has found himself at odds with a few coaches frustrated by him.
Henrique’s production has been well below reasonable projections, however, if he’s going to help with a 67% goal share from the third line, well, I have no issues. I see Henrique as a guy that is going to score a couple big goals in the playoffs, like he did last season, even if the numbers are where we hope they would be.