This is the winter 2015 Top 20 list, except that’s 41 names. This is the point where Edmonton’s management was procuring youngsters at a rapid clip. Of the names above, 21 men played in the NHL. Question for the group: Who is the fourth best name on this list?
Lots of comments in recent days about what the Oilers need to add before training camp. Goaltending leads the way, but there’s plenty of chatter about the need to add scoring on the wing. Allow me to suggest the Oilers top-four wingers opening night (Nos. 1 and 2 LW, Nos. 1 and 2 RW) are going to be an interesting group.
Let’s assume Zach Hyman is out with his injuries and doesn’t make the opening night lineup. That means the two right-wing spots are somewhat wide open entering camp. We know the organization has cleared space for Matt Savoie and or David Tomasek, but for me it’s unlikely both men get feature roles at the same skill position opening night. Hell, it took some time for Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson to get established fall 1980, so it’s reasonable to expect some depth minutes and healthy scratches for both newcomers.
So, who goes where? Left-wing is easier. I suspect the coaching staff will choose between Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique, Trent Frederic, Andrew Mangiapane and Vasily Podkolzin for the left-wing minutes.
Let’s conclude that Mangiapane wins the job alongside Connor McDavid, and Vasily Podkolzin wins the Draisaitl derby for the second year in a row.
In a race between Savoie, Tomasek, Frederic, Nuge and Henrique, I think we’re safe in saying just one of Savoie or Tomasek wins a right-wing slot opening night.
If Hyman is out opening night, I’ll go Mangiapane-McDavid-Frederic and Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Savoie. You?
On the Lowdown today, Daniel Nugent-Bowman at The Athletic will join us for the final time this summer (barring big news) and we’ll discuss free agency and the decisions to come. We’ll chat Elks, Jays and more! Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 radio.
Given the chatter surrounding Sorokin I wonder if this Howard trade is part of a bigger, future transaction. I am not yet convinced the Howard adds much to this team this season, but this trade in of itself makes this offseason even more interesting.
I’m at least ok with the horse trading. Move up to get a 5 tool RS C, cash him for offense. I think O’Reilly becomes a more impactful player overall, but that’s not really the need right now, it’s wingers that can play with the top 2 C and score more
Wow… put the phone down for a couple hours and bam….completely revamped top 6. Looking forward to LT’s lines tomorrow morning. Hobey Baker winner come on down
We are adding two 21 year-old feisty ready to play scoring wingers to our top 9. This is exciting add in Podkolzin and Frederic and we have instantly gotten younger.
Have we gotten faster? More skilled?
Is he ready to play though? I’ve seen reports of inconsistency and defensive lapses, the current coaching staff will have him in AHL for the season if this is the case.
We’re a hard bunch to impress. I’m just glad Bowman’s don’t leave me questioning his sanity, as many of our GMs have.
Good arguments on both side, we’ll see where this wild ride takes us.
I do like this from D_Oil, gave me pause after being in the Finals two years in a row.
“The Oilers now have two high quality 21 year old offensive wingers set to make their NHL debuts next season.”
Hopefully one or both pan out.
You know, Tanner Molendyk and Reid Schaefer may cover the bet in the long run. But no one is regretting that trade. Reid was a #32 and we were all pumping his tires until he went away and we realized that many late 1st rounders don’t pan out.
In this window, any trade that brings a more NHL ready player back is probably a good one. And it’s certainly not a trade that bleeds young talent.
Exactly right. The fact that the Oilers removed two years of development risk is a win alone. And by all accounts Howard seems to be the better player with a better trajectory.
I doubt it’s 2 years that they removed. O’Reilly already has the defensive responsibility thing down, he could well jump straight into the NHL in 2026.
Meanwhile I’ve read reports of inconsistency and defensive lapses for Howard, which if true will land him in the AHL this fall.
Tampa wins this trade walking away. I’m impressed with BriseBois, he turned an unhappy prospect / trade demand into a trade win. Nice work.
I think who wins remains to be seen. Might be a wash which makes it win win
Like the move generally – wish it had been Akey instead as O’Reilly could jump and Akey didn’t impress me at all. Hoped they could get by on his reputation.
More thoughts:
Wonder whether, in our host’s mind, Howard would replace O’Reilly at #2 on his most recent prospect list, or take over Savoie for top spot.
And if management’s summer moves are made with an eye to entice McDavid to re-sign, a potential Howard on his wing is a lot more meaningful than an O’Reilly being at least a year–more likely two–from contributing in the bottom six.
Savoie put up nearly the same amount of points playing against pros in the AHL vs Howard, who undoubtedly had a great season in college.
Both from the same 2022 draft, Savoie has the higher pedigree, though is smaller in stature.
I’m excited to watch the progress of both of these players in the NHL season, and overall Bowman’s reworking of the forward lines has me feeling more optimistic about the Oilers forward mix than I did at the end of the season … so I hope McDavid also feels the same way and decides to sign for max term!
Savoie was at 0.82 P/G and Howard was at 1.40 P/G – I don’t think citing similar point totals is relevant.
I’m a massive Savoie fan and what he did in pro hockey with very little help for much of the season is very impressing.
I haven’t seen enough of Howard play to compare the two as it relates to their NHL impact this season but I am very confident that Savoie is ready to be impactful.
O’Reilly was my favorite prospect. Love following and cheering for that player type. Hurts to lose him. But overall I like this trade.
Howard has more value than O’Reilly, and is a better fit for the Oilers right now. I don’t know a lot about Howard as a player tbh, but as a superficial comparison how nice would it be if he turned into a Guenztel.
The Oilers now have two high quality 21 year old offensive wingers set to make their NHL debuts next season. Remains to be seen what they actually deliver, but that is pretty good for a team coming off back to back SCF visits with 2 of the top centers in the league. The mix of youth, prime and veteran players is starting to look pretty good.
I am liking the look of Bowman’s approach and plan so far. More confident in the decision-making than I can remember.
Is he a better fit? The Oilers have lots of NHL LW’s, but their center depth is extremely thin after McDavid and Draisaitl. Henrique is aging out and they don’t have a single other natural center at the NHL level.
Nuge has played plenty of center in his career at the NHL level. He’s not great at faceoffs, though he has improved over time, but he can easily handle 3C responsibilities.
The Oilers have a lot of bodies that can play LW, yes, but not many with the scoring pedigree of Howard. It remains to be seen if he can take the next step, but the same can be said of SOR.
Nuge doesn’t play 3C though, he’s only ever 1LW or 2C. And what is Howard’s scoring pedigree actually? 40 goals in 108 NCAA games (0.37 G/GP) isn’t anything to write home about. The Oilers just signed a guy (Quinn Hutson) as a UFA who has 56 goals in 117 games (0.48 G/GP) and I don’t hear anyone crowing about that.
The need at C is 3C and 4C. Those aren’t that difficult to get. Scoring talent is, and ‘usually’ only comes at the draft, unless you are buying aging UFA’s
What is Howard’s scoring talent level though? Quinn Hutson had a better 3 year NCAA career, although he is 2 years older.
2 years older is a big deal. 20lbs lighter too, it seems.
I think people are happy with the signing of Hutson and he was talked about as a potential NHL option this year more before we acquired the likes of Mangi and Howard. Even Lazar who fills a different role but may take up a roster spot ahead of Hutson.
With that said, Hutson could surprise and be incredible out of camp and force one of Savoie or Howard down to the AHL. It’s not impossible. SOR could take a step back this year despite a bigger role on his junior team. It’s not impossible. He could also turn into the next ROR in the next few years.
To a certain extent there is always probability involved in prospect evaluation and this is a bet by Bowman that Howard adds another potential value deal that can help in an area of need now. Howard may fall flat on his face in pro hockey. Or he may score 20 goals alongside two of the best centers in the world. Either way, I think this bet makes sense for the team and it’s current objectives. 10 years down the line, it might not look like a winning trade in isolation, but if the Oilers win a cup in the next few years nobody will really care.
Personally i worry about the malcontents. What happens if he doesn’t make the roster? I understand why we made the trade but seems like Tampa did very well given their predicament
Brisebois had more leverage than you are giving him credit for. Tampa could hold Howard’s contract rights for another season and then would get a second round pick if Howard became a UFA next summer.
His leverage over Howard was Howard wants to play in the NHL this season and to not go back to play College. Howard could go play in Europe, but he wants the NHL.
Brisebois leverage for a trade is that several teams wanted Howard (first round pick/Hobey Baker winner). And while only teams that Howard would sign with would actually go through with a trade, all it would take is 2 or 3 teams that Howard liked to get a small bidding war going.
Brisebois specifically said, if we don’t get our minimum, we are willing to wait the market out or take our second next year. If the Oilers don’t pitch SOR, either someone else gets him now or Tampa hangs on to his rights.
We may never know if the Oilers had to make any assurances to Howard about what opportunities he will be given vs. say what other teams might have pitched.
Great to see a highly sought after American US college player, who probably had a few choices, was happy to sign with the Oilers.
Excuse me Traveller; could you explain what you mean by Tampa getting a second round pick? Is this some type of compensation?
Yes. Under the current CBA, if first round picks that are in college do not sign with the team that drafted them within the 4 years from when they are drafted they become UFAs and the drafting team gets a 2nd round pick (from the NHL not from the team that signs him) at the same order that the player was drafted at. So there would be 33 picks in that second round.
For players drafted in the second round or later who never sign and become UFA’s, like Justin Schultz, the team that lost him gets no compensation.
Thank you, I was not aware of this.
The player value makes a little more sense now.
We are the Malcontents
This most scrutiny the players & the GM will receive will be *after* he makes the roster.
I love the timeline exchange on the 2 prospects,
My biggest concern is how high end skilled players don’t always jive with Cdn market teams.
Tampa had his rights for another 14 months – they didn’t have to move him any time soon.
If he doesn’t make the roster and/or needs some time, he’ll go to the AHL.
Great point. A Tampa fan pointed out to me that the relationship soured when Tampa acquired Guentzel, who effectively blocked Howard from stepping into a top-6 role immediately. If he doesn’t get a top-6 role from Edmonton out of the gate what is he going to do? Or has he been promised one unmerited?
It’s possible that he can see that the Oilers don’t exactly have incredible LW depth, depending on where you slot Nuge. If Howard plays well, which of course he will bet on himself, a top 9 job is pretty easily in the cards. Top 9 on a KK team means plenty of top 6 time too.
I think it’s worth making the point that trading the 2025 first (with conditions) for the pick that turned into O’Reilly was a Jeff Jackson move. This is a significant chance, at least, at upgrading that asset. If you compare what the reported offers from the Oilers were (to start, the 2027 first, then O’Reilly) this is a win all day. Like others have said, that 2027 first is going to have a lot of value at the 2026 trade deadline.
A hockey trade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC30BYR3CUk
Pronman has the deal as a slight win for the Oilers.
Given that Tampa had no chance of signing him it’s unfortunate that we gave up that much
They also did not need to trade him any time soon – they had his rights until August 2026.
And we did not need to trade for him any time soon either. We have plenty of LW options at the NHL level and dire needs in other areas (center depth being one).
Don’t mind the trade, but could we not have been patient. Howard wasn’t going to sign in TB so his trade value was only going to decrease.
Tampa would continue to have his rights until August 2026.
They were not in any need to trade him this off-season – he was heading back to Michigan.
Correct, but I mean if he wasn’t signing with TB he could walk next year for nothing.
Tampa would get a 2nd round pick as comp.
From the NHL, not from the Oilers.
This is a huge win for the Oilers, Howard is a massive addition imo.
One thing I’ve liked so far about Bowman’s work, is that he typically seems to get the players he sets his sights on without much drama: Podkolzin, Emberson, Klingberg, Frederic, Walman, Mangiapane, and now Howard.
This speaks to his ability to work well with agents and other GMs.
Now he just needs to get a goalie.
This,
The fact that he didn’t overpay for a mid-level goalie in FA tells me he has the patience to wait for a clear cut upgrade
This marks the first time the Oilers have had a reigning Hobey Baker winner.
O’Reilly’s departure makes it quite likely we won’t see an Oilers 1st-rounder from this decade on the big club until next decade.
While a RHC always has value, the depth on the wing is lacking. From that viewpoint, I’m okay with this deal.
Also, just wondering whether the Oilers braintrust sees Lafreniere as an O’Reilly-lite. Seemingly similar player types. Will be interesting to follow his (TL’s) progress this season.
An actual hockey trade – one prospect for another, similar to the Yager for McGroarty swap.
I don’t love that we had to give up a RH centre prospect, but SOR was realistically 2-3 years away from making the team, letting alone being able to bring enough of an impact to help the Oiler’s Cup aspirations during these next few seasons. His offence was also bit shy in his draft+1 season, especially given that he was on a high octane London Knights team.
Howard has way more offensive upside, and is closer to providing that impact to the NHL roster.
And we keep the 2027 first to use as ammo for the TDL.
Winger depth looks pretty decent now – Hyman, Mangiapane, Frederic, Podkolzin, Savoie, Howard, Janmark, Kapanen.
Can run McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Henrique at centre, and provide each of them with decent wingers:
Howard-McDavid-Hyman
Mangiapane-Draisaitl-Savoie
Frederic-RNH-Podkolzin
Janmark-Henrique-Kapanen
I like the trade. Howard will jump in this year, maybe in the top 6. O’Reilly back to Junior, then next year in AHL. Rookie in bottom six in 27/28, then maybe ready to contribute more up the line up in 28/29 if all goes well. By then Connor is 31 and Leon is almost 33. Although I like him as a prospect, the timing is wrong for him
I love the trade and I see why Howard wants to sign here. He’ll have two of the best centers in the world to potentially play with and the chance to make major money coming out of his entry level deal.
Lots of pressure on him but I don’t see it as “cocky kid didn’t want to sign” I see it as “smart agent got his client the best opportunity”.
O’Reilly – could be good but the oilers have to win now; I like swinging for the fences with young prospects on ELCs. (Never mind it’s all they can afford)
I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Howard spend some time in the A this year, but he’ll likely get every op to be on the big club.
I understand the trade, Sam was probably two years out, and our winger depth is scary bad. But this could go south on us.
I think O’Reilly could pop and make this look bad in 3-4 years. I get that Howard can make the team now, but I worry we picked up a cocky/borderline arrogant one-dimensional player and gave up on a guy who plays a complete game and seems to have earned his spot every step of the way. In particular, O’Reilly seems like exactly the kind of player KK works well with, I’m not so sure about Howard.
I guess there’s risk in any trade. I see the up-side and understand the decision especially in terms of ability to play now. I hope he’s got some two-way ability though or he’s going to get the Skinner treatment
Hard to be a cocky kid with two of the best players in the league in the same room.
It could go south or it go north, just as easily, right?
Most neutral would have Howard as the higher rated prospect, no?
That list of the past 10 or so Hobey Baker winners is pretty damn solid, pretty considerable upside here if he pans out, and will have all the talent in the world to play with.
It’s a good point. If he falls on his face in Edmonton, there will be plenty of teams ready to give him a second chance in the NHL based on pedigree. Whatever the return, it ought to be better than what SOR will fetch if he were to spin out.
Keep in mind that a lot of those Hobey Baker winners were draft-eligible, not draft+3.
Howard reminds me a lot of Jimmy Vesey, who was very highly-touted, but didn’t end up as much more than a depth player.
Some, not all.
Caufield won in two years post draft.
Makar won it in his 2nd year post draft.
Gaudreau won it 3 years post draft.
The difference being Caufield and Gaudreau were dominant in NCAA in the years before they won the HB. Howard is looking more like Vesey with two relatively weak years (6 goals, 8 goals) prior to having a HB year.
Gaudreau
D1: 44, 21-23-44
D2: 35, 21-30-51
D3: 40, 36-44-80 ++
NCAA total: 119, 78-97-175 (0.66 G/GP, 1.47 P/GP)
Caufield
D1: 36, 19-17-36
D2: 31, 30-22-52 ++
D3: 67, 23-20-43 (NHL)
NCAA total: 67, 49-39-88 (0.73 G/GP, 1.31 P/GP)
Vesey:
D1: 27, 11-7-18
D2: 31, 13-9-22
D3: 37, 32-26-58 ++
D4: 33, 24-22-46
NCAA total: 128, 80-64-144 (0.63 G/GP, 1.13 P/GP)
D3 NCAA total: 95, 56-42-98 (0.59 G/GP, 1.03 P/GP)
Howard
D1: 35, 6-11-17
D2: 36, 8-28-36
D3: 37, 26-26-52 ++
NCAA total: 108, 40-65-105 (0.37 G/GP, 0.97 P/GP)
Overall his floor is much lower than O’Reilly’s. His ceiling is higher but he doesn’t necessarily have a high chance of hitting that ceiling. I just don’t think it was a risk worth taking.
I like the trade. We all get enamoured with our own prospects but a potential top 6 hobey baker winger for a potential 3RC a few years younger is bold but reasonable Stan.
Pretty fair trade for the roles. Time will tell who’s right. Sam will be a player maybe shy on offence, here’s hoping Howard fills the wings and the net.
Team is much younger going into the year.
Howard with the much higher offensive ceiling but SOR with a higher “no bust” floor. Of course, Howard likely ready now, today, whereas SOR was headed back to London and then likely would need an AHL season.
In the context of where the Oilers are, this makes real sense I think.
Nuge and Frederic signed long term creates a logjam for O’Reilly at 3C. Howard is presumably penciled into a top 9 wing spot this season.
Nuge plays C only when they play Connor and Leon together, and Frederic has primarily played wing in his NHL career. He could very well play C, but I’d hardly consider the 3C position locked up long term. We could be looking for one as early as the deadline this year, nevermind a logjam.
There are reasons to think Howard for O’Reilly is a good move, but no room at C in 2 years is a pretty weak one.
I have no idea whether SO or Howard will become a better NHLer in the long run but I guarantee Howard will be cockier forever and in a post-Kane world I like that for Edmonton.
I hope we get to see his celly a lot in an Oiler’s jersey.
Oilers have traded Sam O’Reily for Issac Howard and signed Howard.
Is this via twitter? Googling brings up nothing new
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/edmonton-oilers-acquire-top-prospect-isaac-howard-from-tampa-bay-lightning-1.2333119
NAmateurs down to eight.
Funny they would trade O’Reilly after trading a future (2025) 1st to pick him, but Howard is more NHL-ready…
LoL…and this after Nugent Bowman signed off for the summer on LT’s show today
He’ll never get that yard work done at this rate..!
Past experience always makes me uneasy about one for one deals.
Based on GP it may be Tyler Pitlick !?
Man the emotion of the finals and upset about our oilers team just the finals put me over the edge all the change I wanted. Cooler head now for sure and ever fan screaming the goalie change. But the oiler fan in me knew that it was going to be hard to find a goalie. I knew both would start the regular season cause they are still good regular season goaltender.
So who is predicting cujo the goalie coach or Mike smyth? But I think cujo has his own thing going on with development i remember mcdavid mentioned something like that.
The Oilers should try to accrue as much cap space as possible during the season, because at some point when many teams lose their hope for the playoffs, a McKenna tankathon will commence.
One of the best ways to tank is to jettison a good goaltender.
I presume that is the plan and in-season adds are planned.
At the same time, I think we are trending to start the season with Hyman on LTIR – accrual will need to wait until team health (if it ever happens).
I hope McDavid just says “I’ll take what Leon is getting” Bouchard taking too much
Look at the bottom of the line up. Woof
There can be no goalie change.
If a team is close and really wants to win, you have to give to get.
I thought after Leon signed for 8 years that McDavid would follow suit. Now I’m getting worried there’s zero hype talk on the McDavid front unlike the buzz around Leon before he signed. If Connor is not resigning the time for the trade would be this summer.
There was zero buzz around Leon for 2 months in the summer until he signed in September.
McDavid will be re-signing this off-season, no doubt.
I’m very confident that McDavid does not think Bouchard is taking too much and had no expectations that Bouchard, who had only made about $12MM in his career (not $80MM like Marchand or $70MM like Ekblad) and that provided immense value over the last two seasons playing at $3.9MM, take a lesser contract than he’s earned.
I’m sure McDavid also realizes that he got KILLED in the playoffs when he was on the ice without Bouchard (when not having Leon on his line) – Bouchard carried McDavid in the playoffs.
Bouchard earned his money and gets paid. That is the way.
However, the middle class has been knocked out of the Oilers.
If they want to win, they must adapt. Players create enough money to win, or the team management must create enough money to win, and that means trade of big contract, and not the one we want them to trade.
I’m completely failing to understand why McKenna would go to the NCAA.
He’s going to get paid regardless.
Playing fewer games is not a good thing.
The brand of hockey is less-NHL than the alternatives.
School is a real thing, not play acting.
Weird.
If agents are advising this, either I’m missing something really big, or they need their heads examined.
It’s harder comp because it’s against men. He probably wants to go straight into the NHL from the draft. He might have to visit Florida for advice on gaining weight
Only sort of. And if this is the case, why not go play european pro hockey? No study hall over there.
In my opinion, school has become play acting, actually. I speak with some familiarity.
The majority (~80%+?) of undergrads and even more tenure track (~90%+?) are going through the motions, led into nihilistic abandon by university administrators. Professors get paid, undergrads get their As. The old trope of football players sleeping through class for their communication major could be applied broadly now.
I blame, in no order: grade inflation, litigation (often justified), Chat GPT, delayed adolescence, declining literacy rates, the uberfication of teaching, a larger cultural rejection of intellectualism, and the need for the university to pay its bloated administrative class off the rising tuition of domestic and international student alike. Now, mostly, the university is just cosplay.
Our universities are not populated by either an army of marxists nor by creative, daring innovators. Mostly, its just careerists at one or the other end of a lifetime of cynicism. The only people still hustling are the graduate students and contingent (non-tenure) faculty who have been fed to the wolves, doing more for less, forced to maintain a ridiculous standard of work just to maintain a subsistence lifestyle.
I offer this not as a political post, any more so than “school is a real thing” is itself a political post. If McKenna wants to go the NCAA route, he could miss all his classes and receive the same intellectual benefit as many of his classmates, who will also graduate after having not attended classes nor written their own papers.
Truth bombs aplenty in this post.
I think the reason someone like McKenna wants to leave the CHL are pretty simple.
He has absolutely nothing to prove there and the NCAA offers a different challenge. The fact they play less games is beneficial, he has a chance to focus on off ice training.
Lastly, no shade to the fine people of Medicine Hat, but leaving a small southern Alberta town for a college campus is an absolute no brainer.
He’s going to have a ton of fun in Pennsylvania. And if you haven’t looked up the facilities at Penn State, you should. They’re world class.
Sadly, this is an apt description.
Foucault’s wet dream.
ty
You think so?
Foucault said so. He was obsessed with destruction of institutions of the West: maybe he won.
What we should have learned since Foucault is that Critical Theory doesn’t merely describe and unmask power structures—it prescribes a new form of power-knowledge. At its core, this new framework often upholds values like cynicism and self-absorption.
The consequences of this approach, while sometimes dressed up as intellectual rigor, can get pretty ridiculous (see the Grievance Studies Affair).
I love that we get comments like this on a hockey blog.
This site is many orders of magnitude better than the comments section on the major networks, and even The Athletic.
That’s an interesting take on Foucault, but I’m not sure that his main interest was the destruction of the Academy.
Higher education isn’t exactly the kind of bio-political project he interrogated in Discipline and Punish or Madness and Civilization.
I think it’s fair to say that the tools of Critical Theory cut both ways and that there can be a replacing of one proscription of power-knowledge with a different one, but ultimately I don’t think what we’re see in higher education is that complicated.
Truth!
For the best prospects going from the CHL to US college hockey after being drafted will be a much better option for most players.
It makes no sense to stay in the CHL if one can get a full ticket, knock off two years of university education, and NIL money, and the ability to train properly (and live in a college town). More players will be able to avoid the AHL, or limit their length they have to play in the AHL.
Playing fewer games seems to be a good thing for development and gives more time for practice and strength training
I think maybe need to look at why the chl plays so many games. Because it’s not for development
McKenna is reportedly getting $700K US in NIL money for his tenure at Penn State.
I thought Canadians were ineligible for NIL money?
Simple, first and foremost, the NIL (Name Image Likeness) money. College athletes are now able to profit while playing for their schools and it’s been changed from the initial roll-out, so non-US athletes can also receive this money.
I expect that it will soon become the norm for elite CHL players entering their Draft season to take this path. The other benefits are the tougher competition and high practice to games ratio.
For some players they might enjoy the educational benefits and the pathway presented for them to earning a university degree.
I agree. I think NCAA makes sense for most players. I don’t think it makes sense for a guy who is guaranteed to be in the NHL and likely a superstar.
Here is a “Neutral” look at the comparison.
https://neutralzone.com/about-chl-and-ncaa/
Interesting to note that since McKenna will be drafted out of Penn State, the Medicine Hat Tigers, who developed him, will not get the development fee. I think this is a point that is also being missed in the discussions about CHL players being developed in their teens, and then drafted out of US Colleges. This is an extra source of income for CHL teams that will be lost. The CHL needs to do something to still reward their teams for developing players for the NHL that go to the US before they are drafted.
I wonder if Tomasek could be the highest quality scorer/finisher that Draisaitl has had on his wing to date🤔.
Kahun quietly scored 9 goals in 48 games.
The problem is there’s more to NHL than scoring. Skill isn’t enough
But you can’t get there without it.
If, as many people post, the game is passing Henrique by as 3C how can Henrique be expected to be successful as 1LW? If he can’t handle 3C then how well can he handle the minutes, QoC and speed of a first line player?
Like Perry did. I think because he would not be the feature but the third player. It’s about hockey IQ and finishing. He would have less responsibility than 3C and would have to skate less. He’s still a good player and he’s also good at faceoffs which would help the line
With Knoblauch he wouldn’t be there 22 minutes a game either. He played 14:39 per game last season. He is very similar to Nuge who also had his issues at C and I think might be a better finisher
Wuf, that is one ugly grouping from 2015. Marino has turned out to be the 4th best with honourable mention to Brossoit and Willy L.
Jesse Puljujarvi officially out of the NHL. What a missed opportunity. Matthew Tkachuk (spits) was taken two picks later. What could have been.
I remain convinced they did little due diligence on JP based on how Chiarelli reacted at the draft
The Oilers have rarely looks at prospects as something to be refined – they just expect them to show up one day. That approach is wrong.
Thankfully that has changed with the new amateur director
I don’t see the failure of JP (or Yakupov) as a failure of the Oilers developmental ability. Otherwise, another team would have fixed them and they would have gone on to long NHL careers.
Agreed. Neither were well suited to the NHL. Burke was talking about interviewing Yak and after said take him off the draft list
Disagree. There are forks in the road and things you don’t generally come back from.
I think everyone at the draft was surprised Columbus passed on JP – the top 3 (appeared) to be a lock, and the order of the (rest) of the draft started at #4. That’s no excuse for the Oilers, they handled him poorly after they chose him, he should have spent at least 1 year in Europe, and the “burning off a year of his ELC” nonsense was well, just nonsense.
And that he still could barely speak English after several years in North America was just infuriating, although admittedly, that’s partially on the kid…you can lead a horse to water, but yadda yadda yadda
Hopefully, the development of draft picks has taken on a new measure of importance – the below link is behind the Athletic paywall, but it’s a must read if you’re interested in the draft/development of the Oilers
Jackson hired Kalle Larsson in May of 2024, so he just finished his first year with the org
The money quote of DNB’s article imo “the Oilers hadn’t had someone overseeing player development on a full-time basis since Scott Howson left the organization in July 2020”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6276430/2025/06/26/edmonton-oilers-draft-kalle-larsson/
A player with that size and skating not making it is completely on the player.
18 year old boys have been known to make poor decisions
Bringing him over to North America with the enticement to burn off the first year of his ELC was a mistake – that’s on Chiarelli and the org
i don’t think burning a year off mattered in the end. I think the scouts were so mesmerized by the physical package that they didn’t realize there wasn’t much going between the ears
Agreed. When the Finnish GM passes on a fellow Finn, the red flags should have been obvious.
— it’s an interesting thought exercise to imagine if yak pool (and to a lesser level kailer) actually hit as elite wingers for the Oil we all hoped for growing and developing with McDrai.
— Pool basically was a giant country bumpkin that just didn’t have the make-up to be a big time professional hockey player in North America.
Nail showed he could play with Connor. Then the NHL sent a linesman hell-bent on ankle injury and two coaches who wouldn’t give him a shot.
They broke him. The guy who played his rookie year was headed for a 40-50 goal year peak.
It really is, the what ifs are numerous regarding the team’s drafting record. I agree with farmer and Sierra, just no hockey IQ. If it were all on the organization then he would have blossomed elsewhere. Such a shame for a very likeable personality.
Henrique should not be in the Top 6. His offensive skill-set is best suited to cycle/PP chances and 97 needs someone who excels on the rush while 29 is at his best with fast/big trains on the wings. Strength down the middle should be this team’s calling card, but they lack of viable top 6 wingers has kept them from spreading out their center depth.
Assuming Hyman is out opening night, I’d like to see these lines on opening night:
21-97-88 (I read somewhere he prefers the RH side)
92-29-Savoie
19-93-Tomasek
13-Lazar/Philp-42
I worry about the 3L’s footspeed and wouldn’t be opposed to flipping Tomasek/Kapanen. I think the Oilers need to give Savoie (and to a lesser extent Tomasek) an opportunity to play with some skill early in the season, and to tolerate some growing pains, to see what they have in either player and to let them round into form.
I think it’s more likely we see something like this from KK (verbal surrounding Frederic as 3C, picking wingers for the top 6 that have played with 97 and 29 before, aversion to the mistakes of youth, etc.)
93-97-88
92-29-42
19-21-Savoie
13-Lazar-Tomasek
It’s not ideal, Stauffer did say it’s a work in progress though. They do need to improve their rush play, but for me they also need to be better at setting up plays to the net for better chances/shots once they are set up
The reason being against certain teams and especially the Panthers they to my eye are not nearly as good as they should be. I think that’s why Perry (also not the most ideal player) got time in the top 6 because he knows how to read what’s going on. He set up screens properly, he could find players in scoring positions and get them the puck at the right time
Adam Oates was on Gregor I think and he doesn’t like how a lot of teams try to cycle, he thinks it kills offense for a lot of players that aren’t elites or top offensive players. He called it spread out, and the Oilers seem to do that as I see it. Playing on the boards, back to the point, behind the net, not setting up quick strikes, and often the result a point shot that’s covered or no screen. Many times no forward anywhere near the scoring area or late getting there. It seems they are more worried about getting the puck in the corner
Strudwick during the season called cycling with no direct attack going for a skate. Potentially it tires the D and might create a breakdown, but against the Panthers that didn’t happen much. Vegas when they are playing their best are also hard to break through, even LA, but that’s probably changed now
So if they are interested in improving their production when they have O zone possession, as opposed to a rush play or broken play, Henrique is one of the better options to me because he thinks the game well, and is a better finisher than a lot of the wingers. He may be too old and it might not work, but the small sample was solid
Frederic might work but it depends on how he plays which would be based on how the Bruins play. Which may not be a bad thing because for years the Bruins to me were excellent at setting up plays low high and scoring. Trying to make plays to score, not just keeping possession
Key to me is the coaches hopefully making adjustments to what they have been trying to do. Connor seemed pretty frustrated with it. Maurice’s system works in playoffs, they were first in GF/GP and GA/GP, the Oilers 4th and 11th. Bob did play a part in that these playoffs for sure, Oiler goalies did finish 4th and 5th in SV%
Very good post thanks.
I think there’s a zero chance Nuge isn’t with McDavid. I also believe there was some discussion when signed that Mangiapane could play right wing. If Hyman plays, the lines I think would be:
Nuge – McD – Hyman
Podkolzin – Drai – Mangiapane
Without Hyman, I think that Mangiapane moves up to the top line right and Savoie gets a chance on Drai’s wing.
They don’t want Nuge playing centre unless they needed to or to shake things up.
With Hyman in the line up, I think our third line is:
Frederic – Henrique – Savoie
They’d rather Nuge playing center than Henrique, which is why they’re suggesting that Henrique might be on McDavid’s wing. Both of Frederic & Tomasek are center options. The one thing we know is that Frederic isn’t great at faceoffs.
They also plan on playing Frederic more at center
For me the fourth best player on that list is John Marino, with an honorable mention for Brossoit.
The NHL and NHLPA has ratified the 4-year extension to the CBA.
Big win for the game as a whole. The NHL is in the middle of a great era in its history, the league is in good shape after weathering the Covid years, and the NHL is arguably faring the best (or second-best) in among the Big 4 north american sports leagues when it comes to increasing viewership/interest/revenue. Avoiding a lockout and keeping that positive momentum is a big win for hockey fans everywhere, particularly given the ongoing issues the NBA and MLB is facing.
For sure.
I’m very interested in the transition protocols coming out to see if there are any changes that are going to be effective a year early for next season.
On under-reported change that will put the Oilers at a disadvantage is the removal of AHL assignments as “paper transactions”.
A player assigned to the AHL must report and, moreso, must play a game in the AHL prior to recall.
The Oilers being one of the few teams with their AHL affiliate quite far away……
If Calgary can handle their AHL team and a WHL team I don’t see why Edmonton can’t, which is a more engaged fan base. Gives families and regular folks more options based on what they can afford. I think it would be great for development, giving all players more exposure to the teams above, coaching etc. They’d also get used to the city, less disruption for demoted player’s families
Holland was big on separation between the two leagues – he wanted, for example, a call-up to mean more than just changing dressing rooms.
Holland is no longer here – who knows what Jackson/Bowman think but the majority of NHL teams have their AHL affiliate very close, if not same city, and the the rules are increasing the disadvantage of the Oilers set up.
Bakersfield being a successful place in a business sense is likely a factor.
I’d try Henri with Connor and see if it’s real. If that works it creates depth down the line up where I’m not sure Henri still has enough to push every game. Both Frederic and Mangi prefer RW, and Frederic C to that. I’d try
19 97 88
92 29 22
93/10 93/10 Tomasek
13 48 42/Lazar
You could rotate Philp and Lazar as needed. Bob said Stan is busy and he expects will be all summer, and the roster is not set, just where it’s at. This sure is different than the GM capping himself out in free agency and going fishing with Armstrong and golfing with Nill the rest of the summer
The good thing about Lazar is, he’s able to play either wing. He’s not only an RHC.
If Hyman can’t start, then that all but solidifies Frederic at RW. With the others being Tomasek, Savoie (4 NHL go combined) and Kapanen, he may be securely at RW even when Hyman does return
I do think it’s likely that Hyman is not available to start the season. That doesn’t necessarily mean LTIR for a bit it could which would allow them to run a 23 player roster.
I think Matt Savoie is locked into a top 9 RW job and, if Hyman is out, that solidifies him in the top 6 – where I think he should be given the first opportunity in any event (with runway).
Without Hyman, I think it men’s Podz, Nuge, Savoie and Mangiapane in the top 6.
I have time for Frederic up there but I think they want him at 3C. They have also talked about Henrique as a winger in the top 6.
Tomasek is a bit of a wild card but 3RW would be a good slot. If Hyman is healthy it’s tough to find a spot for him in the top 6 and I don’t think he’s a 4th line type player.
There’s no shortage of RWer’s if Hyman is absent from the opening night roster.
Gregor had a big push on for Henrique beside McDavid. He has scored more then 20 multiple times, and can be that smart two way presence. I do wonder if they try Tomasek or Frederic in place of Hyman for the time being.
And I really like the idea of Nuge being 3C. He could babysit the kids or run a solid 3rd line, ala Florida. If you look at the “pairs” idea of forwards, i expect we see McDavid0Hymna, Draisatl-Podkolzin, then rotate their 3rd based in matchup and health.
Henrique is not a top 6 forward, he’s a 4C at this point. Did Gregor and whoever else supports this not watch his abysmal play last season?
He’s not, but Perry isn’t either. However they know how to play and can finish, and that may still be lacking. Henri might be more useful to the team at 1LW than 4C where Philp should be or 3LW or 3C where he’s not great anymore
He wouldn’t have to do much other than be good defensively and keep his stick on the ice if Breadman is RW, and the small sample liked it
One of the things we should discuss is the Henriqie-McDavid train, while impressive, is 53 minutes in total at five-on-five. Small, small sample. Impressive, but small.
https://www.naturalstattrick.com/linestats.php?fromseason=20232024&thruseason=20242025&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&rate=n&team=EDM&vteam=ALL&view=wowy&loc=B&gpfilt=none&fd=2023-10-10&td=2025-04-17&tgp=2000&strict=incl&p1=8478402&p2=8474641&p3=0&p4=0&p5=0
For sure, I put that at the end of my comment. It makes sense to me why it might work, and Henri has much more skating left than Perry had. Both are better finishers than Nuge to me
Agreed.
The general manager does not think this is the case.
Bowman has also talked about Henrique as a top 6 winger.
I have time for Frederic with a shot in the top 6 if Hyman is out – I think they are looking to give him 3C reps but, if Hyman is out, plans chance.
I’ll go with John Marino who is somewhat quietly putting together a very solid career.
Not sure about the right wings for top 6, but I don’t disagree with your lines here. Frederic is pretty high up the depth chart in a Maroon/Kassian role. Perhaps that justifies the contract.
I think it really does depend how quickly Savoie develops chemistry and learns the ropes of NHL hockey.
From the 2015 list, I would go with Jujhar as the ‘4th’ best NHL / Oiler player on the list. Khaira played less NHL games than Pitlick (337 to Pitlick’s 420) but played 258 games for the Oil compared to Pitlick’s 58.
For me the 4th most talented player was Brandon Davidson. He was on a good career trajectory until the dastardly Turtle slew-footed him.
That play still upsets me to this day. Tkachuk gets away with a brutal slew foot that puts Davidson out for months with no penalty called on the play, sewering Davidson’s season. To add insult to injury, we have to listen to the Sportsnet panel go on and on about how great Tkachuk is. It makes me want to puke.
Good morning LT! Interesting question, but also very relevant. If Hyman did indeed suffer a dislocation, he may not be ready opening night. And we need to be prepared that his days as a scorer could be behind him due to the injury let alone age.
May vote would be the following:
RNH-McDavid-Mangiapane
Podz-Draisaitl-Savoie
While I am ready to move on from Nuge in the top 6, I feel like McDavid will appreciate some familiarity from at least one linemate at least to start. Nuge knows how to play with him, and gives time to develop chemistry with Mangiapane. As per your post yesterday, Podz doesn’t elevate Leon, but he is stable. Again, gives time to create chemistry with Savoie.
Frederick-Henrique-Tomasek
Janmark/Jones-Philp/Lazaar-Kapanen
Hyman injury gives Tomasek a chance to showcase his talent with legit NHL centreman. WHen Hyman comes back he slots in there to start and maybe for good on the 3rd line…
The one good thing about the Hyman injury is that he scores most of his goals in tight. He’s never really depended on a wicked shot. Hopefully his stick handling in and around the net won’t be affected. At his age I think a upper body injury is better than a downstairs one.
some beauty goals recently tho just wiring it. it’s a little-heralded dimension of his game and I hope he can maintain it moving forward.
The article about Zach at SN says fractured wrist. We don’t know how severe it was, but given he had surgery it probably wasn’t a lesser injury
Not a doctor but the interwebs AI and sites says the recovery is not short if it’s not mild. At best he would be able to start in the approx. three months before puck drop, but it could be months longer. Hopefully not
There is official intel that it was dislocated, there was tendon damage and its a complicated injury.
Even with the severity of the injury, I’m not willing to write Hyman off as a goal scorer when he does return.
To answer the first question, I think John Marino is #4 on the list. Sans injury, I think Davidson was a good bet to win the day. Had big hopes for Slepyshev too.
Stauffer suggesting Bowman will be working to finalize the roster right up until opening night including looking at waivers leading up to the season.
Stauffer suggesting that the Skinner/Pickard duo is not locked in and Bowman will be continuing to look in that area but the addition would NOT be a big name.
He also all but kyboshed the “controversial goalie” saying ALOT would need to happen before they even looked at it.
Someone is going to get a possible top tier goalie for peanuts.
Who is that?
Bowman has been around long enough not to show his hand. I do hope Bowman doesn’t make his decisions on the like and dislike button. Of course he’s going to pump Skinner and Pickards tires. I do think Pickard would definitely have a return of some kind but trying to offload Skinner even at his friendly salary cap will still cost a sweetner. There’s no way we can try the same round peg in a square hole for the forth year in a row.
Not a chance that Skinner would cost a sweetener to move – there is value in that contract for sure.
Ask yourself this question if Skinner and his 2.6 million contract didn’t have negative value then Why is he still a Oiler?
because the contract has value for the Oilers and there hasn’t been a reasonable move for an upgrade, in particular one that is an upgrade in value for contract.
They are signaling that it is not the plan until everyone realizes that it absolutely is the plan. Kind of like the Bowman hire.
Loose lips sink ships.
Can’t imagine, Stan Bowman, of all people, re-instated in to the league for about a year, even contemplates signing a player coming off a sexual assault trial – no matter how guilty or not guilty (beyond a reasonable doubt) he might be, no matter what the actual facts are (maybe they show he really didn’t do anything wrong, criminally, morally or anything).
I would presume Bowman just stays clear away.
Of note, CH’s career save percentage is .906 (Skinner is .905) – yes, I know, team matters.
The guy who got a second chance is going to be against giving someone else a second chance? I’m having trouble believing that
The guy that was part of a sexual assault scandal, for which he was banded from working in the league for a number of years until recently – yes, I think that person is going to avoid signing a guy just on trial for sexual assault – no matter what the ultimate facts are about what happened.
Im on board with this.
Depending on what happened it may be very likely Stan feels the opposite and doesn’t believe in a “second chance” if one never did anything wrong in the first place. Stan might well think hes just being reasonable and fair.
I do not know what hes thinking. But I do know Oilers need need some roster help this off season. This roster looks like something that could get to the playoffs based on McDrai playing hard all year.
Test.
You passed