The Edmonton Oilers are off to Winnipeg to play the Jets this evening. The roster is going to have some missing pieces, that’s likely to be the case over the last regular-season contests as players attempt to find a balance between rest, readiness and health. Stuart Skinner is in, Leon Draisaitl might be, and we’ll see about the rest.
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 2-0-0)
- 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: 4-2-0
- Current record: 46-28-5, 97 points in 79 games
Three games left in the season, three points needed for 100. I doubt that anyone cares, but it’s a tidy sum this many seasons in a row. It’s another way to measure quality. We’ll see.
Stan Bowman is serious about signing plug-and-play options, and he might have secured the best one yet in Quinn Hutson. Bruce Curlock is an astute judge of these things and likes him plenty. Hutson is 23, a RW, and is coming directly to the NHL this week.
I do pay attention to NHL equivalencies, with Hutson’s NHLE (44 points) suggesting he may eventually thrive on a skill line. Drake Caggiula had a 47 NHLE coming out of college, so that’s probably a fair line in the sand. Caggiula has played in 289 career NHL games, scoring 13-13-26 per 82 games.
Hutson could be Caggiula, or Cooper Marody or something more. I will tell you that college signings, like all prospects, often finish shy of the hype. Hutson has skill, will be signed by Stan Bowman, and gets a full chance to make this team in the fall.
Where this puts Matt Savoie is unknown, although two inexpensive skill wingers next year wouldn’t go amiss.
SAMUEL JONSSON
This could be a big signing. Goaltenders have their own development timeline, but Jonsson (6.05, 201) was the Allsvenskan’s goalie of the year in 2024-25. His save percentage (.922 in over 1400 minutes) suggests a significant NHL prospect is now secured on an entry deal.
This signing, and that of Nathaniel Day recently, means the organization could have a completely new minor-league depth chart in 2025-26.
If the team returns Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard (both signed for next season), and that is anything but sure, the AHL Condors could house Jonsson, Day and Connor Ungar. Here are the goalie numbers for this season from each level of Oilers pro hockey:
The club could walk Rodrigue and Dellia, and run with a combination of Brochu (who outperformed several signed goalies), Jonsson, Ungar and Day for next season. I’ll be interested in seeing how Stan Bowman handles the position. It could be a completely new goalie landscape next year.
This is nuts:
Only one series of the 12 underway in Round 2 of the CHL playoffs is not 2-0 so far. That’s because it (Spokane-Victoria) just started today.
Have a bar of soap handy because this is just pure filth from Gavin McKenna.
Dumb question: what’s Eckholms injury?
It was never disclosed but speculated to be a groin/core issue.
Also lots of speculation that his current issue is something new.
So Eckholm has had multiple injuries this winter, not just one. Is that fair to say?
Considering what a warrior he has been, I was hoping he would have another 2-3 seasons in him, but maybe that’s too much to ask at his age.
Oilers with a sparkling 9-4-1 out of 14 games record with 2 left to play. Oilers look like heading into the playoffs on a mission/high note.
If you think Oilers can make/beat 20 points, from this mini season of 16 games to round out the schedule?
press thumbs up
if not, press thumbs down
Thank you for your cooperation.
Corey Perry is going to lift the Stanley Cup twice, and possibly twice more. Especially if Arvridsson keeps scoring, and Skinner number Two starts scoring.
Perry is the meanest old wild cat ever.
And Darnell Nurse isn’t exactly a shrinking violet either.
Brown and Perry are seemingly the best value contracts this season among the complementary group
Arvridsson you now expect to score.
Wow.
What a find, using the vernacular of the barbarians.
Is there any chance they can transfer Derek Ryan’s brain into Max Jones’ body?
Player coach?
If Corey Perry wants to play another season I don’t see why not. Especially if he’s ok with some press box time.
Based on usage there is no argument against
His production is off the charts
I heard on a recent broadcast (think it was the SJS game) with the other broadcast team talking about having chatted with Perry, and he said he intends to come back next year.
I’m good with one year deals at $1MM until he hits the cliff or wants to retire as a Champion.
I really like that fourties line (46-48-42).
The fourth line.
I thought that was the perry-rico-ryan line due to average age.
Good guys win. Lots of players missing on both sides but a win is a win. Nice way to ease Skinner back in.
Just another casual 9 assist run over 3 games. And not one assist to RNH, Hyman, or Draisaitl during that time.
McDavid on a 16 game point streak while most repeat his best days are behind him lol
That will about do it. I was not expecting a win tonight. Oilers simply out worked the Jets in this one.
Nice to see an empty net goal for once, Arvy padding his stats.
For twice – last game too I think.
Well yeah, but in the scope of the season. Missing an empty net so frequently is rather galling, considering the mitts on this team.
McDavid should get the 2nd assist on that….
99 points for McDavid and if I’m not mistaken 99 points on the season so far for the Oilers.
Arvvy with the gravvy!
Stecher limped off earlier and hasn’t played since the 4 minute mark of the 3rd period I don’t think.
hopefully precautionary with the game pretty much in hand
Hopefully but it was 2-1 when he left the game.
This is a much bigger deal than it was a month ago.
He was likely 6D with a fully healthy D-group, 5D with Ekholm out.
Let’s get the old fossil Perry a hatrick.
I hope in the playoffs McDavid has a shooter’s mentality.
Let’s set the tone and put some heat on L.A to beat Seattle or Calgary.
We haven’t seen much from Trent Frederic yet. But we’ve seen something from Max Jones.
We saw some good in Jones’ first game and he has been quite good in a 4th line role that last three games with Philp and Kapanen.
Unfortunately, in the 13 games in between he was poor to awful.
I do hope coach K.K has the Perry line out there when the Jets pull Comrie.
Scorey Perry!
The worm has turned… on the goal light!
🪱🚨
Our two senior citizens hooking up for a goal 😉
Bert from Ernie…
More like the two old guys up in their box in the theatre
Yea but I didn’t know their names!
Statler and Waldorf.
Funny enough, there were two guys at ice level with oversized masks of those two. Not sure if SN showed it or not, but it was on the TSN feed.
Great pass by Ryan from the couch.
Great play Derek Ryan and snipe by Perry.
In what world does Winnipeg have less penalties than Edmonton to this point?
This team is so dirty. Hopefully injury karma will be a bitch for them
We play such a soft game that when we do get a little dirty we immediately get penalized.
Even if that were true, that wouldn’t justify the referees performing poorly at their jobs
Veteran coaches like Maurice are always lobbying for calls they continually work the Refs and it is effective. When’s the last time you seen coach K.K barking at a Ref and laying the seed work for future calls.
OK we “deserve” an insurance goal.
Ugh, tomorrow’s a prime game – puck drop is probably around 8:22 would be my guess.
Caps lost – Jets clinched 1st overall while getting dominated by the Oilers C squad.
A perfect result. Very happy to see the Jets win the President’s trophy, very happy to see us school them, and rare timing for both to be possible in one night!
That was a darn good period of hockey by the Oilers. One more to go.
Nurse/Bouchard are like 90% across the board – just absolutely dominating.
The 5-man unit with the McDavid line has been UNREAL through two periods.
Oilers just being selfish, not including McD on that goal.
I’m enjoying watching the game on the Jets’ TSN feed with their play-by-play and commentator. Enough Oilers talk, not too much Jets talk, and they cover the gameplay well.
Can someone with way too much free time please put together a compilation of every time Arvidsson has fallen down this season? And then set it to the opening music of the Dick Van Dyke show. I would appreciate that very much.
Well, that was some sort of a good period.
Connor McDavid, know the game.
Less than a minute left in the period with a one-goal lead and two very risky plays in the defensive zone – both gave the puck away.
That was the Jets first shot since their goal…..
Skinner isn’t a bad goalie. But for a big guy with a LOT of mobility, it seems to go only one way. He leaves huge gaps with his wide movements. This is giving me quite a bit of anxiety tonight.
Beer helps!
Two different Oilers cross checked to the ice. Guess we won’t be getting any more calls tonight.
City of Winnipeg bylaw, I think.
The standards for that type of call are disgusting.
“A” worm with an apple.
Okay but to fair, that was an odd series of events. You don’t see that often. The unfortunate stack of factors to have the play not whistled there.
Yea tough to see a guy writhing on the ice while play goes on around him. Called it by the rules I guess.
I guess it’s like that because how do you judge how bad a guy is hurt when he’s on the ice? Tough to see when its a truly serious injury.
Uncle Rico’s eating everyone’s steak tonight.
Great pass by Bouch down low to Perry and Perry across to Rico.
Pronman had Leppänen at #2 on his list of CHL/NCAA/Euro FA’s from late Feb.:
Love that goal. Way to chop them down.
One of the craziest PPs I can recall….
Jets fans are absolutely livid at the refs. This is rich. They conveniently gloss over their own PP goal. But the refs don’t seem to be on the ball tonight either way.
Lets go PP!
If Brown has a good playoff does he resign equal to the Janmark deal and term?
He is so much better than Janmark.