This year’s Oilers camp is going to be unusual, which is different than saying it will be memorable. The Connor McDavid contract will dominate all pages you read save this one, as I’ve decided to sit out the verbal tail-chasing (which sounds dirty but I don’t mean it that way).
We’ll talk lines and pairings, injury, the ‘ABS’ brakes will be in full bloom as Stuart Skinner prepares for another season as the team’s starter, and the young wingers will be under a microscope.
One thing we would do well to remember? How much we don’t remember about training camp once the season begins. Examples are everywhere. For instance, Mike Hoffman, Noah Philp, Travis Dermott and Noel Hoefenmayer were among the top five-on-five scorers in the preseason. Philp played in the final preseason game before losing his No. 4 center role to Derek Ryan. It was Ryan between Vasily Podkolzin and Corey Perry opening night.
In 2019, Ken Holland hurriedly added Anton Burdasov to the TC roster, and he played in a couple of games. One would have imagined Tyler Benson should get a look the same fall, and he did, but Joakim Nygard got a better one and secured the job.
Do you remember Brendan Perlini? Five goals at five-on-five in 2021-22. Amazeballs. The team played the hell out of Markus Niemelainen the following year, and last year Sam O’Reilly impressed enough to get into four preseason games (that’s a high number).
So, this fall, when someone who viewed the rookie games against Calgary and comes out with a hot take, maybe take the longer view. We all know hockey, we all have bias, we all love being correct.
Folks, I’ve got news for you. It’s all guessing. Even if your hot take proves true, it was a guess at the time. We don’t know what we don’t know. Let these young men show you what they can do over a larger canvas. Allow the coaching staff and management the opportunity to evaluate.
There are things we can discuss right now, like what the team needs to do in order to better prepare for the season. That’s worth discussing. However, I’ve read a bunch about Ike Howard and Beau Akey being failures and it’s just impossible to make that kind of declaration with any kind of fact-based knowledge at this time. Surely we can agree on this one thing.
Imagine these young men are your brother, or your son. Would you write about them on a blog in this way? I don’t think you would. I’ve been watching young Oilers arrive in town since the 1970’s, and I’ve cheered for every one of them. I wish them all the best. If you don’t feel the same way, then I believe you are missing a grand part of sports. Renewal.
Delight in new experiences and fresh opportunities delivered by surprising performance spikes. Don’t run over these kids. Let them write their own story. That’s what each man and woman deserves, in all walks of life. Thanks for reading.
On the Lowdown today, it’s the roundtable, where two or more young people will verbally flatten an old man who can’t remember the 1979 expansion draft rules and goes off on a tangent. It’ll be fun, and now you can watch us on You Tube as well as hear us on Sports 1440 AM radio.
Thank you. The joy of watching someone striving to excel.
I do remember “my team’s” great moments. But mostly, I remember the moments of individual excellence and the stories of individuals persisting, making it against the odds.
As far as teams and sports go, I’m a fair-weather fan, drawn to individual heroics more than team heroics. I became a hockey fan in the spring of 1972, watching a rookie Ken Dryden take the Habs to the Cup. I became an Oilers fan watching Draisaitl put the puck in the net over and over again from impossible angles —and, finally, watching McDavid highlight reels. Lucky for me this was in 2023, so I’ve had the pleasure of watching a great team. Along the way it’s the struggles of individual players to overcome injury, talent or lack thereof, and especially lack of confidence that keeps me glued.
Sure, I want “my team” to win. But I want the players to do well, to understand what limits them, to root for them to be more than their limitations (and especially more than fans’ meanness towards them).
A big reason I read this blog and listen to Lowdown with LT is for the joy and the laughter you bring to all of it, LT. Again, thank you.
The team does need to use this camp to get the NHL players ready to go. On a team like this there isn’t likely to be a youngster that blows the doors off to the degree that they make the team
So give them a taste of what their goal is like, and focus more on the players that are going to be on the team. Decide on Howard and Tomasek, I see Savoie as a go, and get organized quickly. Especially if they have made any system changes
I think professional coaches should be able to tell pretty quickly who isn’t yet NHL ready, and stick to what was said in allowing new players that they keep to make mistakes and develop through the season. Howard has a lot to learn, but he won’t suffer from losing confidence, so if all he needs is some polishing up but the rest is there go for it
Yep. Cut the team down to the lowest possible number right off the bat, get the young guys some reps, but then start working on the lines, pairings and systems in the preseason. Get the team thinking it is go time from game one and no messing around.
I think there is a ton to get done during this year’s training camp.
1) They need to figure out the forwards that are making the team – even if Hyman is out, if he’s not on LTIR, that’s likely 13F which means two of Philp, Lazar, Howard, Tomasek, Kapanen, Janmark are cut (all need waivers but for Howard and Tomasek) (in addition to Jones, Hamblin and Jarventie)
2) They need to figure out some sort of semblance of lines – I mean there are so many forwards that can play up and down the lineup and multiple positions (Nuge, Henrique, Frederic, Tomasek, Mangiapane, etc.)
3) They need to see if they think Regula is a real waivers risk
4) They need to get some potential call-ups in Jarventie and Hutson and Leppanen some reps with legit NHL players.
There should not be any messing around early in camp – get Savoie on to Drai’s right wing early, for example.
This is a reason that I am against any PTOs – they have lots to figure out among their existing bodies (and the above lists does not even include getting eyes on Marjala and Carfagna and the “last chance guys” like Petrov and Grubbe some reps.
Look at that list of forwards, what can Klim Kostin do in camp to win a job? He could score 5 goals and it would mean as much as when Brandon Perlini did it.
That Miroslav Satan had a pretty good pre-season to my recollection.
Craig Millar and Barrie Moore not so much.
Anton Burdasov, every time I hear that name, I picture media hits with Holland, McClellan and the players singing “He has a dream” like it’s a musical. lol 🤣
LT, thank you for your comments on showing some respect to these young people.
Can we be mean to Shane Corson now?
Sure. But do me a favour a read this first:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1183302/2019/09/10/youre-not-alone-how-shayne-corson-found-hope-in-his-battle-with-mental-health/
Well played
— oh my goodness I had no knowledge of this. My memories of Corson was being a drunk smug entitled leaf that strutted around with other leafs at clubs pulling women at places like Easy and the Fifth during and after his leaf tenure…
— as a Dad of 4 I now do “mental math” of “what would happen if I die at at that age how old would my kids be” when I read of parents whose Fathers die too young. Or “if I live to 80 how old will my kids be”.
— That’s a really poignant article. Thanks for sharing
When certain players (or others) get attention for bad behavior and some folks want them cancelled or something to happen to them, it makes me think do you know how many other guys have done the same but never got caught or called out publicly? Or worse?
Plenty. Not that they shouldn’t face consequences, but it doesn’t make them pariahs
— in the late 90s early 2000s I think professional athletes didn’t have to worry about “getting caught” as no social media like they do today. Now I don’t go to those types of clubs anymore so maybe they still do?
— I see Gretz hammered at functions still, chatting up ladies.
— and to be clear Corson he was acting like any other drunk guy at the time : trying to pick up chicks while hanging out with the lads : he just happened to be a pro athlete. I guess today that would be video clips and he would be cancelled and shamed
Yessir! That’s a great piece and is why I subscribe.
So, uh, can we still badmouth the Calgary Flames?