The Edmonton Oilers feel like a team that is traveling toward a new tomorrow. Finding youthful talent to replace at least some of the old. Saying goodbye, for a final time, to lath and plaster walls and the old ways. Gathering four or five young players who can play now and will play better next year.
Last night, in Los Angeles, Matt Savoie continued the first hot streak of his young career, Ty Emberson scored a beauty, Vasily Podkolzin set a new career high in points. Talk to me of Mendocino. Closing my eyes, I hear the sea. Please read this.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN FEBRUARY
- At home to: TOR (Expected 1-0-0) 0-1-0
- On the road to: CGY (Expected 1-0-0) 0-1-0
- On the road to: ANA, LAK, SJS (Expected 2-1-0) 1-1-0
- Expected Record: 3-2-0, six points in five games
- Actual Record: 1-3-0, two points in four games
- Season Record: 29-23-8, 66 points in 60 games
February is a train wreck, but last night was fury on ice as the Oilers put the boots to the Kings. My goodness Ken Holland’s bunch didn’t hunt the puck much and the physicality of the home team seemed half assed and not effective in deterring the road side from all the roadrunning that led to a lopsided victory for Edmonton. Do that again in San Jose and we can talk of playoffs and maybe adding at the deadline. What a team! Two good efforts in California and just two points is a sour suite, but winning against the Sharks means four out of six and a deluxe apartment in the sky.
- Nuge-McDavid-Hyman 12:43, 7-4 shots, 1-0 goals, 82X, 3-0 HDSC
- Podkolzin-Henrique-Frederic 8:49, 10-3 shots, 70X, 7-2 HDSC
- Savoie-Draisaitl-Roslovic 8:39, 5-1 shots, 2-0 goals, 72X, 1-1 HDSC
- Mangiapane-Lazar-Roslovic 4:00, 4-1 shots, 41X, 0-1 HDSC
This is just wonderful. The top line has been music out of the gate, going 10-3 HDSC and 2-1 goals. The second line is 3-2 goals, and the Henrique line, brand new, is humming along beautifully. Fantastic! Henrique’s line looks like a playoff trio and I’m liking Trent Frederic more and more. His two strongest games of the season in terms of max skating speed have come in the last two days.
- Nurse-Walman 19:16, 14-4 shots, 3-0 goals, 65X, 2-2 HDSC
- Stastney-Emberson 15:15,, 9-4 shots, 1-0 goals, 72X, 7-2 HDSC
- Ekholm-Bouchard 13:34, 8-9 shots, 2-1 goals, 64X, 1-1 HDSC
- Connor Ingram 21 of 22, .955 SP.
All three pairings were rolling last night, the stars offensively Jake Walman and Ty Emberson. Nurse-Walman are 49 percent this season, after going 8-2 in 106 minutes five-on-five after the deadline one year ago. I’m interested in what Stan Bowman is contemplating for the deadline, but also like the six being rolled out right now. Walman scored twice, please be healthy all spring. I think Connor Ingram might be the starter come playoff time (five-on-five SP: .900 with Edmonton, that’s tops on the team) but Tristan Jarry should be given every opportunity.
On the Lowdown today, Steve Lansky will be the feature guest and we’ll talk Oilers, deadline and the wild and unusual Pacific Division. NFL combine, MLB spring training and more! Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 and You Tube.
Has Edmonton Oilers rookie winger Matt Savoie turned the corner?
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7073942/2026/02/27/edmonton-oilers-matt-savoie-stats-trade-deadline-2026/
It seems to happen to Savoie at each new level, it takes some time for him to settle in and, once he does, he becomes productive offensively. Took his 6 weeks-2 months in the AHL and then he as a PPG for the rest of the season – without much help given the team was decimated.
Most players that aren’t truly elite go through the same thing. Talent still needs time to adjust, the thing is that they can do it
An opinion against please. There can’t be one of course
Summarizing!
Lafreniere (33rd) and Barnett (5th) each picked up a goal and an assist.
Berry scored his 3rd.
Nicholl had a helper.
Park, Fischer and Lewandowski did not incur soup.
NHL Watcher
@NHL_Watcher
Friedman on NHL Network says he wonders about Vincent Trocheck in Colorado, they are looking at that type of player, LA and MIN are also interested in Trocheck. He wonders about the fit with Ross Colton in Colorado, hasn’t always been the best fit, perhaps he’s a guy they move.
Cam Robinson
Gavin McKenna’s last 6 games:
3G, 12A, 15PTS, 43SOG
And a pretty nice shootout winner tonight.
https://x.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/2027584789147226405?s=20
(click for video)
Vancouver will probably draft the Swede instead of a sure superstar in McKenna.
I wonder if there’s a deal to be made along the lines of Nurse for Brandon Carlo and Nicholas Roy.
Carlo would be a #2 RHD to pair with Walman and Roy would be a right handed #3C that would allow RNH to stay with McDavid. The bonus is that we would also gain $2.75M in cap room from that trade.
Given Nurse doesn’t want to go and has 100% full trade control, a massive contract with term, I would say impossible
His wife is literally about to give birth any day now – I’m fairly certain he’s not waiving his clause.
Which is probably also why he refused to waive last summer since they were planning a third child, and why he is unlikely to waive this summer with a newborn.
Since Nurse must submit a 10 team no trade list for the summer of 27, one might be able to go to him this summer and ask if there are places he would be willinng to waive this summer for. With the full NMC still in place, this summer he could pick his destination, whereas in the summer of 27 he would be unable to pick his destination, except for a 10 team no trade list.
I think this has a great chance of happening. Going home with a young family would have appeal if he knows the writing is on the wall. I think Treliving has to stay employed to make it happen. His type of player.
I’d like the oilers to give Regula a legit look on the second pair with Walman. He had a good stretch of games before he got hurt where he was moving the puck effectively.
When he came back from injury he was a bit of a tire fire at times. Hard to evaluate.
I think it would be wise to give him some reps with Coffey in his ear.
Not likely to happen.
You add RoR at 3C and all of the sudden everything is fine
Lazar or Henri do 4C, the 2 pair D looks good. Wingers are not the problem. Or goalies
But, for a guy that age, 1 year left after and not a good option for re-signing, not paying a premium is key, as is some retention
100-Point Seasons – Milestones | NHL Records
Elliotte Friedman
@FriedgeHNIC
There is word Dallas filed paperwork declaring Tyler Seguin out for the rest of the regular season & playoffs.
By doing this, Stars get full cap relief heading into trade deadline.
Feel for Seguin, who underwent surgery for a torn ACL. Wanted to return, but couldn’t.
Dallas gains $9.85 million in cap space ahead of the deadline.
Thanks for coming around to piss in our cornflakes.
I agree but in this case I have a question.
If you can just declare a player out for the season and write him off, then go shopping at the deadline, that too can be used as a loophole. No?
Wasn’t there changes to address this? Such as a maximum limit you can write off, such as league average salary?
Probably depends if you are in one of Bettman’s favoured US markets or not.
As Elliotte says….the Stars have to file paperwork with the league for approval.
That would include a medical report.
The change was, if the player is coming back at all, during the regular season or playoffs, the max LTIR reserves that can be used is $3.8MM – if they use more, the player cannot play again.
Darnell to Dallas?
Dallas is said to be in on Tyler Myers from Vancouver.
He was born in Houston and might approve a trade to Texas.
Rod Langway was born in Taiwan. Not sure that Texas moves the needle just because he was born there.
Did Langway play hockey in Taiwan?
Myers took up the sport when he was 6 and living in Houston.
His father moved to Calgary to help further his chances of playing pro.
BTW, his half brother is NBA player Quentin Grimes.
It’s HH. He was saying Matthews wants to return back to California, because those first 2 months he was born were so memorable and meaningful.
Now Myers wants to return to Texas, all because he started playing hockey there at 6 until his parents moved 4 years later. Those 4 years must have been super significant and impactful, far more than the other 30 years he played hockey in other cities.
Who doesn’t yearn to return to where they lived from 0-2 months or from 0-10 years old?
I would love that for Dallas. 6 million a year for a washed up D
Throw in Elias to LAK in return for Byfield + young prospects and that would be even better
His cap hit is only $3 million
He’s $3MM on his current contract – through next season.
Jim Nill is far too smart to do that.
Maybe Stan can just find a crooked doctor and just claim to the league that Nurse is out for the rest of the season and full playoffs, so we need full cap relief heading into the playoffs. :\
This team’s trade focus should be doing everything possible to diminish the icetime of Darnell Nurse.
That alone would help them immensely.
The forward solutions are a luxury. You could give away Janmark, Henrique, Mangiapane and Frederic and be better the next night because of who would fill those slots. Would I upgrade one of the scoring wingers if that move is out there? Of course.
You still need to can the coach, because he appears to have zero impact on whether they’re ready to go or not, and whether the team can make it through shaky patches in-game (which are rather large components of his job), but they clearly don’t want to.
I’m down with this.
Barring new catastrophe, I expect KK has this postseason to re-secure his new contract. A cup and all is forgiven. Otherwise the bell tolls and the clock ticks for Stan.
If the Caps fall away – John Carlson with 1/2 retained all day.
They are likely too close to the playoffs to sell.
so the shopping list was Righty defensive d that can move the puck like another Ekholm and we’re talking about OEL?
When you have to many left Dmen you need to go and get more
Two lefts don’t make a right.
The trade on the table is Nurse for OEL 🙂
Savoie showing a pulse offensively is definitely a good sign.
putting him in a good opportunity is the good sign
That is a bad LA team. The Oilers are a much better team yet somehow the two teams have similar point totals.
As always, thank Gary Bettman.
Friedman saying the market has shifted and there are now more sellers than buyers and a ton of inventory out there and, in particular, lots of dmen in the market. He’s been told the buyers know this and with all the inventory they are waiting out sellers for low prices (unless they have a hard target).
Let’s be clear the Oilers are not going to sell. Who knows how aggressive they might be (and it’s tough to be really aggressive with the lack of cap space) but they aren’t selling.
He said the Oilers interest in OEL is real and, personally, I don’t mind the target. Yes, he’s mid 30s but he’s still playing well, solid defensively with real skill and IQ, and it’s one more year and his current AAV is under $4MM.
It places a bet if one of Walman or OEL can fill 2 RD for this season and next and both have a history of success on the right side.
It creates a solid left side of Nurse, Ek and one of Walman/OEL with Stastney as #7. I don’t care about the individual cap hit of any player once the roster is set. If Nurse or Walman anchor a top of the league 3rd pairing (with Emberson who has developed in to a strong 3RD), so be it.
There is noone coming to block – Regula is unknown if he can ever play higher than a 6-7, Akey is developing but not ready for anything more than a cup of coffee next season. Leppanen is coming on strong and he can compete with Stastney for 7D next year and there will be injuries with Ek, Walman and an aging OEL.
Friedman says the Leads are selling.
I wouldn’t mind this and don’t think it would cost a ton and maybe some retention in there given only one more season.
I think OEL’s contract is two more years after this one, til 2028
I don’t mind OEL as the target but at the same time it would be nice if they could find a righty RD not a lefty who can play right
Yes two more years. He also has a modified NTC but must not mind playing in Canada having played in Van and Toronto.
Having 5 out of our 7 D being left shots does sound kind of crazy to me though.
I don’t disagree.
With how top heavy this draft is shaping up to be selling by a borderline team might be the way to go.
Can’t imagine the Oilers selling – end stop – I could be wrong but I see all but zero chance. They might try and move out some deadweight cap but not selling the likes of Roslovic, Ingram, etc.
I’m not talking about the Oilers but teams like Seattle-Kraken-Utah-Sharks-even the Ducks if the lose 3-4 in a row. This is only teams just in the West. It’ll definitely be a buyers market Conroy-Rangers had hindsight to deal early.
find a R dman who can play 2nd pair and nurse can play 3rd pair
OEL was completely washed when he was let go by Vancouver 2 years ago … he couldn’t skate properly due to chronic foot and ankle injuries. Seems these injuries improved in the past year. That said, he is one blocked shot away from being completely useless again.
And he’s another left shot defenseman who we’re asking to play on his off-side. We’ve already tried this with Walman.
Hard pass.
As others have said, no deal unless it is for legit top 4 RHD who is under team control for a few years.
Nothing has changed since Tuesday – this team is still not a Cup contender, and as of right now is still a bubble playoff team, mostly due to being in the worst division in the league. They should not be expending picks and prospects in a vain attempt to squeak this flawed lineup into the playoffs.
OEL or not, they are going to get waxed by the likes of the Avs, Stars or Wild.
They should be trying to unload as much dead weight in cap space as possible.
Seriously. How can anyone who watches hockey think that OEL is what the Oilers need?
Accoring to NHLEdge he’s <50th percentile in skating and is going to add to the leftorium. Let alone the fact that he’s in his mid 30s with multiple years left on his deal!
That contract is a Treliving
special.
Ya I agree. I think it’s likely they add a cheap vet. Sort of the new stecher but if the oil spend good assets I’d rather they acquire another Stasney to play with Walman.
Talk to me about the Paul Coffey effect.
It’s nice when Mr Hyde shows up, was getting tired of Dr Jekyll for all those games.
Exactly, let’s see if Mr Hyde can become the norm…toot suite!
There is slow playing (Holland) and then there is progressive deployment (Bowman).
Matt Savoie (5-10 / 180)
Ike Howard (5-10 / 180)
These two players are both smaller-offensive guys and their trajectory looks similar. Ike Howard should be a valuable member of the Oilers in the second half of next season.
No need to call Howard up this regular season – let the kid learn how to play ‘man hockey’. However, he can be a member of the ‘Black Aces’ this season.
11 points coming from our new Coffey infused D-men in the last 2 games. I would think you have to go back to the exciting 80’s to see that many points coming from an Oiler D in two consecutive regulation games.
Love me an obscure stat almost nobody could reasonably fact check.
Point taken it’s a very good thing.
Or the Eckholm & Bouchard hat-trick games January 24 & 26th where the 2 of them totaled 11 points.
But your point is valid and it is a very good thing and probably hasn’t happened very often! Let’s hope we see it a bit more.
I was literally going to say 13 pts in those games from D before Coffey arrived.
I don’t think offense has been the problem for our D, it’s been thr breakdowns and goals against
Yes how the heck can I forgot those 2 beauties by Bouchard and Ekholm it’s seems so long ago with the heartbreak of the Olympics. It’s too bad Walman didn’t get the hat trick goal. I can’t remember 3 Oiler D-men getting a hatrick in one season never mind a 10 game period.
This team has long needed a middle of the roster positive impact. Last night as well as somewhat the nite before they got it.
Savoie /podz/fred/ ember/ have all been great+ since the break. Them being slotted properly helps.
If Fred can keep skating creating chances and winning board battles while spending most shifts in the O zone he could become a huge part of this upcoming run.
You know what was a fun period? The last 5 years of Quinton Byfield hype. I haven’t seen the hype as much as usual so I thought I check and see why. I wonder if it’s because of his regressing PPG and -6 +/-?
Could Byfield be the next Joe Colbourne?
I remember when we played them in playoffs a year or two ago the national media was hyping him up as an Olympic selection
He’s getting the hardest minutes other than Foegele on a mediocre team at 23. He’ll be a decent 2nd tier C to me, I don’t know how much hockey sense he has
What do you mean by that? A 2nd tier centre is still a very good thing. Grizzled vets with no boots are praised for their hockey sense. Is it because of his physical attributes?
This has always been a narrative for extremely physically gifted athletes and its never made sense to me. The ‘put it all together’ but by career Byfield has been strong if somewhat underwhelming for a 2nd overall.
Just wondering your take.
Making the NHL is a very good thing. I meant that he is given the hardest task for C on the Kings as Anze has faded (PuckIQ), so at 23 his results make sense. Given his draft position and physical advantage though, a player that had more hockey sense would probably being doing better. I doubt the Kings were hoping for a 2C
Another guy with similar draft pedigree, who is almost two years younger and also a giant, starred at the Olympics and is pulling away from Byfield, although Slaf being a winger is easier
Byfield might get to being a PPG player, some big guys come along more slowly. I don’t know the player that well, but going by what is out there, he isn’t likely to get to being close to Barkov (dominant), which I think was what LA hoped for. Who knows
Byfield, and his development, are a bit of an odd duck.
Early in his career, an ankle fracture in 2021 significantly slowed his development and required him to regain his top-tier skating ability. (his skating speed is now in the 91st percentile in the NHL.)
He also missed time due to multiple illnesses in the 2022-23 season and you may also recall that he was pretty much forced to play in the AHL at the age of 19 when the OHL shut down totally due to Covid.
Byfield’s defensive game is highly advanced for his age. He received Selke Trophy votes in 2025 and continues to be a cornerstone of the Kings’ penalty kill.
While his offensive production is certainly a concern, he has generally been above water and this season has possibly been somewhat due to “bad luck”.
In his 5 NHL seasons his xGF percentage is fine.
2021/22 – Age 19 – 41.9% (40GP)
2022/23 – Age 20 – 53%
2023/24 – Age 21 – 56%
2024/25 – Age 22 – 57%
2025/26 – Age 23 – 53%
His actual GF% has been above 60% for the past 3 seasons but this season is just 43.9% so likely does not reflect his true ability.
I expect, as you say, is the steep decline in Kopitar’s performance has played a role as has the carousel of line mates he has had to play with this season due to injuries to Kopitar and others.
While the Kings were very likely hoping he would become their future #1C when they drafted him, he is just 23 and there is much more to be written.
“he is just 23 and there is much more to be written.”
“Elite players show themselves early.”
He is obviously not elite.
Which must be a disappointment for the Kings. At least you admitted he is not elite, that’s progress. What ceiling do you see for Byfield, and do you still think he is better than RNH?
When Nuge was 23?
Closer than you might think.
While Nuge was gifted 1st line minutes, Byfield had some serious issues to deal with early on.
Byfield, experienced a significant, non-COVID illness early in the 2022-23 NHL season that caused him to lose approximately 20 to 25 pounds.
Byfield described being sick for a “month straight” early in the 2022-23 season.
He lost 25 pounds during this period, which severely affected his strength and stamina.
Due to the weight loss, he was sent to the Ontario Reign for a conditioning stint to regain his strength and game-ready weight.
Byfield noted that he struggled to fully regain the weight and strength for the remainder of that season.He fully recovered during the 2023 offseason, regaining the weight and adding strength to prepare for the 2023-24 season.
In addition to this illness, Byfield’s early career was also hindered by a broken ankle during his rookie year (2021-22) and playing through two sprained wrists during the 2022-23 season.
He is just now playing in his 3rd full NHL season so a head-to-head comparison is difficult.
We’ll see.
We’ve seen that Byfield has already fallen behind your expectations and predictions:
“Harpers Hair
Reply to Fuhr and Lowething in Vegreville
April 19, 2025 4:09 pm
Two players headed in opposite directions (aging curves)
Expanding the sample to the last 20 games played by each player:
Nuge – 4G 8A 12P +1
Byfield – 11g 8A 19P + 10
It’s easy to forget that Byfield just turned 22 and is centring his own line for the first time in the NHL.
Byfield is accelerating while Nuge is slowing down.”
Always thought him to be incredibly overrated.
It can be for teams to project players like Byfield. The size and skill makes GMs dizzy, but what happens when the player isn’t in a man against boys scenario?
Someone mentioned Nurse being an athlete, not a hockey player yesterday.
That is exactly what I see from Byfield too.
Unfortunately Byfield got the DSF kiss of death!
Maybe Holland will trade him to Edmonton for a sack of pucks.
——–
Savoie on the 2nd line is massive. It allows Podz on the 3rd line and, more than a smaller player like Savoie, Podz can drive a third line with his energy, his aggressiveness, his physicality and his consistency (along with SOME skill).
Henrique has been OK at 5 on 5 but I would like to note that, although they have given up one goal, the PK looks much better since his return.
Frederic was EXCELLENT last night despite no points on 8 goals – he could have had a couple and the way he’s playing is like adding a new player – keep it up Fred – some goals will come and you can flip the script and help this team.
The Podz/ Savoie switch makes absolute sense based on the size as you point out. It’s not a knock on Podz for him to play on the third line.
It is a team game and he can most help the team on the third line while likely not suffering an offensive downgrade by playing there.
Savoie on the second line gives him and possibly that line an offensive boost.
Once they call up Samanski and Kapanen returns they might try a third line with Podz-Saman-Kapanen.
Nuge/McDavid/Hyman
Savoie/Drai/Roslovic
Podz/Samanski/Kap
Frederic/Henrique/Jarventie
Lazar
Mang traded
That’s ideal. And doesn’t take much to make it happen.
podz is driving the bus on the 3rd line. he gives me shades of hyman in his last year as a leaf… i remmember odog and noodles talking about how hyman was a swiss army knife that they can plug onto whichever line needs to get going.
One sequence I noticed when an Oilers forward absolutely flying in on the forecheck behind the net. Assumed it was Lazar, after a double take turned out it was Frederic! Shortly after, he cut his man off on the half wall in the offensive zone to hold the puck in. He’s getting to the plays now. Keep it going! A healthy and average to plus speed Frederic will go a long way in the playoffs.
He has a track record of being a pretty effective player. Up until this point we haven’t seen that player. Cross your fingers he is regressing to what we thought he was. There is little chance of getting rid of that contract. Best outcome would be improved play on his part and we may see that starting to occur!
There was also one play where Frederic out-battled three Kings behind their net and got the puck in front for a slot shot (maybe Lazar).
This team need to trade Mang, get Samanski/Howard on the roster, then place Janmark on LTIR. They might want to bring Jones or Hutson up as well to get closer to the cap when they make the LTIR placement.
OP, I’d feel better if you were in the Oilers’ brain trust. You make way too much sense and would likely not handle the punch-drunk types found in the pro hockey world. I remember years ago making this same statement here, and I was completely unloaded on by many. They said some guy online could never know very much, and I was being stoopid. Think i told this to Vic Ferrari, MC79, Woodguy, and Gmoney.
LOL – thanks for that, as misguided as you are, I appreciate it.
I was certainly dooming and glooming yesterday, although that Anaheim performance was one-of-a-kind tragic, so I think it was warranted.
I suppose I won’t watch more games, for the good of the team.
For those that were around, can you recall the 80s Oilers ever having even a floor-to-ceiling week like this team does, let alone season, year after year? The nature of McDavid’s Oilers is singular in all of sport. The clear favourite to rock bottom, sometimes in the span of one period.
Like any team, there was the odd stinker here and there. Nothing like the current team though. The 80’s teams were consistently good and most nights dominated the competition. I will say that the league is much harder now with not many easy nights. There were some bad teams in the league back in the day.
And they dominated Anaheim pole to pole but got a -3GSAx from their goalie which is the differentiator from having a HOF goalie and post injury Jarry.
Bang on! Would throw in a putrid performance by Nurse. Oilers were the better team in the game. You cannot win in this league with that level of tending. Last night LA tending was similar.
The team performance in ANA was over-stated. Nurse was terrible and Walman not much better but, overall, the team dominated the Ducks at 5 on 5 – on all advanced stats – slot shots, low to high changes, rush chances, etc. That was simply a goalie loss.
Mood: Do not Fire The Mall?
what did the mall ever do to you.
Saturdays starter is going to tell us an awful lot of who is who as far as goaltending goes.
Has to be Ingram…….
It’ll tell us whether we can put our KK pitchforks away or not.
McDavid was just Bizarre last night. He was flying and looked like he would never run out of gas. It’s uncanny, but great.
Magpie has looked great in the last 2 games. Too bad he didn’t look like this all year.
Frederic has been coming on and let’s hope he just keeps this up and starts banging a few home.
Emberson is becoming a very good #5 D man and that is much needed.
LA is terrible, but that was a massive curb stomping and a great BOUNCEBACK from the night before. The D played better as a whole as did all 4 lines.
Ingram isn’t a flashy goalie, but he is a smart one with angles and positioning. If the D can clear guys in front as well as clear rebounds ( he smothers the puck a lot giving up less rebounds ) the back end will be ok. I think Walman will benefit from being paired with a R hander to play with. In the last 2 games he seems to be way more engaged offensively and that is probably Coffee. The guy can be a weapon with his shot and passes well.
Sounds like ( rumour heads) they are interested in OEL or Faulk. Faulk used to be bad defensively but I believe he has gotten better with age. He is a big guy with that massive lower trunk . He is tough to move. OEL can skate, pass and shoot and plays with a bit of an edge at times. .Will either one be the guy ? I just hope if they get one they pair him with Walman and stick Nurse on the 5/6 pairing with less minutes.
I wish they could balance L R on the D. For a team that has trouble defending all the time, the 5% or more drop off that almost every D sees playing off hand isn’t ideal
The best fit is a guy that can deal with a heavy forecheck, that is where they struggle. Gapping, retrieval, can make an NHL pass, holding the checkers up to give his partner that extra second or two
I think I like both of those guys. Faulk is playing 21.5 minutes a night and is even on a bad team. Around 45th in 5v5 D scoring. Has another year 6.5M.
OEL is playing 21 minutes and is around even as well. He is also 12th in 5v5 scoring among D – one point behind Quinn Hughes. 2 more years at 3.5M.
they both play about the same amount vs elites – second pairing minutes. I think either would be great options. I would lean Faulk i think because I don’t really want another left shot but I believe OEL plays primarily on the right side?
I think you and I differ on what “can skate” means with respect to OEL.
He is physically capable of skating. That much is true.
When they are skating on the ice he is definitely one of them.
Emberson’s development has been highly under-stated.
Yes, he’s playing 3rd pairing minutes and that’s a big factor but he’s at 1.74 GA/60 and the next closest is Satstney at over 2.3 GA/60.
He’s no Bouchard out there but he’s moving the puck much better and quicker.
Emberson is locked in to the lineup and he’s a very good 3RD – not sure if there is 2RD upside, may be a bit too limited puck moving wise but he’s been a great add.
Savoie now well ahead of Mcleod as a substantial offensive contributor, age adjusted of course.
That 3rd line of Rico Podz Freddy had an identity of physical, simple, smart. More than could be said of any 3rd line this year.
Freddy with the filthy stick on the Worm would have got him a statue a few tears ago.
Again! And kidnap Macklin for 97 while youre at it. If the Lakers and NBA can do it so can we.
“A few tears ago”, bravo.
Taking aside last night, lots of doom and gloom around this team, and I get it.
Thing is, and I think we know this, there has been a large underperformance by many players and this team has the clear ability to be so much better.
The likes of McDavid, Drai, Bouchard, Hyman and Nuge have covered their bets but the likes of Savoie, Frederick, Walman, goalies and Nurse have underperformed.
We are starting to see some uptick in some of the 3rd tier players:
1) Ingram has a chance to steal the 1A and he’s generally a very solid to very good tender if the team is managing the play in front of him.
2) Savoie – he has a history of taking some time to settle in to the next level as far as offence goes and then be a substantial player – it took him a few months in the AHL and now he’s showing offensive swagger in the NHL – this might be real and sustainable and, if it is, he’s a legit top 6 winger allowing Podz to help the third line – massive.
3) No points for Frederic but he’s been very good since the break and excellent last night – some massive board battles and he’s been setting up high danger chances.
4) Walman is a HUGE one – he’s been awful most of the year but has a solid history of being a legit top 4D and, if he can be healthy and find his game, that’s massive.
5) Kapanen – well, he’s been great this year but he hasn’t been available. if he can return Sat or Tuesday and stay healthy, that’s a middle six add the way he’s been playing.
6) Janmark – there are issues with LTIR and the bonus implications of recalling Samanski or Howard if they aren’t on the roster when he’s placed on LTIR but Janny has been replacement level at best this season and they are now forced to replace him – Jarventie or Samanski or whoever could be an upgrade on what Janny was giving.
There is room for internal improvement down this stretch drive.
IMO Savoie has taken a big step meaning we probably don’t see Howard until next season if he isn’t moved first.
Right now, Howard is struggling in Bako along with Hutson – likely getting over the college player wall – I expect them, in particular Howard, to heat up down the stretch.
If Kap can’t go tonight, they can make an emergency call up but it can only be $875K or less. Hutson qualified but he’s been massively slumping for a while now – not a good option. Jones, Samanski and Howard each make too much (and Howard is also slumping but not to Hutson levels).
It should be Jarvetie but will probably be Hamblin.
Prospecticine!
A Wakely weekend off means a septet of NAmateurs on the docket.
By virtue of Wednesday’s win, Lewandowski and the Blades are off to the postseason. The German continues to lead Sassytoon in assists (42) and points (57).
Lafreniere’s slump continues with just two goals (and no apples) his last six GP. Barring a collapse, Kamloops ought to make it to the dance too.
Nicholl and the Knights are already playoff-bound. He had 1+1 last time out, giving him 9-8-17 in 21 GP.
Michigan (Park, Barnett) @ 4 p.m.
Notre Dame (Fischer) @ 5 p.m.
London (Nicholl) @ 5 p.m.
Saskatoon (Lewandowski) @ 6 p.m.
St. Thomas (Berry) @ 6 p.m.
Kamloops (Lafreniere) @ 8 p.m.
All times, at all times, are Viking time.
Well, that should calm some tits around here. At least until tomorrow night…
It’s fun when they fire on all cylinders and bury chances. And get some saves
To paraphrase a comment from last night, the lack of consistency this late in the season is concerning.
Matinee game tom .