This is Ziggy during last spring’s Staney Cup Final. She was intense. She devoted herself to the Oilers victory, barking with more torque at my neighbour John (who is the nicest man, I don’t know why she barks at him). She walked with more vigor, sniffed all the fire hydrants with abandon, and generally breathed, ate, drank and smoked the final.
This spring, Ziggy seems indifferent to the Oilers. When they play, she starts the game in her usual perch (sitting on the coyote blanket, which used to be mine) and watches closely. By the middle of the first period, her eyes get heavy and she’s pretty much toast by the end of 20.
I don’t think Ziggy is alone.
The Oilers are not doing much with urgency these days. It feels like they’ve pulled the chute on the regular season. Which is fine, but the LAK lost last night, and a win by the Oilers would have made the rest of the schedule very interesting.
Oh well, at least the coach can fade Jeff Skinner on the power play. The Oilers, right now, are weird. Real weird.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN APRIL
- On the road to: VEG, SJS, LAK, ANA (Expected 2-2-0) (Actual 2-2-0)
- At home to: STL, SJS (Expected 1-0-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: WPG (Expected 0-1-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: LAK (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- On the road to: SJS (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected results: 5-3-1, 11 points in 9 games
- April result: 2-2-0
- Current record: 44-28-5, 93 points in 77 games
If the Oilers had grabbed two points last night, Edmonton would be two points behind the Kings, both teams having five to play. Connor Brown received more power-play time than Zach Hyman and Jeff Skinner.
I think the coaching staff has either checked out on the season or are worried about sideburns. Two points still counts two points. I don’t understand. What’s more, this kind of deployment is extremely likely to bleed into the postseason.
THE NUMBERS
The Oilers did a good job on SA and HDSC-A, but there were opportunities missed and mistakes made. Now, I know the referees were terrible, and Olivier Rodrigue did not steal the game, but two goals by this group isn’t a great result. The team had 7:28 of power-play time, and two HD scoring chances. Wow. Putting a big man in front of the net, crashing the net, creating traffic when the puck is shot from the point (as in the second goal) needed to be a bigger part of that 7:28 in my opinion.
The script needs a tweak. This team seems to be waiting for the Glimmer Twins and the rest of the injured folks to return. That includes the coaching staff. Opportunity was there last night, the Oilers shrugged.
On the Lowdown today (noon, Sports 1440), we’ll talk to Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic about the Oilers future. Can you play an indifferent style that reminds one of cold porridge and then turn it up to 11 on demand? We’ll ask. 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.
I’ve been pondering if Bouchard will be traded. Looking at the potential salary cap next season, space it looks dismal. They will have to move out some salary to field a full roster.
I wonder if Buffalo would give up Owen Power+ for him. A Dahlin-Bouchard pairing might excite them.
He leads the league in zone exit metrics and has several great underlying numbers. That would be all LHD in the top 4. Yikes!
Who would be onboard with such a trade?
+ yes, – no
With Bouchard’s value as low as it will likely be this offseason (barring a strong playoff performance), I doubt the “+” in a trade for Owen Power+ is going to be a significant player/asset, and wouldn’t make the trade when Bouchard’s value is that low.
I hate bridge contracts but it might make the most sense for team and player this offseason to sign a short (1 or 2 year) deal, even if it means watching Bouchard leave as a UFA for nothing if they don’t trade him before that deal expires.
I wonder how much of the rationale for the Walman trade was a viable Plan B if Bouchard isn’t on the roster next year…
Bakersfield signs Rhett Pitlick, who just finished his collegiate career at Minnesota State.
Was originally a Habs pick in 2019.
The 5th round pick the Habs used was originally the Oiler’s pick from the Hayden Hawkey trade in 2018. I guess full circle.. or something.
Hayden Hawkey has had the most unfortunate career for a guy that was great in college and drafted into the NHL and traded for by another NHL team. Somehow, the Oilers traded for him in his third year of college (2018) but didn’t sign him in 2019. The Washington Capitals signed him to a PTO during training camp that year but he ended up being the number 3 (!) goalie on Calgary’s ECHL team playing a whole three games. Then he bounced around 3 ECHL teams in 2020-21 before being one of nine (!) goalies to play for the ECHL Reading Royals in 2021-22. Now he is in his third season playing pretty well in Italy (!) in the Alps Hockey League (did have to Google that one).
Watched Hawkey play for Cortina in the Alps League over New Year’s. Small crowd but fun environment. Beautiful part of the world to spend some time playing hockey.
Father – Lance
Brother – Rem
Cousin – Tyler
Small guy, but led his team in scoring by 8 points and was +32 in 39 games, also leading his team.
The #2 scorer, Josh Groll, is playing in Fort Wayne and has 2 goals in 3 games. I wonder if they will be reunited in Bakersfield?
Not sure if anyone else pointed this out but Jesse is back playing in the NHL. Tonight is is second game filling in for the injury depleted Panthers. Pretty sure there were some comments on here that said his NHL career was dead. The patient still has a faint pulse apparently.
We are still ahead of Florida in the standings.
Both depleted cup finalists. One is getting kicked out in the first round, the other people believe will whoop Toronto round 1 if they slip to a wildcard.
Fans gonna fan.
I think both are in some trouble. And it’s no coincidence.
McDavid looked like a ghost of a human this summer. I’m not sure his energy stores ever returned after the run and then the wedding.
Hope is fan rocket fuel.
However, most betting sites have Florida as #2 favourites and Edmonton is anywhere from 6th to 8th to win Stanley at least at the 4 sites I looked at.
Wish Jesse all the best, always liked him and thought he could carve out an NHL career. Panthers are dealing with a ton of injuries and I doubt he gets any action in the playoffs if they get back to near full strength
For all the bad vibes (currently and over the season), for all the underperforms players, for all the adversity, for all the “blah”, this team may have available to it something no other team does – that is two of the top playoff producers of all time and one of the top performing playoff d-men of all time.
Maybe it doesn’t happen but for years running we’ve seen what McDavid, Drai and Bouchard can do in the playoffs.
Yes, this incudes Bouchard who was elite 2-ways during last year’s playoffs and, the year before, he led d-men in scoring by 5 points – and only played 2 rounds.
Maybe McDavid and Drai will be 100% health and actually fresh and rested and raring to go?
This is not even mentioning prior playoff heaters of Evander Kane (1st year) and Hyman (most goals in decades last playoffs).
Even the likes of Brown and Janmark were much more impactful last playoffs than on the regular season.
It’s a new effing season. We’ve seen many times that what happened in the regular season is often meaningless
I do hope our mash unit gets at least a couple games in before the playoffs begin so they’re up to speed as it’s hard to just turn on the faucet. I’m already getting pumped we are so lucky to have hopefully Leon-Connor-Bouchard for the next 10 playoff runs.
Of note:
The Montreal Canadians have signed Ivan Demidov after the end of his KHL contract.
@frank_seravalli
Habs have signed Ivan Demidov to his entry-level contract after leading KHL’s SKA in assists and points this season.
His contract begins now and he’s eligible to participate in the playoffs.
Denezkin?
Denezkin is not an NHL player.
I suspect you were thinking about a bigger and better Russian Oilers Draft pick.
Who will be eligible to sign on June 1 – he’s still playing in the KHL playoffs I believe.
Is it a sure thing that Noah Philip getting the emergency recall means McDavid(or Drai or Frederic) aren’t playing tomorrow? Or are we just using the emergency recall as a means to make sure we aren’t playing short handed tomorrow in case someone still can’t go?
I.e do we HAVE to use the recall when it happens??
Asking for someone who has tickets to the game tomorrow..
You don’t have to use the recall but that would mean that the other player is good to go and Philp would have to be immediately reassigned to Bako.
So yes, it is insurance if the roster would be less than 18-6-2
It could be a “just in case” but they likely wouldn’t have made it official until tomorrow if there was any doubt.
Perhaps McDavid is ready to go put Podz or Perry aren’t feeling great today?
I think they are giving McDavid and Ek another game.
At the macro level I genuinely believe by the tone of several posters here and elsewhere (x is all bots) that while they absolutely care alot, deep down they want to see this team fail. It will vindicate their disbelief in whatever whipping boy/coaches/decisions. Failure has become a familiar friend of the franchise (say that 5 times fast). There’s a deep trauma in a portion of the fanbase even a Cup likely won’t fix. We were promised a dynastic run and haven’t got there.
At the micro, there’s not really an excuse for some of the paltry back pressure from the forwards that left Evan ‘not great even with a strong gap’ exposed. NHL forwards with that kind of time can make even great defenders seem miniscule (see Reilly, Morgan via 97).
Some say you can’t turn it on for the playoffs but the last 10 game records of cup winners doesn’t really reflect that. Some limp to the barn and turn it on. Precarious position these days. Light a candle for health.
Who promised a dynastic run?
I think many just assumed one.
Not literally quoted. Mcdavid and the success of true generational talents before him have always won the Cup. Usually more than once to go with other accolades. Bobby. Gretz. Lemieux. Sid. After that it’s subjective like Ovi imo. True game definers win.
This is so far more Manning than Brady.
Winning a cup isn’t inevitable and pre-degermines just because you get a generational talent.
All those players had tremendous teams built around them.
This isnt even Manning, he at least won a cup. This is Dan Marino or Philip Rivers so far
Speaking for myself I want to see this team win a cup (obviously lol) and I’m not hoping for failure, but “what I want to happen” and “what I think is going to happen” are not always the same thing, and I don’t feel as good about this team’s chances as I did about the team the two previous years.
Yeah, the Dan Marino comp is the worry. The Dolphins were always good…but never great.
Made one superbowl but lost, bunch of playoff appearances but fewer than you’d expect given their star QB … eerily similar story so far…
“Winning a cup isn’t inevitable and pre-degermines just because you get a generational talent.”
I didn’t say that. I said all teams that have had a generational talent have won the cup. And they have. 97 is the outlier if he wants to be considered in that grouping.
“This isnt even Manning, he at least won a cup. This is Dan Marino or Philip Rivers so far”
Sure.
Clattenburg to the IR – don’t know what’s wrong.
Remove him and Philp from the weekend’s depleted roster.
Welcome to Oiler pro hockey!
I have been concerned with 5v5 scoring for a couple of seasons. It started because I didn’t like how snake bit they could be against certain teams, and I didn’t see a tactical response that worked. This is based on having the best and another top forward and more, they shouldn’t have such a hard time, and they aren’t built to be a checking slog it out team and hope for a 1 goal win. It happens, but it shouldn’t be the goal
It’s a strategic mistake, it’s been the mantra of the coaches they chose. McLellan having the best team over a long period couldn’t get the job done in SJ, and he couldn’t figure it out with the Oilers either. Or the Kings. When you have a generational it’s more complicated than just reduce GA and boom Connor wins it!
23/24 5v5 the Oilers were 3rd GF 8th GA, LA was 21st GF 5th GA. The Oilers couldn’t outscore them in playoffs really 5v5, it was the PP. That isn’t good with such a talent advantage, even if the reg season stats say the Oilers were far better offensively. The eye test said they had issues still in certain conditions
24/25 the Oilers are 13th GF and 23rd GA, LA 10 GF 2 GA. LA has a new coach and Knobby has his full system in, as coaches brought in during the season don’t change everything as he said he didn’t
Hmmm. PP has been worse from 4th in 24 to 9th in 25. PK from 15th to 25th. Despite the Finals hangover, this is a full season of regression. I think they have better players this season than last, and there have been some injuries and in 24 were pretty healthy until playoffs
But it is still a worrying trend. So many players that stayed off their games except Leo. Players they just won’t use enough or in the right way
As I’ve mentioned I track 13 teams every game for a group of stats, so I see how other teams do and can see back to backs etc. Every team has rough patches, but often get through a tough schedule fine. The Oilers and Wild show up worst in many things I look at
This group should be more and better than they are, there is a lot of talent. They should have been before. For me it seems like a coaching issue, again. Defensive play is critical, but just dialing it down to that is unsophisticated. And it’s boring to play. It seems they need a different personality and approach to the roster
I’ll add I was hopeful at first with KK and PC, but it has eroded
The Oilers are playing a KK/Connor Brown brand of hockey (low event/shot suppression) when 97 and 29 aren’t on the ice, and are expecting 97/29 to be the team’s offense.
Sort of like the early 2000s 76ers that tried to win a championship with Allen Iverson and 4 guys whose job it was to play defense. Except instead of a “Dikembe Mutombo as a C”-level goaltender we have Skinner/Pickard….
Yes they are, and I think that’s a problem in how they are trying to do that. Part of it is the roster construction, but the coach has to play the hand he’s given, not one that won a few years ago in a different casino
It reminds me of Ken Hitchcocks stint as coach.
Ughhhhh
How about many of the players they brought in are not as good as they once were. Same for some of the players that were here. Age is a factor. Injuries are a factor. Motivation is a factor to and some of these new family men may have lost a bit of that competitive edge.
Management built the team based on ceilings and didn’t consider their floors.
I’m sure they’re just blaming the players behind closed doors
Oilers down to a -5 5v5 goal differential this year (19th). Their 32 regulation wins are 2nd-fewest among Western Conference playoff teams (STL has 31), and at least seven fewer than every other non-Wild Card WC playoff team. Their Goal Differential Above Expected is negative 32.19 (29th) and their PDO is 98.18 (28th).
This year’s Oilers are great at limiting shots against and winning the possession battle, but are below average in terms of finishing those chances and stopping the chances they give up. They rely on keeping the game close and letting their best players win the game for them in 3-on-3.
This does not seem like a recipe for post-season success. Here’s hoping that come playoff time Jones/Kapanen are in the PB c, KK plays Skinner with some skill, and Brown/Janmark are on a 4th/”checking” line with Henrique.
If we had top 10 goaltending we would be looking at a couple of cups already. Is there anything about the Oilers that you like? When the Oilers win do you get any pleasure? I’ve been following this team since the Alberta Oilers days we are due for some luck from the hockey Gods this playoff.
In saying that even with our Shakey’s Goaltending woes I’m still up for $200 Mojo’s to charity that Oilers win round 1 as road warriors against the superior L.A Kings.
Lol I’ve been a fan of this team my entire life of course I’m happy when they win, I’m just not optimistic to the point of self-deception when this team looks much worse than last year’s group. Most people over-estimate the probability of their preferred outcomes, and I think anyone who can’t acknowledge that the issues with this team compared to previous years’ squads is off base.
I do agree something does seem amiss since the break. When Leon signed I thought there was a 90% chance Connor would follow suit now I’m starting to wonder. This team is definitely being led by Leon I don’t know what’s up with Connor but he’s definitely been Leon’s wingman this year.
There’s just to many guys that need to revert to old/predicted form to expect a marked improvement in play in the playoffs in a few weeks.
I think the opposition sees a wounded animal and is coming in for the kill
CoH saw the goals largely like I did but for one. For those that haven’t used it, Goal Visualizer at NHL really helps see what happened better than how plays look live. You can see where the breakdowns occur and it’s easier to see who started the ball rolling the wrong way, and how the other players reacted to that
For defensmen and goalies a lot of problems start with forwards making a bad play and it ends up making them look bad
I am amazed how much damage Kap can cause, last night with 2nd lowest F TOI and -3. Jones as well with lowest TOI. There is no way Philp isn’t at least as good and also has size and can skate. RS C to boot. This is DoD level decision making
This is bang on.
Forwards that don’t backcheck hard/make smart neutral zone plays make D/goalies look worse.
Part of my job as a defenceman is to be in position relative to the forwards and the play, and bail them out should that be necessary. Very rarely is it truly the attackers’ fault. I as a defender have a job to do.
All the best guys I played with had that mental approach and accountability.
For sure, but when your in D zone and the RW floats to the boards as the play is moving to the centre, and then the LD now has a lane to the net or a direct shot, and the LW is now below you, what then? That happened to Bouch, I though he did pretty well as the puck went weak side instead
Pod doesn’t get out of position and there is no play, let alone a 2 on 1 isolation on the RD. Or when F1 doesn’t make the right read backtracking and isolates a D who is left with no good move
Of course the D wear a lot of their mistakes, but Oiler forwards lately aren’t pulling their weight IMO
I’m certain Kap is one of the shiniest appearing below nhl replacement level players i have ever seen.
Do folks think the Oilers are a well-run franchise? Not just “is the current GM good” but in a deeper/organizational sense, do you have faith in the people responsible for coming up with a vision and long term plan, and choosing the people who you trust to execute that vision (i.e. GM, coach, players).
I feel like the answer to that question is “No” for me. Lucking into McDavid gave the entire organization hope/potential but I feel like it’s been squandered in some respects. Not just poor decisions in free agency/trades, but in choosing who to trust with McDavid’s career. You don’t need to have a good organization with strong leadership to win a championship, but it sure helps.
This year the decision-making, from the top down to the coaching staff, has been uninspiring. Jeff Jackson’s brief period as interim GM and the difficult cap position he put the team in by prioritizing veterans/NMCs over the next developing wave of talent, the decision to hire another “big name, won a cup” GM with a track record of questionable moves later in their tenure, the weird handling of injured players/the cap situation all year, Knoblauch’s baffling lineup decisions, the overpayment for an injured Frederic – it all makes me feel like the people responsible for making decisions are not the people I want making decisions.
I’d feel a lot better if next year they started with a clean slate at the top, getting rid of Bob Nicholson and any other old Hockey Canada folks, Jeff Jackson, etc. and find an “up and coming”/fresh perspective at the top. Doubt it happens, but maybe a bad early playoff exit forces some changes. More likely outcome is significant roster turnover which may not be a bad thing, but the concern there is a high-value player gets moved for a lackluster return.
I don’t think they have been well run. It shouldn’t take a decade with Connor and Leo to get to “still not a good enough supporting cast’. Wrong vision. Jackson isn’t going anywhere though, and him there means Burgers is a stuffed and mounted cat
Hopefully Bowman improves everything below himself. Development has been poor, too many whiffs in the higher draft, can’t find the right coaches it looks like again
The major indictment of successive management teams is that have been unable to cash in during the prime years of two of the best players on the planet.
Going into the offseason, they have only $13.5 million in cap space but….
They have to re-sign Bouchard.
They have to replace:
Jeff Skinner
Corey Perry
Connor Brown
Kasperi Kapanen
Trent Frederic
Ty Emberson/John Klingberg
If we assume filling each of those roster spots @ $1 million that leaves only $7.5 million for Bouchard which likely won’t be enough.
Some folks think a solution is trading Evander Kane and freeing up another $5.1 million but then you have to replace him..at what cost both in terms of cap and whatever assets it takes to get rid of that contract.
While all this is going on, draft capital is near zero and the prospect pool is depleted to close to league worst.
Adding to the tale of woe is that the lineup next season will again be the oldest in the league with 13 players in their 30’s several of whom are already exhibiting signs of age-related decline.
None of the remaining prospects are hitting it out of the park and, even if they did, their ELC cap hits are close to $1 million so there is little to be gained by their insertion to replace those listed above.
And, as the cap rises, replacing any of them will only become more expensive on the free agent market while the Oilers have 8 picks in the next two drafts (zero firsts and only one second).
An upgrade in goal would also seem prudent but where is the money going to come from?
It ain’t pretty.
Kane is on an expiring contract and at a reasonable cap hit for a player of his stature.
When you say “get rid of that contract” there is quite a lot of hyperbole at work, correct?
Your naysaying about the Oiler hinges on this specious point.
They have and continue to be very poorly run. I thought JJ would help but I am not sure anymore.
The GM hiring process was telegraphed as per usual.
It’s a good question. My answer would have to be historically, no, but maybe that is changing?
The front office turns over so fast and so often that it turns into more of an evaluation on the owner. I think DK (not sure if his name still alerts the sentry bots) had a very rough start as the Oilers’ owner and is finding his way. The massive turnover reflects badly on him. I’m not sure what the average lifespan of a GM or coach has been under him. The only constant has been change. I get the impression that early on, the owner had a lot of say in getting “his guy” in there. Nicholson, Tambellini and Chiarelli are examples of this. The smart move is to hand the reigns over to a subject matter expert and let them have control. The owner’s responsibility is to get the right guy there. It’s far too early to make that call one way or the other on Jackson.
One big tick in favour of the Oilers being a well-run organization is that, however you may have gotten them, there is a top-5 all time player and another 1st ballot Hall of Famer who are going to play their entire careers in Edmonton (unless McDavid pulls off the biggest player negotiation shock of the millennium and leaves). That’s never happened. Gretzky and Messier didn’t even play half of their careers here. With 31 other destinations and the amount of money in game now, that’s a huge damn deal.
It’s a results business and it’s going to come down to championships. Zero cups probably makes the Oilers a de facto badly run organization. Two or more makes them good. One is open for debate. This year is a microcosm of that. Everyone says Jackson’s stint as interim GM was bad, because people feel bad about where the team is right now. If the Oilers win it all this year, it will be remembered as brilliant.
I think there’s been continuity above the GM level that creates some concern for how well-run the team is. Lowe/Nicholson were Chairman/Vice-Chairman of the Hockey Ops department until their respective retirements. MacT was in the mix until he left. It’s been JJs show since 2023 and it doesn’t seem like there’s much support/vision beyond that.
I don’t “drafting two really good players” make you a well-run organization, particularly when one of them was a clear #1 overall pick everyone knew was a generational talent. Keeping them on the team is a good thing, but the standard that we judge an organization by shouldn’t be “your best players don’t immediately leave for greener pastures the second they’re able to”.
I worry that DK is still obsessed with finding “the guy” and giving one decision maker total control/free-reign over decision-making without creating the infrastructure/brain trust to chart a long-term vision for the franchise and build a deep management bench that leads to better organizational decisions.
I can tell you with authority that Quinn Hughes hosts first responders at Canucks home games.
Hughes, like his teammates, is also heavily involved in the long running Canucks for Kids charity which has raised tens of millions for the benefit of sick and disadvantaged children throughout BC.
Suggesting there was no public money involved in funding the Oilers arena is farcical.
I do not think you should be evaluating whether a franchise is well run with reference to charity/PR work off the ice.
Personally I’d take on-ice success and winning over 50/50s and community outreach. Your priorities may differ but I want to see my favorite team win a cup in my lifetime…
Also if the standard we are judging the current organization by is “owner is not a crook who sold players to cover his business misadventures” that’s a pretty low bar …
Also what kind of revisionist history is this “no public money” BS, the arena’s owned by the city and the oilers are leasing it from the city for about 1/3 of what it cost to build …
The only goal that Bouch cost was getting walked. The other two were on Kulak and forwards
His weak attempt at a clear right up the middle of the ice directly leading to the first goal is not on him?
Rod didn’t eat the puck and Bouch should have perhaps made a different play to behind the net, but the puck was bouncing and there were two Ducks right in on him. He tried to hit it up to clear the zone but a Duck got a glove on it and it bounced down to the point
They were still in good shape if Kulak or Jones covered Gauthier
That was on Rodrigue who couldn’t handle a mens’ league floater from the point without traffic and bounced the rebound in to the slot.
Maybe you don’t pin it directly on him, but he sure aint helping.
Yes as I said he might have knocked the puck behind the net but before I responded to Skating I looked at the replay, and the puck was bouncing. There wasn’t time and perhaps his reaction was that it was safer to bat it up and out (and he got full contact to his credit) than try to knock it down and back with two guys right on him
If he was more physical he might have sheltered the puck with his body to gain some time to corral it, but again split second decision. And he probably would have got flattened but take a hit for the team. Could have been better for sure
I’m a Ziggy. Oil have rarely looked interested to me so I haven’t been much interested. I’ll have the game on sure, PVR it even, but half the time it’s just background noise while I do other things.
e.g. nap on the couch.
There’s rarely a better use of your time than a nap on the couch. +1
I’m with Ziggy, except have been feeling this way over the course of the whole season. Expectations are the Stanley Cup after going to game 7 last season.
This season I have probably watched less Oilers games compared to every other season since McDavid arrived. In the games I do watch, it feels like:
McDavid has been bizarro McDavid.
Draisaitl is always a good watch, but it’s unfortunate he hasn’t found consistent line mates that can bring more out of him.
The Oilers are not playing the youth.
Ekholm has been off for a good chunk of the season.
The other vets look like they are coasting or still finding their footing.
S. Skinner and Pickard have as many nights stealing games as games where they are getting blown out, and everything in between seems average at best.
Bouchard Baubles are still a thing and the Bouchbomb has been nonexistent this year.
This isn’t to say I think they will get eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs or anything, they can still win it all. It’s just been a disappointing and at times, boring season to watch.
Hope they’re saving it all for the playoffs and everyone can be close to full health.
Bouchard appearing to have next to no confidence in his shot is impacting this year more than a lot of people are noticing.
Having that problem-solver in the bag of tricks is a big damn deal. It is mostly absent.
Part of the current issue is there is very little youth to play. Usually, a team will have 3-4 young guns playing lower down the lineup i.e. Holloway, Broberg, McLeod. We don’t have any in lineup at the moment.
This is also why it is a hard team to cheer for without our superstars. I really don’t care if Brown gets another goal. I’d rather watch a young kid starting to realize his potential.
One of the signs of a poorly run baseball team is signing past-their-prime veterans who underperform while blocking young players and taking away at-bats those young players need in order to develop.
After years of blocking players like Holloway, Broberg, McLeod, the Oilers solved the need to get those guys at-bats by trading them elsewhere…
And using the best asset they received for the offer sheets (the 2nd from the Broberg offer sheet) to get a double-retained, pending UFA Frederic who probably could have been LTIR’d until the end of the regular season.
A bunch of us were commenting on Jeff Skinners deployment last night. In my opinion Skinner has been the best offensive driver of this team while McDrai have been out. Not Nuge, not Hyman, Not Arvi(maybe?) not Bouchard but Jeff Skinner.
He consistently make positive impact plays on almost every one of his shifts. But yet is consistently straddled with Janmark and Brown, arguably the worst offensive players on the team this season. Kap and Podz get to play up with the aforementioned skill and Jeff gets the PK brigade.
If Skinner doesn’t get top 6 ice time with the players currently out with injury I worry that he’ll be healthy scratched when healthy again or the playoffs start.
Which would be a huge mistake by the coaching staff.
I agree with your assessment both of the player and his deployment #freeskinner
Don’t forget to place your thinking in the context of the coach believing that Connor Brown is massively important to the team. He’s wrong of course, but that is where his actions show his head to be.
He probably thinks that Skinner and Brown on a line means they should tear it up.
If 53 isn’t with 97 or 29 when the team is back to full power, it will just be another confirmation that deployment is not this guy’s strength. I’m honestly starting to wonder what the strength is. Calm can only go so far if it isn’t combined with being present.
Would not be the first time this organization completely mishandles a valuable, if flawed, player, and it will not be the last …
Jeff Skinner scores the 3-2 goal and doesn’t see the ice again.
I can understand Arvy out there on the 6 and 5 and Rico for the faceoff but, holy hell, instruct Rico to change – I know he scored a goal last night (kind of) but Skinner was more likely to make a play that helps tie the game.
16 goals now, from the depths and the best goal share on the team over the last 3 plus month and he’s all but certain to be scratched in the playoffs if all forward are available.
Wild stuff happening.
16 goals with the linemates he’s been playing with is incredible!
You’re too quick to jump to conclusions.
What conclusion? That he will be scratched in the playoffs if all forwards are available to coach.
The conclusion is based on 70 plus games (even more as history of deployment of the likes of Brown and Janmark play a part) plus all the verbal from the coach, etc.
The conclusion that you’re so sure he will be scratched. I disagree that he will be scratched during the playoffs. He will see playoff action without a doubt.
That’s the conclusion I have come to – you may disagree but I certainly didn’t jump to it “too quickly” – its based on a lot of information.
I hope I’m wrong.
I would much rather rest everyone until the playoffs than get home ice advantage against LA.
Cost them a Cup last year.
Health or home ice? Both are important but health is much more difficult to overcome.
Health wins. Home ice is important but it won’t matter if the team isn’t healthy.
Home ice for game 7. No chance they lose. Zero.
Healthy Kane and Drai and there is no chance they go to game 7.
They tried to rest up as if it would matter. It didn’t help.
Only 6 points up on a playoff spot with 5 games to go. I’d predict the lineup from last night to go 1-4. Too close for comfort.
All of McDavid, Leon, Ekholm, Kane & Frederic are skating in practice with the club. Skinner has also been taking shots in practice. There’s no evidence to suggest the team won’t be fully healthy entering the playoffs. Where they finish in the standings is in material. They will be playoff bound and ready to perform.
I mean I wouldn’t hold those guys out purely for “rest” because there’s a path to missing the playoffs entirely if they don’t come back.
Home ice is a thing, but it could change this year in the Oiler’s favour because of who wins. In the west they likely don’t have it, but upsets can change the picture
In the east Caps, Leafs, Canes and Bolts are ahead in points. Nobody knows but out of those teams Bolts are the only team I see as a finalist. It could be the Oilers if they get through have home ice in the finals
There’s a Lloyd Christmas chance
Meh – split the first two and then the Kings have to deal with being a terrible road team.
The Kings having home ice concerns me bigly!
Regarding the Bouchard discussion, apparently Coffey is an outlier with the coaching staff and a bit of an oddball in general. I don’t see him back next year (if any of them make it!).
Hopefully, they bring in a coach that can get Bouch playing a slightly different style and reducing his vapour locks.
Insofar as this team being tough to watch and relying too much on the Glimmer Twins – what do you expect? Hyman can’t carry a line. Nuge is doing much better recently but has never been the driver of play. So Janmark, Brown, Henri, Kapanan are supposed to win you games? And get you out of your seat excited? C’mon.
Connor and Leon are the straws that mix the drink and drag these pylons with them. Shame on the GMs for keeping us in this position year after year…
This team could lose 4 straight in the 1st round and while I would be upset, I would not be surprised.
This team could win the Cup and while I would be elated, I would not be surprised.
The wide range of Oiler outcomes is correlated to the wide range of Oiler emotions.
This is me as an Oiler fan.
Can I just copy and paste your comment in my reply! lol totally agree
I’ll paraphrase a Lowetide quote here “this version of the Oilers has the highest ceiling and lowest floor of any championship calibre team I’ve ever seen, in any sport.”
Something like that, apologies to LT if I got that wrong.
In most years I’d agree with you, but I just can’t see this team making it back to the finals. I never want to bet against McDrai, but the roster has no many other underperforming players/holes I can’t see them dragging this team to a cup even with another herculean playoff run from those two.
I am one of Bouchard’s biggest fans but I will admit he is costing himself a lot of money on his next contract.
Some very tough plays last night.
I am a big fan too but he needs to sharpen up, those plays happen too often. He is costing himself coin for sure and costing his team with big game changing plays. He just needs to clean them up a little bit! His positive effect is still greater.
Unless he replicates (or comes close) to last year’s playoffs performance, No doubt in my mind he is getting a bridge contract. Oilers will try to low ball him into a long term team friendly contract, but he and his agent will likely bet on him rebounding and want a bridge.
A likely outcome of those events would be an offer sheet.
Some team(s) with sufficient cap space and draft picks will come calling.
” *will* come calling” not only are you an astute hockey analyst but you’re a fortune teller as well!
We should be glad that he is costing himself money on his next contract.
I wonder if we should have considered offering him for Rantanen+.
Bouchard had a tough night.
Brown should never be on a pp EVER.
Ducks goalie was 🔥
A big win against St Louis would be nice
Noah Phil recalled in an emergency basis.
i guess McDavid won’t be playing tomorrow.
Noah Phil recalled on an emergency basis.
i guess McDavid won’t be playing tomorrow.
Can you clarify if you think McDavid will be playing tomorrow?
Did they recall Noah Phil on an emergency basis?
The experiment with Janmark & Kapanen playing the center position could be over. They have 5 games to get Philp tuned up for playoff action.
This is really just to ice a full roster tomorrow.
I don’t think the org has any intention of keeping Philp up when a forward is back (McDavid).
Philp should have been up for Jones weeks ago.
Yup, or for Kap as both he and Jones bleed goals against and aren’t everyday NHL players.
For sure but I have Kap >>> Jones (although that is saying very very little).
Also, up and till about 3 games ago, Jones could have gone down without waivers – not that it matters, he’s not getting claimed.
unfortunately, Philp is not the answer
The only way I can see the coach’s decision-making making some sense is if we assume the team is in playoff audition mode. This requires some further assumptions:
1_ That they have accepted injuries to star players as an opportunity to rest those players, and they see rest as more important than home ice.
2_ That they are treating the above as an opportunity to pit 8 or so bottom 6 players against each others to see they react in new scenarios, i.e. Connor Brown on the PP.
3_ That this also involves some psychology, such as testing someone like Jeff Skinner and seeing how badly he can commit to the game the coach wants him to play… maybe put a bit of a scare into him.
Not saying any of it is the correct move, I am just always cautious to make claims against the coach when not in the room. Never sure we have enough information to draw too many conclusions.
And maybe it works, and the depth of this team will be sharp going in and the stars will come back and this machine will explode and KK gets to look like a genius again.
We will find out soon enough.
They’re having a snooze fest while the stars take a break before the playoffs. At least they were .500 on the road trip. They may just see themselves in the playoffs and lie in wait.
This is my concern–that the team thinks they can just flip a switch and become world-beaters in the playoffs. Never mind that having home ice is a pipe dream now.
What if the switch is disconnected?
I’m reminded of the maxim, “How you do anything is how you do everything”.
As if these Edmonton Oilers have a great reputation for starting on time…
The switch is being repaired as we speak.
Interesting take. Also, I think, the most sensible take I’ve heard on what we’re seeing.
I thought (or perhaps heard someone else’s thought) earlier in the season: regular season is for, among other things, experimentation. As fans we’re always in a rush for results (which we equate as wins/more goals/less goals against). But the team —and especially the coaching staff— have a more nuanced and complicated version of “results,” with only one result mattering at the end of the season, Stanley.
As much as I enjoy watching this team on ice, it’s the longer game that I’m finding most fascinating.
I would suggest that, for much of his regular season, the Oilers, individually and as a group, seemed indifferent about the regular season.
We are past the time to ramp it up but, of course, since that time has come, the roster has been massively depleted.
I look forward to getting McDavid and Ekholm back this week, and Drai next.
If, and it’s a big if I guess, this team is fairly healthy come playoffs, they are experienced and have the ability to find that playoff game in a snap.
Let’s hope they get there.
I thought they played well last night. They were dogged on the forecheck. Anaheim was godawful clearing the zone The issue seems to be that no one wants to take it to the net, or look for second chance opportunities. A lot of muffins and outside shots and no one seemed to be in position down low. Dostal played great too.
Surprised at the negativity around this team. I still think they are going to put it together in the playoffs and I witnessed a more grinding style game last night from the team. I was encouraged. They just need to be selfish in the o zone sometimes and crash the net a little more.
They left it all on the ice. Dostal was their best player.
FWIW
Lukas Dostal drafted #85 overall, 2018.
Olivier Rodrigue drafted #62 overall, 2018.
Aside from Perry and Hyman, the other wingers just don’t like to go to the hard area in front of the net.
In 7 minutes Frederick wrecked more havoc in front of the crease than guys like Jones, Brown, Kapanen, Skinner, Arvidsson or Podz have all season.
Get Frederick and (hopefully) Kane back into the lineup and the Kings will have more than they can handle.
Perry and maybe Frederic are the only wingers with a clue about how to do net front. It’s why Perry has so many goals per usage
Hyman goes around the net but he’s not very cagey. He just looks mostly for tap ins. He doesn’t shoot enough. Most of them don’t get in front to screen or tip. Mount shots if they get through are seen by the goalie
Joe Pav knew how to do it, where to position himself. These guys don’t get it and Knobby’s play to the corners offense I think is confusing the forwards. A couple of games ago I saw Skinner do the rafters look as one of the D shot and there was a juicy rebound. Skinner was skating away from the net and tried to turn back but it was too late
He/they should be told to set a screen and look for a tip or rebound not get ready to cycle more. Or get open for a pass and a shot. Cycling is good but as Struddy says there needs to be a point to it, not just rimming it around to set up unscreened point shots. Very low percentage play
This system isn’t working for the roster. It wasn’t before the injuries. The balance between O and D is off. They need more sizzle. It looks to me like how this season has gone is frustrating Connor. If that is what the result is the process is wrong or ill fitted. Look at how the Flyers are playing so much better when Mr Cranky Clampitdown is gone. Or LA after being liberated from the hard to score boring system coach
If they win the Cup this year there are going to be fans mad that they did it with players they don’t like. Some people are never going to be happy!!!
This team can’t depend on McDrai in the playoffs to carry them through games. Those two will have defenders draped all over them as soon as they touch the ice. The supporting cast needs to step up big time or most of them will be playing hockey elsewhere next year.
The supporting cast has been pretty yuck all year. I don’t for see watching a lengthy play off run this spring. Only 29 has been truly outstanding.
This team is so vanilla. Without Drai and McD they are difficult to watch.
Hope Knobber can make magic in the playoffs again. His deployment this season has been less than inspiring.
Can we end the Jones/Kap experiment? They just bleed goals 5v5.
Jones has been outscored 1-9 5v5 and Kap 20-36. That is brutal.
Look at Bouchard’s WOWYs:
Bouchard and Kap together have been outscored 6-15.
Bouchard without Kap has outscored opponents 60-47.
Just stunning. A boat anchor in the truest sense of the phrase.
I can’t wait to see those two in the starting line-up for G1 in LA while Jeff Skinner is in the press box …
Jones and Kap have to be the first two out. Then Janmark. At a certain point, results matter and Janmark has had lots of time to make an impact. I’m not sure he’s an exceptional PKer and his 5v5 offense is non-existent (granted, he’s been asked to play C).
This is a rant, because I hated Evan Bouchard’s game so much last night. Hated it. Hated the lack of intensity, hated the fact he nearly got us back in the game, because of course he would have had to be the one to make up for that dog of a performance. Also hated that he didn’t pull it out.
I think the Edmonton Oilers should think about trading Bouchard this summer if he won’t sign for less than something like 8 million? Even then, I think of last night’s game and wonder how you can even put a price on this inconsistency from shift to shift… what is the value of this? Better, what is the cost of this??
I know there are people all over the internet who are smarter than me and who think I am insane and think I have probably never worn skates and you’ll insist he’s a Top 05 dman and he touches the puck more than anyone else on earth and goddammit why don’t I understand that you gotta let that free bird sing!
That game was in the bag if not for THREE Bouchard errors which led directly to a goal against. That was the game. Depleted roster goes up against the Ducks, and everyone on the ice (we can put the coach aside for a moment) does their job effectively other than the one guy who according to Jack, “took his eye off the puck” (yeah no shit) — how many times?
“But Bouchard moves the puck like nobody else”… in both directions. if he alone could outscore his own mistakes that lead to goals against, Bobby Orr’s record would be obliterated.
“But he scored more points than any defenceman in the playoffs”… how many of those involved 97 and 29? Go check.
“He’ll get his brain farts/60 down in the playoffs, just watch”… what if we didn’t have to say that and we had home ice instead? Why am I worried about the Oilers spending $11 million on a guys who is universally known for brain farts?
What if he scored 1/3 the points and made 1/3 the errors? We win that tradeoff. Could we pay him 1/3 of $11 million and then spend another $7 million on a defenceman that doesn’t cost this team wins? Don’t we want to make decisions based on winning?
Bouchard costs this team wins, full stop. As many as Stu and we want to ship him out don’t we? Last night was another.
One is not overlooking what he brings by saying this — one is suggesting that that chaos is not worth it. Its like having a sieve goalie. You know he’ll make the big save, its the 3 each night that float by him that cost the team wins. And what’s not caught in the data is that Bouchard’s mistakes are deflationary because they aren’t a result of not having the skill, they are the result of not bearing down. When you see your teammate do that it sucks and you wonder why that guy is making $11 million? This team is soft right now? Yeah obviously. Bouchard got walked like a labradoodle last night, it was pathetic hockey from someone who is supposedly your best player in that position. I would take Kulak’s calm presence over Bouchard every night these days. Flip the minutes! (Especially if the power play isn’t a part of the game you seemingly care about anymore — oh yeah leaving the coaches out of it for now… )
Anyway I’ll be consistent: I want to see Skinner have another run in the payoffs so I’ll give Bouchard another crack as well but if (when?) he goes for a little dipsy-doodle at the blue line (you are free to choose which one) that sends Warren Foegele the other way and Edmonton to the golf course I’ll say, “Yeah he does move the puck!” and the pressure to lowball him will be hard to resist in the front office and in the streets it will be worse and still on this blog people will come to his defence with more intensity and conviction than he’s ever used defending his own net.
End rant.
Maybe heterodox thinking but I would suggest this morning Bouchard is our 5th best defenceman right now and probably 7th most reliable.
Amazing Rant. Bouch was out picking daisies again on a few plays. When he pays attention he is amazing. It was a turrible game by him. He scores!! He just saw a cloud that looks like a dragon. They score!!
This is fair I think lots of Oiler fans are concerned about his next contract. His play last night was uninspiring. One on One Bouchard looks like an AHL player trying to defend. You can see opposing players eyes light up when he is the last man back. His backwards skating is not a strong point and it was on full display last night when he got walked. I honestly believe if the Oilers had a one on one competition between all the D that Bouchard would easily give up the most chances. This is a legitimate concern when it comes to his next contract. Its also a legitimate concern of how many points he gets playing with Connor and Leon. That being said he is still a tremendous value contract right now. Bouchard also seems to save his best hockey for the playoffs so we will have to see how he performs this year.
We have seen him play at another level and at least try to bear down when defending. That is why he should get some critique.This has be lacking this whole season. He can be better than this nonsense. Those plays look very lazy out there.
I’m so angry at Bouchard I forgot Paul Coffey already broke that record like 40 years ago.
I agree with most of this. The Oilers don’t need Bouch to get to where they want to go. I do like him but cap is a thing. 8 figures is for dominant players with no weaknesses to me with where the cap currently is
But on Gauthier’s 1st Pod floated out of covering Carlsson leaving a path to the net. It was Kulak that didn’t stop the pass or tie up the scorer. Bouch stepped into the shooting lane so pass was the option taken. Kulak has been weak in front of the net this season. I think he’s pretty meh until the playoffs, hope he has it again
On Gauthier 2 yes Bouch got beat
On McTavish Kap was wandering around without a plan, and Bouch skated into a support position and Kap didn’t pass to him and got double teamed. Kulak was puck watching and too far out of the play, when Bouch pinched Zegras was on the other side of the blue line which should have activated Kulak to cover him because he was the only option
So one goal was on Bouch for getting walked. Kap and Kulak were on for all three and made mistakes
Oiler coaches and their weird player assessment and bizarre usage that often seems unrelated to winning is boring me. And their tactics that are not that great or innovative. They get an idea or two and that’s it, hills to die on. Woody thought he was the bomb with 7/11, what a joke
I know who I want as coach, and it’s not Knobby
They don’t get to where they did last year without Bouchard – he was 2nd position for Conn Smyth on the team.
This all day long…..
We finally dumped Barrie, now we have Bouch…
Unforgivable defensive effort, intensity, absolutely fleeing from any physicality.
Embarrassing to watch opposing teams restrict their zone entries to his side,
shift after shift with great success….
Don’t get me going on his one handed, standing stiff legged, goal front coverage.
Pretty Boy Prima Donna on skates…deflates the team with every soft goal against.
Completely agree with everything you said … except the labradoodle part. Poodle breeds love to engage with physical play with other dogs; they’re like furry sumo wrestlers.
Bouch is completely opposite of a labradoodle, he is actively doing everything possible to avoid contact … he is the softest player on the team by a wide margin.
I would absolutely rather trade him than sign him to a 10+ million deal, regardless of how he performs in the playoffs.
Well said ,AND he is soft .. If he showed a little emotion sometimes it might make a difference to the fans and his team mates . I know if I had made any of those bone headed mistakes I’d be very pissed at my self and would show it .But not Bouchard it’s his sort of don’t give a shit and oh hum attitude that pisses me of . Last night Strome runs him and feeds Bouchard his stick and I could of sworn Bouchard was apologizing for getting his head in the way of Stomas stick .
Trading away good, but flawed, players when their value is at their lowest is unlikely to make the team materially better next year. I’m not in the camp that Bouchard is an indispensable piece of the core, and think he’s probably miscast as a true #1 defenseman, but he has provided exceptional value at his current cap hit, and will probably cover a $10-11M cap hit for the next 4-5 years (taking into account cap inflation).
Say you trade away Bouchard this offseason – what do you realistically think you could get for him? Unless Bouchard is part of a package for an improvement on the back-end, I don’t see you getting value for trading him for a lesser player(s) and a prospect.
I want to see Bouchard play like he did last year.
Playing with a little urgency would be appreciated at least until they actually secure a playoff spot.
The urgency was there they just couldn’t get the puck past Dostal.
I think we’re giving far too much credit to Dostal. He faced a lot of shots, but not many that were particularly challenging.
This. Whoever is running the offence isn’t good at it
All I could yell at the tv last night was “Why is Brown on the powerplay?” The use of Kapanen and Brown by this coach is perplexing. Brown , Kapanen and Janmark all can’t be in the line up when the team gets healthy. The team is full of players who couldn’t score on a barn door.
Kapanen is not in the healthy lineup – that’s a given (or should be).
Brown, Janmark, Podz, Perry, Skinner – one needs to come out if both Frederick and Kane are in – its unlikely to be any of the first three based on everything we’ve seen and heard.
I still think Skinner scores 20 as he’ll get garbage PP minutes to end the season. I know some posters feel it’s his fault for McLeod-Foegele-Hollywood leaving but mark my words Skinner will score a Kilma like goal as we become road warriors this Spring.
Skinner SHOULD be getting the time, he is a good complimentary goal scorer that has improved his D at least enough to punt Kap and a couple others out of the lineup.
For a playoff bound team with only a few games remaining I expected the Oilers to play “lockdown” playoff hockey. It is not what I saw last night. I guess they are expecting to turn their play completely around once all the players come back from their injuries…
I thought the Oilers played locked down, I don’t think Bouchard got the memo.
thank you. Is Bouchard “learning” from the mistakes he is making (or are my eyes deceiving me that he is making the same mistakes over and over?)
They don’t allow much but they do make horrendous errors that allow golden opportunities that are usually game changing or clinching. The best players need to be the best and not wave at the passers by. Kap is not one of the best players but has a few tantalizing moments, great speed but is brutal defensively, bye bye.
Organizations may need to start implementing a specific check on their coaches for the Peterson/Reddox/Brown problem.
It is so common and stubborn that it needs to be weeded out culturally and also nipped every time it rears its ugly head.
If I were Stan Bowman, I’d be in the coach’s office this morning threatening to take away his security blanket – and would have done that for the first time long ago, so 28 would probably be long gone already or the coach would have got it through his clearly thick skull.
The answer is simple. They’re showcasing Brown for a trade.
Wait a minute…
I hear the Erie Otters have a full roster.
If Brown had bark in his bite the stone hands would be forgiven. We so desperately need Kane-Frederic as teams will continue to piss and shit on us while our coach is more interested in winning the battle instead of the war.
I’ll write the question, since none of the “journalists” following the team with access to the coach seem willing or able to ask it.
”Coach, you clearly have a problem with how Jeff Skinner is playing. You took him off the ice despite him scoring the goal to bring you within one, and continue to limit his ice time even with consistent scoring and no defensive struggles. He is also often removed from the powerplay. Is your issue with him personal, or do you have a problem with his game you haven’t articulated? Given the team’s struggles scoring goals, you need everyone who can score reliably on the ice – yet he is not getting that ice time.”
100% agree – good question that needs to be asked
If quality of play was a criteria for ice time, Bouchard would have spent the third period gathering splinters. I don’t care about the late assist, he was by far
the worst player on the ice, directly responsible for 2 goals against and his GAF meter seemed to be at 0. Rodrigue was not awful, but he certainly didn’t remind anyone of 1971 Ken Dryden.
He was directly responsible for the 2nd goal against – fully.
The first goal against was as much Rodrigue’s fault as his, likely more.
Unfortunately, none of the Oilers’ media guys will ask any ‘tough’ question as they are deadly scared of losing their access to the briefings etc. Wish somebody would go beyond, “tell me more about that goal you scored.” or some such softballs.
As soon as I heard on morning radio that there is a group chat where they’re advised on all the things they can’t talk about on a regular basis, any remaining speck of hope was lost.
Real media markets don’t allow for this.
Don’t worry, they’re resting him for the playoffs.
The media has asked about Skinner routinely.
Noone credentialed is going to ask a question with that tone and implication.