The Edmonton Oilers are home and dry, but the roster is not intact. Injuries and illness have impacted the defense, to the point an emergency recall of Cam Dineen was required in front of tonight’s game. Dineen came over from the Coyotes at the deadline two years ago. If he plays tonight, it’ll be his first NHL appearance since 2021-22.
Dineen is technically the Michael Kesselring return, but that’s unfair to the player. If this situation took place a week from now, Travis Dermott might have been the recall. He has yet to play for the Condors after being reclaimed off waivers.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN MARCH
- On the road to: CAR (Expected 0-0-1) (Actual 1-0-0)
- At home to: ANA, MTL, DAL (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: BUF, NJD, NYI, NYR (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: UTA, WPG, SEA, DAL (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: SEA (Expected 0-0-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: CGY (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected results: 7-5-2, 16 points in 14 games
- March result: 1-0-0
- Oilers in 2024-25: 35-21-4, 74 points in 60 games
I have tonight as a win, but the injury/illness combined with ‘first game back at home’ syndrome could be factors. Connor McDavid had his “Mr. Bo-Dangles” brilliance back against Carolina, maybe he has a monster game. It’s well past time for the most brilliant hockey player on the planet.
TRADE DEADLINE
All kinds of goofy going on around the Oilers as the deadline approaches. Everybody has an NMC it seems, and that’s a problem. Even if the Oilers can find a new hockey home for Evander Kane, Viktor Arvidsson or (unlikely) Jeff Skinner, it would come at an extra asset cost.
This team is loaded for bear, and should be looking at two or even three moves. If trading the NMC’s doesn’t work, then Stan Bowman might have to trade something that isn’t nailed down.
In terms of future value, I would list Evan Bouchard, Matt Savoie, Brett Kulak, Ty Emberson, Vasily Podkolzin, Troy Stecher, Calvin Pickard as players the organization should keep.
What’s left? Well, aside from the three horsemen (Arvidsson, Skinner and Kane), I think the 2026 first-round pick and 2025 picks of value (currently, Nos. 42, 74) will be in play. I suspect Sam O’Reilly is a keeper, the two-way center is Rick Pracey’s first selection as Oilers scouting director. Historically, the Oilers have been patient with those men, and with good reason. Kevin Lowe, Ales Hemsky, Jordan Eberle, Connor McDavid, Dylan Holloway have all turned out well or better over the years.
I like Beau Akey as a possible trade piece, but it’s uncertain how much value he would bring. Same thing for Maxim Berezkin, who is a legit big winger with skill in the KHL. A Euro-savvy NHL general manager might know that Samuel Jonsson is spiking in the Allsvenskan, maybe there’s an option there.
On the subject of Oilers draft picks, Raphael Lavoie is giving off some Jean-Francois Jacques vibes. He’s played in eight games with VGK, and has yet to post any points. Now at 15 NHL games without a crooked boxcar number, the ghost of JFJ is beginning to stir. Tremble time.
At noon today, we will be on the air on Sports 1440. Lowdown’s feature guest will be Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic, and we’ll talk trade deadline and the news surrounding Kane and Arvidsson. Donovan Paulson joins the party, so expect strong opinions and a general mocking of the Blue Jays. 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.
New for The Athletic: Who says no? Evaluating 20 Edmonton Oilers trade proposals, from goalie swaps to Brad Marchand
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6172895/2025/03/04/oilers-trade-proposals-2025/
The play of this team has really plummeted since the addition of Klingberg. He hadn’t been great in his own zone but I couldn’t possibly pin all of this on him.
Their back end is hot garbage right now
I thought he had a good game last night.
Knobby just said “Fragile” again. Maybe tomorrow’s blog is ‘Roundabout.’
Pretty sure all of us are Close to the Edge.
Time to get going? How Soon is Now
I keep hearing the Oilers are sniffing around Gibson in Anaheim or Binnington in STL.
If we get a goalie out of ANA, I’d rather we asked for the better goalie in Dostal or, if we’re gambling, take a run at Arvid Soderblom out of CHI
I caught the start and family made the rest on and off, thankfully
So highlights came on and to me again at least two goals that need to be saved. SV% says so, the two are far down the league. SV% over time is the story
The deflation from weak goals was obvious in Nuge’s presser. It is ruining their morale it happens so often
There might not be an answer this season. But someone needs to light a fire under this veteran team with superstars
Knoblauch seems as demoralized as the players. The boss needs to be pissd off at this point. They know he cares. Now they need to know he wants it as bad as them and will do what it takes. As they should want to
The geriatrics movement this summer has really blown up.
What a depressing stretch of games.
The no movement clauses are being taken literally.
Not to state the obvious, but I think this team is in trouble. The bottom 6 forwards just do cardio and the defense and goaltending have fallen off a cliff.
Dostal doesn’t “have their number”, Louie.
He didn’t need to. They were MIA most of the night.
I haven’t seen a goalie take game from them in years. Except ours from us
I wonder if it’s a bit of a morale issue. The Oilers being too much about McDavid and Draisaitl, not enough about the team.
Went way too quietly after the first.
The main reason they are getting punked by s playing too slowly. Being slow skating doesn’t help
It’s the problem in the PP. They need far more tempo. That’s how the Ducks scored, attack hard and make shots fast
As it always has been forever
is by
Slow, lazy passing, poor coverage.
Not sure you can acquire all of what is needed at the deadline to fix this
Nope. Lots of work needs to be done in off season. No move contracts will be a problem.
Not that it really matters this game (ya can’t go down 5 against Dostal, just can’t), but that was a brutal non call on the hook. McDavid can’t buy a call these days.
The Oilers might have the weakest sticks in the league. Can’t stop passes can’t make them
That’s a weak penalty call.
Sometimes people need a straight up challenge, tough talk. It’s time Knoblauch. Being team Dad is AHL stuff. Time to go full Winston Churchill
Also clearly a goalie is needed. Can’t blame horrendous SV% on the skaters all of the time. That’s why I look at league rankings. Compared to peers. Most teams have issues
IMO it’s pretty clear the team was playing awful D. If the Oilers can get a great goaltender with little short or long-term sacrifice, great. But their problems lie elsewhere.
Given the defensive stats they aren’t being hung to dry. They just can’t make saves consistently
Deflates the team. Bcs over time, mentally a killer
Awful clearing attempts. Poor d-zone passing. People not receiving reasonably-good passes when they are made.
Respectfully, the turnovers, the lack of a backcheck has been going on for about 15+ games now. They are giving up grade A chances with poor attention to details. They don’t make it hard for the other team to get to scoring areas and they are turning pucks over consistently.
Yes, the goalies could make a couple more saves, but they’re having to make a lot of saves because right now, this is a very bad defensive team.
Think about it as goals against average versus save percentage. The Oilers give up among the least high danger chances against. Our goalies should be league top in SV%. Goals against average reflects the team play
I don’t believe that’s correct. Carolina gives up the fewest, while right now, the Oilers are giving up the most at 2.86 high danger chances against the rush per game.
True but SV% has been mediocre at best all season
If McDavid gets two natural hat-tricks in one period, this’ll be a game.
Nice goal.
Oh my, a goal.
I hear the new Daredevil series is good.
Does anyone have a Time Machine? I want to go back to 1968 London.
The 90’s in NY were pretty fun, too.
Yikes Leon -4 after two.
I remember only a few weeks ago people talking about him being such a complete player and so defensively responsible.
Hopefully this pooping of the pants is cleaned-out tonight.
This team has gone from must-see to barely watchable.
Switched to watching the Briar after first period. Seems it was the right call.
Before that Gudas event with Hyman, Bouchard had such a big giveaway the Ducks flubbed the attack — it was too severe a change in expectations, they short-circuited.
Blackadder tactics. A cunning plan
Arvy’s best play of the year….. sigh.
Odd that Jack seems surprised at how good Dostal is – this is known, no?
Why would McD want to resign with this organization?
McDavid has 77 points and is a +1 this season. With all due respect, he is as much a part of the problem this season as anyone else. And that is from one of his biggest fans. He needs to elevate his line, that is what he is being paid to do.
Such a flake. We were 1 game away from a cup, we lost in round 2 to the champs, followed by round 3 to the champs followed by round 4 to the champs. How how many teams have been better than us over the course of the last 4 years?
But we hit a rough patch and you’re excusing our players from resigning? Thats it, we are a just a bad team? How short is your memory? We were first in the division like 7 or 8 games ago. Did i dream all of that?
Hyman gets a forearm shiver from Gudas, and no one does a damn thing.
Hyman is far bigger, maybe he should do something
Absolutely! Don’t stand up for yourself when you’re a big player! Or anyone else!
Not like it’s the NHL!!
This team is putrid … can’t score, can’t defend, can’t hit, can’t make a save.
They’re losing to teams that the Flames are beating right now. They’re going to be looking up at the Flames in the standings soon if they keep this up.
Not a contender.
Imagine trading for Frederic, and sending mostly nothing. Incomprehensible
I don’t think I have ever been more disappointed in an Oilers team.
In the decade of darkness my expectations were low. and were generally met.
I literally have no idea what to expect from this team anymore. We have gone from general game domination for a good chunk of this season, to being consistently porous and impotent for 10 games.
The product is awful to watch right now. Not much more to say
Lazy Leon on the backtrack!
He’s been a primary culprit on 3 goals. Not only him, but there’s no effort on defense.
I get that Nurse jumped in cheating for offense but Leon saw Strome with enough time, he literally hoped the pass wouldn’t get thru and McD was the “dman” in the corner to prevent the pass. Not sure who was secondary culprit(s) there
We want 10. They deserve the shit kicking tonight…
Strome puts it home on pass from Lacombe
I wonder if one of McDavid’s problems isn’t just consistently taking too-long shifts.
Until this team plays together in structure and effort this is what we will get regardless of what tender comes in. We have seen them do it but not lately. Forwards all need to help in the D zone and D have to be better positionally. Sigh, maybe they are incapable and I think i there def is some personnel issues on D especially but man, we have seen them play better.
Dostal is a really good goalie. I would trade Bouchard for him. I doubt Anaheim would accept.
He is very quick
Ripped that PK apart. 4 pylons
Wow that’s is just such a dumb penalty.
so i gotta watch arvidson skate around the net for another year? wow useless
Nobody is leading this team
Ruderless. Can’t trade all of the players
Especially after the idiot sticks gave all of the forwards clauses
Well, I’m glad Stan blew his load on any injured 4th line winger who may or may not be available for the playoffs. All that on-paper truculence is certainly what this roster needed.
Definitely Armchair
Well, is it going to be a comeback that gets this team back in playoff mode, or is it going to be an embarrassing loss against a bottom feeder that destroys morale?
To be fair I don’t see Ducks as a bottom feeder. They are at 500 on the season and have some good young players. Can’t see Dostal letting in 4 goals though. Come back would be awesome but unlikely.
Yah Dostal has shut these guys down before. I’d bet more on the lead widening based on the continuation of free shots from the slot
Well… that escalated quickly.
This team is officially in free fall.
Feel free to down vote.
Well, a few hours ago you were all about Pickard being the go to guy. So own up.
Sure. I also wondered why they were so keen to jettison Ken Holland, the only GM since Sather who gave the team stability and look where that got me.
sure hope there’s some cameras recording the behind the scenes crash outs that Pickards play is causing tonight.
sorry but its not all on him… the D zone is a mess… he won the last game for them, he cant do it every game, he is a backup goalie
That was one of the worst periods all season in their zone. Forwards not working back, letting Anaheim get to the tough areas uncontested. Puck staring. I mean, just brutal.
Veteran team with poise, not…….
Need our starter to come in and shut the door
This is the kind of goaltending and defence that gets coaches fired.
Then Nurse puck watching on what should have been goal 5. Just awful defence
4 five on five goals against just brutal