Let’s Groove

Last night in Winnipeg, the Stan Bowman Oilers had a night. Edmonton’s tenth GM acquired Ike Howard, Atro Leppänen and Quinn Hutson over the summer and all three had a game. The most impressive player on the ice overall was Noah Philp, who made passes like Adam Oates used to back in the olden days. I have to say, my expectations of “Oilers at Jets” has been very low for several years, but last night was encouraging. Here’s a look.

Howard-Nuge-Kapanen played more than any other line at five-on-five, they were 6-7 shots, 0-1 goals and 32 percent expected goals. Nuge had a HDSC in the metric and of course sent that sweet pass to Ike Howard for his first goal as an Oilers player. I’m pleased the coach has Nuge with Howard, but wonder if Kapanen is the right third man. He’s aggressive on the forecheck and creates chances, but there’s also chaos and time spent inefficiently. Not sure where Kapanen fits, don’t think it’s wise that he’s on a line with a rookie.

Henrique-Savoie was a thing with a couple of left-wingers (Viljami Marjala and Rem Pitlick) rotating through. Henrique-Savoie went 2-5 shots in 10:10 and didn’t get much done. Savoie played just 12:07 at five-on-five, maybe they’re saving him for tonight? Don’t know. Even with limited time, Savoie showed he’s quality. I don’t think Henrique is a dynamic center offensively, but if this is the third line the trio should get plenty of opportunities against the soft parade.

Noah Philp had two assists, was money in the faceoff circle and made plays you’d see from a veteran. His two passes were sublime examples of creative hockey and impressive execution. I don’t think he clears waivers. As we get older, we notice patterns, and Philp’s game last night reminded me of Kyle Brodziak’s impact evening in September of 2007. I wrote about it years ago, and here is the passage that could apply to Philp:

On the night of Sept. 17, 2007, prospect Kyle Brodziak announced he was NHL-ready and blew away the competition. He scored twice, added an assist, played over 16 minutes, and over two minutes on both the power play and penalty kill. A team that badly needed responsible two-way forwards with some offence, Brodziak made the team and never spent another minute in the minors. He retired after 917 games in the NHL, his final season coming with the Oilers in 2018-19.

Atro Leppänen looks good to me. I’m not going to get all wrapped up in this because there’s no damn room, but I think Bowman might have found something here. Leppänen spiked late, and we had to assume he had all kinds of problems defensively, but he appears to be a good thinker as well as a fine passer and offensive asset. I am starting to wonder if Bowman might have to make room for this player at some point this season. Just a mild case of curiosity, no excitement at all. Very calm.

Quinn Hutson continues to do things that make him stand out in a good way. I have no idea if he’ll ever see the NHL, but he does so many things well. His puck handling and passing are strong, and he went to the net and made a dynamite tip for his goal last night. I’m putting him in the same drawer as Leppänen, although I don’t think Bowman will have to make room for Hutson this season. Maybe next fall, though. He’s going to have a pro career somewhere in the hockey world.

On the Lowdown today, our feature guest will be Kevin McCurdy. I’ll ask him about the coaching decision to put Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line, and we’ll discuss last night’s game before looking forward to this evening’s home tilt against the Kraken. Noon to 2pm on Sports 1440 and You Tube.