I had to choose a country song for today’s title, simply because heartache so severe must come with sad lyrics, an old guitar, and an accordion. I also considered Sunday Morning Coming Down, for the line “there’s something in a Sunday, makes the body feel alone” but the Willie Nelson version of the Fred Rose song (written in 1945) is spare, sincere, and emotional. It fits the mood perfectly.
So about the goal. It was probably a goal to my eye, but the NHL’s established practice is to disallow a goal that isn’t clearly and provably completely across the line. NHL officiating blurs below the 49th parallel, with California representing the Bermuda triangle for weird calls.
From ‘what will I tell Corey?’ to the warning (instead of penalty) given out last night to Anaheim goaler Lukas Dostal, the Oilers have been victims of home-field reffing before. There’s an element of Stampede Wrestling in the game of hockey, and the Oilers have benefitted from home cooking a time or two if we’re honest.
You can’t get an overtime goal wrong. It tips the balance too far.
Now, let’s talk about the Oilers and the complete indifference to winning a game when you’re ahead by two goals. When I was a kid, I cheered mightily for the Boston Bruins. Any Bruins fan of the era will tell you the biggest problem for Boston came from men who played home games at the Montreal Forum. It was awful. No matter how many goals the Bruins would score, the Canadiens had an answer.
On April 8, 1971, the Bruins built a big lead against the Habs and honestly it felt like a carnival. However, Montreal played a smart game despite the 5-1 score and eventually came all the way back to win 7-5. It changed the series. You can watch the highlights here.
You have to take care of the puck. You have to be disciplined. You can’t take a penalty in a game you must win. On a night when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were not 100 percent, the team did not meet the challenge despite a two goal lead. That’s a fact.
- Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen 10:58, 3-4 shots, 30X
- Savoie-McDavid-Hyman 6:19, 3-2 shots, 65X
- Nuge-McDavid-Savoie 5:46, 2-2 shots, 67X, 2-0 HDSC
- Hyman-Dickinson-Roslovic 4:13, 3-1 shots, 85X, 1-0 HDSC
- Frederic-Samanski-Lazar 4:04, 1-2 shots, 0-1 goals, 15X, 0-1 HDSC
- Nuge-Dickinson-Roslovic 4:01, 0-2 shots, 0X, 0-1 HDSC
- Nurse-Murphy 19:34, 8-11 shots, 0-1 goals, 25X, 1-2 HDSC
- Ekholm-Bouchard 15:21, 5-10 shots, 33X, 1-2 HDSC
- Walman-Emberson 14:04, 8-6 shots, 1-1 goals, 51X, 2-2 HDSC
- Tristan Jarry 34 of 38, .895, 4GA, 3.66 expected
Tristan Jarry played well to my eye, you want him to stop that overtime goal but I’m not completely sure it was in. It’s been a long three seasons and it looks like this team is done. I would caution you against making any wild statements about the Oilers, though. This team can turn on a dime, the league and the Hockey Gods owe them one and the Oilers can’t possibly be this bad forever.
No matter what happens, prepare for plenty of Bruce Cassidy and Jesper Wallstedt talk over the rest of the spring.
On the Lowdown today, Rachel Kryshak from Betalytics will join us at 12:40, we’ll have Jason Gregor at 1:20 and I’ll ask Declan Krueger if he regrets his “Oilers will sweep” prediction before the series. Noon to 2pm, Sports 1440 and You Tube.
Perhaps early for this discussion but what can you change for next season?
Forwards
-Roslivick ( maybe replace with Howard)
-Dickinson ( resign? How much?)
-Frederick (stuck with him)
-Rico ( retire?)
Defence
-Nurse ( can you trade him)
-Murphy (do you resign him?)
-I think you keep the other 4
Goalies- Need a true #1 but no idea how????
it will be challenging to upgrade this team.
I think the worst thing the oilers did was trade a goalie that was contract free for one that had a longer term and amount. While the goalie market could be shit this post season, we have no solution now to an ongoing problem, or upgrade other areas.
Can’t be mad at how bowman filled in our cupboard though. Where are the key upgrade spots next year that have wiggle room?
Looking for OP to fill me in! Dudes a brain on this stuff lol
I’d not resign Dickinson or Murphy nor Ros. I’d rather have those spots open for a player that maybe is a little less capable in October but has the chance of being more significant by the end. Podkolzin type.
I get that it’s not the best to spent assets at the deadline on players you could have for free in July. However there’s also a chance muph and dic end up to be Henrique and Janmark then you got a different problem.
Will require good pro scouts as well as some luck. I think there is promise that this group can find some luck. Kap/pods/ros/sam/stash. But you need a roster spot for those types.
The Oilers don’t need to add proven leaders they need young hungry energy.
I’d definitely kick tires on murphy if they could get him on a 2 to maybe 4 year type deal.
Definitely pre-mature – the Oilers play a playoff game tomorrow night.
Definitely replace Roslovic with Howard for asx $3.5MM lower of a cap commitment.
Howard replacing a material portion of Roslovic’s production is very reasonable.
Savoie had 18 goals this season and Howard was a more substantial offensive player in the AHL this year than Savoie was last year – more goals and only 4 less points in almost 20 less games.
Maybe I’m late to the party, but I’ve never seen the “hide this commenter” feature before.
Will be interesting to see how many secretly like DSF/HH/Fib’s ragebait.
Well I for one love the troll hunter button!!
If one chooses to hide the troll, they won’t get to see the hilarious takes, contradictions and who’s the latest player to get cursed.
Why even keep it secret? The blog functions better with a heel. It makes things more fun around here to have one.
So you are saying that HH is actually LT, Jekyll and Hyde?
Now that I think about it, how would one unhide a commenter?
NHE – The priority is live entertainment for a very general NA audience. The fine folks in this online community are a small percentile customer category. Sales drives everything. They are not selling how closely they can follow a rule book. That’s not compelling entertainment
And this is the exact opposite way from how you should run a professional sports league.
Officiating is a discipline based on observation. Officials stop the play or make calls based on what they observe. If they don’t observe a play, they can’t make a call. Making a call on a play you haven’t observed is an egregious affront that compromises the integrity of the game. It is far worse than missing a call or failing to observe play.
The NHL should be concerned about what happened last night because officials made a call based on something other than observation. Ironically, they used replay and a method of evidential requirement (observation) to pass judgement on the call on the ice. The call on the ice, however, was not based on the same rationale or standard as the review.
I think we have moved beyond the argument that the NHL is “bush league”. There is something else at play. Party’s in the back, by the way.
Currently the NHL does not give officials the “we do not know” option, before sending it to review. The referees probably flipped a coin in the scrum. They are obligated to make a goal/no goal decision.
The referees are made to look stupid by a bad process which does not give them a reasonable option in that situation.
A reasonable person would not call it a goal if no officials saw it in the net and the goal light was not on
I could not disagree more with your post. They are obliged to call only what they see.
None of the 4 saw the puck cross the goal line yet in a group huddled they chose to go against what they saw.
To take that further, if they don’t actually see the puck go in to the net, they are obligated to not call it a goal, right?
With all kinds of gambling sites who’s to say there isn’t a few refs that have a gambling habit. At no time did either ref signal a goal this was a grift. I do think the Oilers will come back and win the series as anger can be channeled into wins.
100%.
Sports gambling is a blight.
If I’m the league and I don’t want to deal with a union of refs, I would just point to this play and say. Why do we need you? Maybe that’ll teach em to do the point of their job.
If there was a “we don’t know” option, I wonder what the ultimate call would have been? Hard to say.
in the end, they didn’t lose just because of that one play
No they lost due to 4 straight penalties in the 2nd. Most we’re penalties, but none for Anaheim? Righhhht.
Game management.
The system does not allow for quantum uncertainty. It isn’t Schroedinger’s goal. It is either a goal or it is not a goal. If you didn’t see it the call is no goal. Of course, that is the principle. Practice is a different beast. A clean game is rendered by following the principle.
I think the Oilers did lose the game because of that one play because that is how overtime works. First goal wins. That doesn’t mean I think the Oilers played really well. 🙂
Not sure what the 2nd part has to do with what I said.
Someone in Toronto made the call, looked at the replay, all of it. What’s the point of a ref then? They didn’t even call the goal.
The officials on the ice broke one of the basic rules of officiating – don’t guess. If you don’t see it, don’t call it.
Haven’t read the comments yet, I’ve had a long day. Just getting on…
that last goal to me is sort of a metaphor for the whole season
Something. Just. Isn’t. Right.
I said earlier this year to a friend, “These guys didn’t just wake up and forget how to play hockey
I don’t know what the solution is but it’s been months of mystery to me
They are exhausted from too much hockey, and now they are too banged up. They need a long off-season to fully recover.
Oilers-Jarry 6 game winning streak will be snapped by the young desperate Utah club.
Except they’ve played this way all season mostly. A few flashes of brilliance but mostly woof. The 80s Oilers never did this
Nor did the 2024 or 2025 Oilers.
I don’t think you understand
I don’t really care what the 80’s Oilers did. Times are different. The game is different.
The guys have been exhausted all year; now more so than ever and now they are extremely banged up. 4 injured centres is just too much to overcome.
I’m not convinced they were exhausted all year. Sounds like an excuse to me.
I love these takes.
Games played in the past two years prior to this season:
– Oilers lead the West in total workload (~211 games)
That’s:
+35–45 games vs average playoff teams
+47 games vs non-playoff teams
So an extra half-season of hockey over the past 2 years added up.
That, plus roster turnover from this year and from what appeared to be injuries which needed healing over the summer, yea, they are tired.
I feel like people completely airhead on players training through summer as well. This isn’t the 80s where you do coke and jet ski on pigeon lake or golf 72 holes on Windermere in 2 days to get ready for the next hockey season lol.
I have been on about a new HC for a while. But, there really aren’t many compelling people to choose from. Trying to read up on Cassidy, it seems he’s kind of a hard ass, from the Torts tree – players get tired of it. That doesn’t seem like the right type of coach to me. I don’t think they need a stick, they need an irresistible carrot
I will not be surprised if Knob stays
i think they need a type like Cassidy. Inmates are running the asylum, that has to change
I am so curious how much say Connor and Leon have over things like line combos, strategy and player procurement.
I’m at the point where I don’t mind a hardass for a coach.
I mean, if a coach’s tenure in EDM seems to be 2-3 years max anyway…
I would kill to see torts lose it on matheson hahaha
Cassidy judt did an interview today saying how awesome it would be to win a cup in a Canadian city
Let the players get tired of it. If however it gets them a few Cups then I bet they’ll be fine. After that, so be it. Let the chips fall where they may.
It’s definitely time for a tough love type of coach. Someone that isn’t afraid to give truth when truth is needed. I believe it will take a big personality though. The leafs tried with Berube and it only worked for 1 year. The players turned on him and left him out to dry this season by “quiet quitting ” and that’s the risk with these type of coaches.
I think Coffeey got more from the defence than anyone. He did because he wasn’t afraid to tell these guys what they’re doing wrong and challenge them to do more.
Mcdavid is doing what he thinks is best, but it doesn’t seem like KK has the stones to tell him it’s not actually what’s best for the team. I definitely question the leadership of this team. They should do everything to empower every man to be equally important. This is what made Gretzky and Messier different.
Watching Bill Daly interview and he says ‘most significantly’ the call on the ice that says it’s a goal is the reason the goal stood because they didn’t have evidence to support overturn it. This is the infuriating bit because it was impossible for the refs to justify their call of ‘conclusive that there was a good goal on the ice’. This ‘defense’ makes it more maddening than ever
And EF stating that they couldn’t envision being able to tell Verbeek and the Ducks that it wasn’t a good goal. Why is this even a part of the discussion. What an absolutely ridiculous thing for the situation room to say. Along the lines of ‘what are we going to tell Corey’.
That was real? I assumed that was someone poking fun at the “what will we tell Corey” thing. It was…wasnt it?
It has been ugly….
Travis Yost
@travisyost
Edmonton’s bad goaltending was a given.
But the Oilers are simply getting outplayed by the Ducks. For my money, it’s the most shocking development of round one
https://x.com/travisyost/status/2048780044613599697
Its been ugly but not shocking.
The Oilers have been mediocre all season. They now have four injured centres. They are worn out.
Travis Yost……phhhhbt
Time for Knoblauch to find McDavid some time away from Lacombe.
in 43 mins against Lacombe McDavid is 1GF, 4GA. 39% xGF.
away from Lacombe, he is even in goals and 74% xGF.
Him and Trouba have put on a clinic. Really eye opening considering this guy couldn’t get a second on the US Olympic team.
That said, if Leon was fully healthy, I don’t think they get that big of a benefit.
They’ve been hammering him a few times but not enough. Unfortunately, breathing on Carlsson draws a penalty. Perhaps they think he’s John and are giving him vet calls. You wouldn’t think a 2nd year who is gigantic would get tipped over by Jake Walman so easy….
It’s not just Mc David though….
Our Top players , have been getting *decimated * by a team nobody expects ( at this time) to seriously compete for the Cup.
Ok that’s true. Leo is 24% xGF against Lacombe. Better in goals though (3-4).
I don’t know man
The Ducks 4th line is primarily responsible for shutting down McDavid.
If we say 97’s health is at 75% I’d put his decision making at 25%
He’s just has not been difficult to defend – Hasn’t been a big ask of the Ann D
Q is fine with the Ann 4th line vs 97
I’m looking forward to us playing desperation hockey. I think the young Ducks will sit back allowing us to get a win and some momentum.
The Quackers came out tentatively last night but Coach Q got them rolling midway through the first.
It really is remarkable how often they can come back and win.
More than 20 games this season.
Even with having McDavid, there seems to be a reduced interest in the team this year. I haven’t been as excited personally. This must worry ownership and management.
I think they probably have one more year to give it a go. They need an above NHL average goalie and a Nurse replacement, at minimum. I have no idea how they get it with a lack of assets and cap space.
This year it was the least exciting team to watch in many years, at least for me
Agreed. The lack of any emotion within the team doesn’t help. Really weird season
I like watching professional tennis and I’m watching the Madrid Open. They’ve used technology for a few years now to rule a ball in or not. Great camera work. No more John McEnroe theatrics (which were fun). Someone below mentioned technology to determine if the puck crosses the line. Surely this is available. Does anyone know whether that’s ever been talked about? Seems simple to me. Both for and against the Oilers by the way, cause it will prevent the comedy show we saw last night
The bad call in OT is a red herring as far as I am concerned and in no way analogous to the infamous Kesler hold.
These Oilers fully deserve the 3-1 hole they find themselves in.
I appreciate the Ducks are comfortable playing down a goal or two but a purportedly veteran team cannot piss away leads every night and win a series, no matter how talented.
The Oilers have never looked in control this series, even when leading.
And, if they can’t accomplish that against the Ducks, they certainly won’t against Colorado, or whomever comes out of the East.
Probably as a coping mechanism, I have written off any miraculous comeback. And in all fairness, this group could use a long summer.
My ideal offseason:
Consider resigning whoever of Dickinson ($3M), Murphy ($3.5-4M), Kapanen ($1.5-2M), Ingram ($1.5-2M) and/or Roslovic ($2-2.5M) are willing to sign for short term deals that aren’t max valueLeave ~3F and 1D spot for kids. Give first 2/3 season to see who can contribute while saving cap you can spend at deadlineBe smart on July 1 which may mean sitting out and “taking on” Arvidssons insteadSee if there is a GM who still puts some value in Frederic and offload at cheapest costGet a goalie – I don’t know how this is done. We talk about Wallstedt or Cossa and maybe Howard gets you Cossa as he is also from that area but this seems like a hard trade to make and there are no UFAs. It may be Ingram or Jarry + getting 1-3 top tier AHL goalies and see who performsIF you can do it QUIETLY, softly gauge market for McDavid. No one wants to see him go, but if a very motivated owner/GM wants him for 2 years at $12.5M and is willing to give up a Leo Carlson + Lacombe + __ package, you should at least have the convo if the feeling is he may ask out if we bomb out again the year after (if Lebrun is right on this). You could likely include Nurse in these deals to balance money and re-set with young, cost controlled elite 2 way playersReplace the coachesLots to chomp and chew on
Just caught the end of Woodley on Gregor. JG always says the Oilers production isn’t a problem, it’s D. I say it is a problem in the greater sense. This series they were getting some 5v5 scoring, but it’s normally well below what it should be for a team built like this
At the same time they got some 5v5, the PP couldn’t cash. Woodley just said they aren’t generating very many east-west and goal line chances. This is where the problem lies. That is what makes it easier to score. It’s how they are getting scored on. The system and or coaching is stifling the production they should have, and the GA isn’t improving
Isn’t it the PK that’s the problem?
If this year’s edition of the Oilers craps out, I’m putting all my fandom chips on Taylor Hall.
Hard to believe Hallsy is 34 already. From his facial laceration to multiple knee surgeries, the man who was once this City’s next great hockey hope has certainly paid his dues in the NHL.
While the miles on the odometer have taken a little tread off this former Hart winner, he’s playing pretty well right now for Rod the Bod and Mr Tulsky.
If we can’t have nice things here this season, a Cup for my favourite Windsor Spitfire would be a decent consolation prize.
The Canes are currently the second favourite to win the cup.
Fitting that both they and the actual favourite Colorado have more than a week of rest after sweeping their series.
Awesome to see. His memorial cup runs were legendary, I always hoped to see that version of him in the NHL playoffs. What a trade an signing – 3.2ish for the next 3 years
I just rewatched the Kesler hold and McLean finally submitting to Friedman’s thesis that it was unambiguously goalie interference and the referees got it wrong.
What’s ridiculous is that yesterdays call was only in the ‘Makar wasn’t offside’ territory and, even there, they probably got the call right even though it def wasn’t by the book (but if they were hiding behind the rules, which they always seem to do when it would hurt the Oilers, it almost certainly wouldn’t have been called a goal on the ice).
The two Bennet plays in game 1 and 2 last year were bad enough. Now, I’m just a homer. Do other teams get it this bad? The Flames Conroy no-goal comes to mind.
Hull skate in the crease. The rule was the rule until suddenly it wasn’t the rule. Very Makar-esque hide behind the little known, non-used spirit of a rule.
Tuck rule in the NFL.
On another note, I think the organization’s sole focus on giving Mcdavid whatever he wants, ie surrounding him with people from his past circle is a mistake. No one player, even Mcdavid, is bigger than the team. The hires of Jeff Jackson and Knoblauch smell of trying to appease McDavid.
Like the NHL, the process of the Oilers in their decision-making is not built on trying to win, as a team, at all costs. I know the Canadian market is different than American counterparts, with more taxes, less sunshine, and infinitely more pressure, BUT that is even more reason to have your decision-making processes well thought out and aligned throughout the organization.
Since the last lottery win, the Oilers have tripped over themselves time and again to try to win with and for McDavid, from poor trades that tried to rush the progress, to poor draft picks, to poorly thought out July 1 signings, and especially the hiring process from Presidents, GM’s, and coaches.
I think rather than worrying about McDavid leaving they need to focus on getting these processes right so that they can compete year after year. This takes a willingness to make some hard decisions, ala Tampa and Vegas, but it starts with a strong vision for the franchise; it doesn’t START or END with a franchise player, even if he is one of the best all time.
I am amazed at how worked up people still get over the NHL doing bush league things. The NHL is not interested in fairness or consistency. If you expect fairness or consistency you are setting yourself up to be disappointed. All you need to know is that George Parros, an all time great thug and cheater, is head of player safety.
I had a couple of referee buddies spend a few years in the NHL officiating system. It’s too bad that the people covering the NHL are presumably scared of losing access, because the stories that my buddies tell…..wowzers.
I remember your post a couple of weeks ago on referring and the stunning case of development or lack thereof. It’s a shame. These ref’s are human, and they’re asked to be fair and impartial on a big scale without, it seems, good training and without a moral code. In fact, it’s seems the opposite, as game management is alive and well, very obvious calls they could not have missed are not called etc. It’s a job I would never take and it’s too bad this becomes the norm for otherwise well intentioned people
Let me first say that the overtime call on the goal is not the determining factor of the series. I think most agree it was across the line. The part I take issue with is the complete lack of a predictable and consistent process that is not ruled by the whims of referees and video room officials.
The current approach in all aspects of the game is inconsistent and unpredictable, at best, and egregious at worst. There seems to be no desire to fix it or hold anyone accountable though.
Instead of sending out an email defending the situation they should start with the recognition that they want to get things right on the ice. The current process is not sufficient in this situation to have gotten it ‘right’. What needs to be changed in the process moving forward to ensure the right call is able to be made? That is what the NHL should focus on, and communicate about.
In this situation where the referees are unsure if it crossed the line, they should be able to honestly state this, rather than lie to get the ‘right outcome’. It is the lie (saying its a good goal that completely crossed the line when no ref was in position to say this truthfully) that most fans of the team and the game take issue with because it feeds the theory that the league is biased against a particular team.
If they took this approach, genuinely, rather than consistently defending their current systems, the NHL would leave the dark ages and progress to a more fair and predictable/consistent game. The systems they should (but refuse) to assess and revamp are:
There needs to be a more effective mix of on-ice calls and video reviews for each of these areas. I don’t have the answers but even admitting that they are going to assess and address these systems to ensure the ‘right calls’ are made would go a long way. There is ZERO accountability in the current system which leaves plenty of room for bias to live.
Agree, nobody is expecting perfection, just honesty and accountability. There was a post earlier talking about mlb and the new ball/strike challenge rules this year. I’ve watched a half dozen games now and can say I really like it. Not only does it give teams the ability to correct bad calls, it holds umpire instantly accountable for their job, which they should be. I don’t have the numbers to back this up, but in my viewings, it appears there are actually less bad calls now. There is no longer tolerance for a wide strike zone from certain umps, and umpires seem to be calling it by the actual rules of the game. Imagine! In fact, many of the players actually lose the challenge as the umpire is proven to have made the correct call. The NHL could definitely learn from this example.
Well yes and no.
Like lou lamo get’s fined for tampering and supposed to forfeit 1sr round pick -> doesn’t happen
But a conditional pick in lucic deal getd projected to full season and oilers pay.
Endless cap circumvention clearly happening like every single champion keeps having magic ready for game 1…then edmonton finally does similar and that is super investigated all sorts of grumbling and magically rules changed next season.
Like i can get completely random crappy but it is consistent in some extremely telling ways on a franchise to franchise basis.
Teams with less potential market growth potential have a pretty consistent trend of losing coin flips in way it’s clearly suspect. Not just oilers. They just happen to have won a draft lottery for mcdavid that league was praying they wouldn’t have….right after what? Oh yeah the rules were changed because oilers were getting too many high picks while trying to rebuild.
Like cmon….they keep doing this type of garbage.
Coach says no decision made on the starting goalie tomorrow. I think they may go back to Ingram.
Just finished watching Knoblachs post game presser. I know it’s his personality, but I sure wish he’d show a little more emotion or a bit of fire when he answers. He sounds like an accountant explaining tax law rather than an nhl coach that is pissed and wants to get his team any edge he possibly can. I can’t help but think about how guys like Cooper, Maurice, or even Woody would have answered questions about how the officials handled the winning goal. If Knoblach showed a little passion, it might even rub off on his team, who knows? Also didn’t like how he was referring to the team as “they” and “them”, instead of “we” and “us”. Might be nitpicking but a leader shows that he is in the trenches with his soldiers and has their backs. All for one, one for all.
At least he doesn’t say stupid stuff like ‘if you have to ask the question’.
He’s been straightforward since the get-go. He wants the team to control what they can control. They know the officiating will be a circus.
He doesn’t buy into the gamesmanship, which I don’t really think works. The NHL refs are atrocious but now because Maurice yelled at them they’ll give them a good call? They were gonna make a terrible call against us anyway with or without Maurice. That said, he has gone to the whip before. LA series last year specifically. Not in public.
To each their own. Consistency has brought them to the finals twice. Deboer yelled his way and ‘held guys accountable’ (Otter) to 2 exits. Vet coach Bednar was schooled the last 4 years. Torts can’t hold a job and Knobs outfoxed Tocchet. I’m team keep your cool as frustrating as it is.
Coach isn’t a fan (thank god) that’s your job! His job is to coach. Tactically it’s been uninspiring so far but I think it’s more player driven than coach at this point.
Yes.
With the exception of a match-sized flame of hope at the end of the season, they never really felt like a team who had their poop in a group.
I guess just saying “don’t worry, just because they can’t win the in a row, doesn’t stop them from becoming an entirely different team in the playoffs!” is kind of a fools hope.
“But two years ago, an almost entirely different team had a different outcome against another entirely different team!”- this kind of argument is the one that irks me most.
I suppose game 5 will finally complete the loop, and we’ll see McDavid and Draisaitl on a line together. Like pulling the goalie with 5 minutes left in the game, it’s like pouring chum over the body before swimming into shark infested waters. I reckon the strapping young lads and wily vets are going to dismantle this team, through determination and momentum.
But hey, at least we didn’t play LA, right? Right guys? Who would have wanted THAT again?
It’s never over until it’s over, but much like McDavid looking to the skies after coughing one up, or Bouch pleading with the refs before the whistle- I’m giving up a little early this year. At least there won’t be a giant pile of 8:25 hockey games to ruin my sleep all spring.
I don’t usually post on here; this might be my first. Sorry for the rant, but I just needed to get it out. I’ll be watching game 5 with my matchbook.
Add the ref guessing it’s a goal to the Makar offside rule change and Kessler pad grab.
If it rightly would not have been called goal on ice and that was overturned you could say this.
This was clearly a ref under pressure influenced on ice at key moment in a way that he should not have.
But so was the quick penalty after quenville screamed at them following that potential missed too many call.
I still said it.
It sucks that Jarry performance gets over looked especially with the fluke goal in OT. We were down 3 games to 1 against the Dale Hawerchuk Jets the last time we won a Cup. It’s been a long run for McDavid-Leon the last few years throw in the Olympic craziness and most importantly injuries. This group needs to collectively come together and beat the streaky Ducks 3 games with 2 being at home.
Hard to do when your lead horses have come up lame…. I thought Jarry played well.
I will be honest, I haven’t watched as much hockey this season. Even the playoffs (though this is likely due to a large reno eating at my time). And it is largely due to how this team has showed up this season.
This year’s team seems a indifferent. Like there isn’t much left in the tank. They are going through the motions.
It’s kind of how I approached being a fan this year, particularly as the calendar turned to 2026. There were so many lost opportunities during that pre-Olympic stretch to avoid chasing a playoff spot and/or standing position during the last week of the regular season, but they squandered it. They needed to be able to rest guys going into the playoffs, but they didn’t put the work in during the regular season to give themselves that privilege.
That’s when I knew that it didn’t feel like their year.
Having said all of that, this team IS capable of making the necessary changes and showing up and proving their critics and fans wrong. And I will watch what I can on Tuesday and cheer like hell. I just have lower expectations this year.
And that’s ok. They are building some pieces (Savoie, Samanski, Podkolzin, others). It will come.
Gosh I can’t wait until this reno is over. It’s going to be great!
It feels over. They just don’t have the juice, which considering injury, is fair. Unfortunate, but fair.
This season never rhymed. Never once. It just ain’t their year, which is just as well. They need a rest.
My biggest gripe this series is unnecessary icings at key times. Game 2 GWG was off an unnecessary icing less than a minute after scoring the game tying goal.
Game 4, game tying goal comes off an icing. GWG is off an icing, with Frederic being caught out. These boys better work on their dump ins over the summer. It’s cost them big time.
On Frederic, I thought a night’s sleep would take the anger out, but the more I think about it, the more mad I get.
What had he done in that game, or what has he done in this series, or his entire Oiler career that showed he should even touch the ice in overtime of a must win game? Especially within the first five minutes?
I can accept losing with a hobbled 97 or 29 on the ice, because there is no other strategy for this team at this point. Run the race with horses that for got you there. But the fact that Trent Frederic is put in a place to win the game is inexcusable, on the player, on the coach and on the management.
Frederic showed a glimmer of hope when playing with the right linemates end of season. Then the wind blew that glimmer out and hes been useless.
The bar was adjusted so low that any sign of contribution inspires hope of usefulness.
He has been in fact useless
Our leadership from the top down seems like excellent hockey people-minds. The response tells you how passive we are. I can see Bowman laying low after being reinstated for falling on a sword for the owner and NHL policies. K.K needed to go OFF this goal should not have counted. You can’t think it was probably in these refs and the review command centre twats need to be held accountable. If K.K questions the call in a Tocchet-Sutter manner then I guarantee we get favourable reffing for the next 3 games. You can’t change the call but K.K needed to plant the seed in the refs head for the next 3 games.
Him quietly leaving the bench was absolutely pathetic.
Sather-Muckler-Green-Low-Lowe-Quinn would have been held back by the players. The one OBC that we have on the bench is probably the most passive individual from the glory days.
Of course, its no 1983.
That was my observation as well.
Under the category of chuckle. Samanski in the box after the orange guys scored on the PP, looked like a child who was refusing to eat his carrots with his defiant cringe and head shake. Somewhat similar the game or too before when he was in the box. Love this kid. He looks like a 15 year old. He’ll age well for sure
It will be an interesting offseason.
What will Bowman do with:
-Dickinson
-Murphy
-Nurse
-Ingram
Ideally none back next season, no matter what happens the rest of the way.
I suspect he overpays Murphy and is stuck with Nurse.
I thought Murphy was excellent. The only one who remembers how to play defense. No idea what price tag might be.
Dickinson and Murphy at discounts only otherwise you have to find the next version of them. Need more players that actually care about the D side
Ingram is easily replaceable. Find 2 young guys with some upside to compete for the spot
I think Nurse is gone and the deal won’t be attractive with $$ retained
Ref’s words, “after review, the puck completely crossed the goal line…”
They are guessing
I think it completely crossed too but there is no video revealing that
That was not actually correct by that official (to say that).
Friedman confirmed (after speaking to the league) that the review determined that it was inconclusive so they could not over-turn the on-ice call, which was the correct decision at that time (calling it the goal on the ice, of course, was note).
The official should have either stated that (inconclusive and call on the ice stands or just simply said “the call on the ice stands, we have a good goal”.
Even Ron was suspect of the call and that tells you all you need to know about its accuracy.
The situation room changed its story on the review. They initially said one thing to EF, then they presented a different justification over email later. That they lied about the on-ice call and then changed their story regarding the review is complete BS.
From 32 Thoughts: The Podcast: Good Goal. Questionable Process., Apr 27, 2026
Thanks – I hadn’t listened to that Pod yet (normally I do on Monday mornings at the gym but I just couldn’t today….)
There should never be chaos in the situation room. Calm, by the book
Chris Johnston writing at the Athletic states that the NHL views it as a clear-cut decision since the video review determined that the puck crossed the line before being pinned under Jarry s skate, thus supporting the call on the ice.
Indefensible
It could be argued that the play should have been blown dead since the official would have certainly lost sight of the puck.
It was so weird because I dont think a whistle was ever blown
What is with constant cameras on McDavid on the bench? Did Crosby get this level of stalking? Keep track of the number of times McDavid is sitting on the bench and barely spitting. We don’t have technology to see if a Crucial goal of the series is in yet we have the technology of lip reading if Connor was yell at his teammates rah-rah that a good captain does.
When they were up 3-2 with less than 10 mins. to go they sat back, stopped hitting or forechecking and looked like they were just trying to coax it home. That don’t work in the playoffs.
I do question: these fellas have gone all the way the last 2 years and know what it takes. Will or no will, it’s hard not to wonder if the vets know deep down they just don’t have enough of what it takes to win left in them this year. They know better than anyone it doesn’t get easier along the way
Honestly, this is what I believe. Simply, the Ducks want it (a lot) more. Which is not unreasonable given we have won 5 round 1s in a row while they were on the sidelines
If Roslovic wants to stay for a year or two for 2mil fine. Otherwise bye bye.
We’re really gonna need to find two forwards in the offseason that can push everyone down the lineup.
Those willing to re-sign him in the $4.5MM (or more) range baffled me.
I like Jack (and he seems like a good dude), but, well, he’s replaceable by Issac Howard.
And Howard is a given to score 20 goals?
I would guess 10-12???? Howard has talent but big step to scoring 20 in the NHL.
That isn’t the comparison though. It’s Howard at $1M scoring say 10-15G versus Roslovic at $4M scoring $20G
A given? Of course not.
I do think there is a very reasonable possibility he can replicate a material portion of Roslovic’s production (with similar deployment) and for FAR less of a cap commitment….
Even with Howard they need two more top 9 FWs
Nuge
Hyman
Savoie
Podz
Howard
Kap
I think Jarventie can play top 9 today but not sure he’ll that chance. Plus Berezkin has a shot. Plus the cap space saved by not re-signing Ros.
Kap would be one
also have to add a 3C
I think they need to cut bait on Ros. He has talent and all that, but he’s part of the leaky problem and brings no edge. They need to find guys that want to push and stay on the positive side of goal share. Good pick up this season given the circumstances, but not enough of what they need
I thought Jack played alright and $2mil would be fine. Agreed!
Imagine it would take double that plus.
Has he played yet in these playoffs?
Nope, won’t engage
Going down with the ship.(me and KK)
5v5 hasn’t been an issue
5v4 has finally woken up
Goaltending was fine
4v5 fix that and you’re back in the series
Only 1 more game state to go. Oil in 7. Ill book the flight to Edmonton if they figure it out.
Saturday night for all the marbles.
Oh the sweet taste
Love it!
I did not know this until now. That puck went off of Nurse’s skate before squeaking through. Goddamn it.
Well of course it did! I am sure Nurse leads the NHL by a wide margin in pucks deflected into own net……. (well of course I am guessing!) This team does need to find away to move Nurses contract in the off season and it may be painful.
I was so caught up in outrage last night and trying to see if it actually crossed, that i wasn’t paying attention to how it squeaked through. Trading Nurse should be one of the top priorities, after replacing Knoblauch.
You’re probably not too far off. I mentioned in yesterday’s thread that about a month ago, the Cult of Hockey said that at that point in the season, Edmonton defencemen had deflected 20 grade A shots against their own goalie and that Nurse was responsible for 10 of them. It’s not just bad luck when a single player is deflecting grade A shots against their own goalie at the same rate as the rest of the d-core combined.
It’s because he constantly backs into his own crease.
He rightfully has his skates pointing up ice for best positioning to take away passing lanes and defend the netfront, but he’s way too deep too soon
I believe this fact has been empirically verified. (I’m serious.)
No, I don’t think it has.
The work Staples did on the was only in relation to the other d-men on the Oilers, not league wide (unless you have another source, which could be…?).
There’s this truth. It would be pretty sweet if the Oilers can come back and win the series. Frankly, how could anyone know what comes in game 5 from the Oilers. They really are the mystery that keeps on giving
I was watching Jay & Rishaug on TSN this morning and the subject of McDavid’s “happiness” came up should the team get bounced by the Ducks in the first round.
No doubt Connor would be unhappy with this result, but I found myself wondering, “Why does this matter and maybe more importantly, why is it even a question?”
From the outside looking in, this team is the reflection of its Captain’s wishes. The senior most Ops exec is his former agent. The HC his former junior coach. We are told that Connor and Leon are consulted on every major roster decision from the Frederic contract to the Mangiapane signing to the Jarry trade.
If this process isn’t working to win Stanley Cups, and currently they’re getting farther away rather than closer, it’s hard to envision an alternate process that would involve the player more to achieve the desired “happiness.”
I think it’s fair to say that noone, players, coaches, management, and the fans that pay the bills, are “happy” with perennial disappointment. So you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t shed a tear for any one individual’s unhappiness over this situation, particularly when that individual seems to have more collective influence than anyone.
It’s interesting that so much chatter is focused now on assessing a player’s “legacy” while they are still playing. McDavid may or may not win a Cup in Edmonton, and if he does not, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to chase Cups elsewhere to achieve that elusive happiness.
And what will happen to the Edmonton Oilers’ “legacy” in that scenario. They’ll be roundly criticized as the team that couldn’t win a cup with McDavid. I’m not sure that’s entirely fair to this organization given the extensive efforts they have made to invest this player in every aspect of the process.
Hopefully they win a Cup in the next year or 3 to render all of this happiness and legacy talk moot.
They’ve played more hockey than anybody the last 3 years. It sure looks like it.
All 4 C’s hurt. If they’re out R1 then we’ll have a new coach to talk about, not sure what else happens but when the spine is fractured things happen.
If people recall, the Oil beat the Sharks in 2017, but that was a very hurt team. They went to the final the year before. Thankfully our best player is not a fossil like Big Joe was by then.
Excellent write up!
Thanks!
With the way social media is I kinda feel sorry for players. To be a NHL player takes a huge amount of time and money by the parents. The Kid more importantly needs to have dedication-luck-no injuries-genetics. These NHL players aren’t polished politicians they’re mostly 25 year olds that like to have fun. Look at Tkachuk he bailed on Calgary Tkachuk who has 2 Cups and is able to surf or get drunk anywhere in Florida with nobody recognizing him. In contrast McDavid who can’t even buy a 6-pack without all the phones coming out the chirps be the random dude.
The one saving grace is that goal wasn’t the series winner. This could be the rallying call to up the ante for the Oil.
Yesterday I asked who the refs for the game would be because I had a feeling we would get fuked over. When I found out that the one ref Brenk was drafted by Oilers I then thought maybe we won’t get bent over.
Even more reason for him to do it.
Failed former players with egos would go after the team that “screwed them and never gave them a chance” first.
It is crazy that these are the first people recruited – if your goal is proper competition rather than a TV show.
If we were down 2-0 does anyone think we would get the 3 ticky-tacky penalties that the Ducks were gifted The Walman made up penalty should have evened out. If Nurse would knocked down a Duck the way Walman was then Nurse gets the even up call.
Ever since Nurse tuned Polak during his rookie season he hasn’t been able to get away with anything, never gets the benefit of the doubt, and almost always gets the harshest punishment possible.
Nurse got suspended 3 games for tuning Polak, despite 5 days earlier, Max Domi only getting 1 game for jumping Ryan Garbutt at the end of a game.
In the 2022-2023 playoffs, the NHL upholds the automatic 1 game suspension for receiving an instigator penalty in the last 5 minutes of a game in the playoffs when Nurse “instigated” a fight with 6’6″ 245lbs Nic Hague, who had been asking for a fight all series and got his gloves off at the same time as Nurse and threw the first 5 punches. It’s ridiculous that the on-ice officials gave him an instigator, and total BS that the NHL decided to uphold the suspension. This is right after Pietrangelo lumberjacked Draisaitl across the arms and got a 1 game suspension. How does a BS instigator penalty against a willing opponent receive the same suspension as a lumberjack chop on the arms of a player?
Then, the next season in October, Brady Tkachuk jumps Alex Tuch in the last 5 minutes of a game, and the NHL decides to rescind the automatic 1-game suspension. The NHL has gone on record saying that playoff suspensions are halved from what the same play would receive in the regular season, yet they suspend Nurse for a playoff game in a 2-2 series, but rescind the 1-game suspension to Tkachuk for a random game in October.
They don’t even try to hide the double standard.
This is a good post but I guess my question with conspiracy theories is “what’s the actual theory”? Why do they hate Edmonton yet favour Ottawa based on your post? Isn’t it more likely that they’re just incompetent?
I don’t think that there is necessarily a league mandate for officials to make calls that hurt Edmonton and benefit their opponent. It’s more that the league and officials have players that they like, such as the Tkachuks and Domi and players that they don’t like, such as Nurse. I mean, when you have officials saying things like “What am I supposed to tell Corey?” it is clear that they factor in their relationship with a player when making calls, which creates a double standard.
The fact that the suspension associated with the instigator penalty in the last 5 minutes of a game was upheld for Nurse in a playoff series that was 2-2, but rescinded for Tkachuk in a random October game, despite the NHL saying that suspensions in the playoffs are halved from what the same action would receive during the regular season, because of how important playoff games are.
I’d like more transparency when significant decisions are made, like I’d love to hear an explanation for why the suspension was upheld for Nurse but rescinded for Tkachuk.
Brett hull interference call that up until there was called all season….not interference.
Buffalo always loses rigged coinflips as well.
I mocked the Florida Panthers for missing the playoffs this year. I believe the Oilers surpassed them last night for total number of games played in the last three years. Add in Olympics, preseason, travel etc. and it’s a lot.
Right now, most Florida Panthers are probably recharging somewhere with their toes in white sand enjoying relaxing sunshine and a cold beverage. Perhaps an early exit from this playoff season might actually be a good long-term thing for this group.
If they had their draft pick*
I mentioned to my wife yesterday it was WWE style reffing riling me up and “Calgary Stampede reffing” is a more colourful way to put it. I probably picked the analogy up from LT here a while back.
The Oilers have themselves mostly to blame for the loss (the 4 penalty run, despite two clear ANA penalties in between 1 and 4, is a countervailing problem with that interpretation to my mind). But I haven’t been into wrestling since I was a kid, and its looming presence every playoffs, coupled with its playoff cousin the suddenly permissible clutch and grab, colours the product.
I’ve decided not to watch the remainder of the series and will revisit my NHL fandom next season. McDavid and Draisatl have kept me watching over the years despite how the NHL conducts its business. But watching someone like McDavid navigate an NHL that is dead set against protecting and promoting the world’s greatest player (and his kind of hockey) has increasingly felt more tragic than entertaining. Lemieux had the NHL’s number and its a shame his view of what the NHL should be didn’t win out. Shenanigans like yesterday are just the last piece of straw on the camel’s back.
Man that’s well said. The NHL gives life to the word stupidity, and it has nothing to do with last night’s game, although it’s an example of sheer stupidity. Like we can’t see it? Not endorsing the NFL here, but they decided to give the number 1 skill player, the QB, absolute protection and they’ve stuck with it. Good call, but the NFL has a myriad of other problems
I actually gave up after game 2. For me it’s about the product on the whole. The betting, the refs, the game management, the sportsnet panel, Jack, the ads, and on and on……
i just dont care to waste my time getting annoyed/pissed off for 3 hours in the hopes i MIGHT be somewhat satisfied at the end.
We had a 2 goal lead 7 minutes into the game and that should have been enough for a veteran team to lock it down and win. You know who else had a 2 goal lead 7 minutes in? The Buffalo Sabres, but they poured in 4 more so by the time Boston scored in the last minute, it didn’t matter if someone lost their check or the goalie should have stopped it or the ref missed a call ten seconds earlier or the coach had the wrong line out there or, or, or…….
Putting teams away when you have them down is what champions do, and we’re not there yet. I wonder if they’ll still say “we’re comfortable in tight games”? That’s just another way of saying they don’t have what it takes to finish teams off sooner, because I’m sure they’d be a lot more comfortable with a four goal lead.
It’s not like they just had mental lapses that surrendered cheap goals, the outcome was fairly presentative of the game flow by my eyes. The team playing better eventually got their goals and won, like we would expect to happen if the shoe was on the other foot
I agree completely. We deserve to be down 3-1. My post was speaking in general terms about not leaving things to chance. Build enough separation on the scoreboard so you can withstand the randomness and luck inherent in the game.
out of curiosity, I uploaded a still frame of the goal into chat gpt to see if it could determine if the puck crossed the line. It said that because the camera angle isn’t perfectly overhead it can’t tell for sure. It was leaning towards it fully crossing the line, but said it couldn’t confirm.
The fundamental point, is that the review did exactly what it was supposed to do. The failure is that the on-ice officials called it a good goal, without seeing it cross the line. They stacked the review in ANA’s favour by forcing the review to find proof it didnt cross the line.
If the call was made immediately, its more forgivable, but it wasn’t, they adhoc’d their own way to determine it was goal during a 4 minute process on the ice, when it was practically impossible to do so… as shown by the replays afterwards.
If it was between two teams I didn’t care about, I’d still be disgusted with the turn of events you mention Danny and I agree entirely. And these guys are NHL ref’s?
I get that. I just wanted to try and figure out if it actually crossed the line, not if the review process worked. There’s been plenty of debate about how the refs made the call on the ice, and that wasn’t the point of my post. I was simply wondering if it was a goal or not, regardless of the refs and review process.
That was a tough game in a season of tough games. I don’t think the team, and especially 97, have it in them this year, physically or mentally. It doesn’t seem anyone is having much fun. No shame in being tired.
Hockey’s become a grind for them. They’re trying, but the will and the body aren’t aligned. Just putting in their shifts, but it’s honest work (hat tip to Danno Simpson)
When you get to where you’re going
Grab your shovel and start making your way down
Hell, I’ve been digging holes like this for twenty years
And will be till I’m in the ground
Been watching a fair bit of baseball and the contrast is striking (pun intended).
Every year the MLB is working on making the game better via improving the rules and how they’re enforced. The results have been overwhelmingly positive. The challenge system with balls/strikes is amazing.
For years now, the NHL knows that the system it has an officiating problem. The game is too fast and too much is happening for any pair of human refs to get it all even close to correct.
I stopped watching mid-second period yesterday. It just wasn’t enjoyable to watch anymore. I may not be back until I hear that the NHL is doing something…anything…to fix their officiating problems
There are so many options:
auto-goal calls – refs can watch players instead of watching for goals
bench-officials – refs can watch players instead of checking for too many men and icing changes
oversight officiating – this one’s a bit more wild, but if we’re going to have reviews, why not have the reviewers be present and always active. An off ice officiating crew of 3-4 people that can signal the on ice officials about calls. They can call missed penalties and override bad calls as long as 2+ of them agree and it can happen in real time.
Anyway, I’d take just about anything. I want to see at least some effort from the league to make an improvement and I’m sticking to baseball until that happens.
MLB is so far ahead of every other NA sport it isn’t even funny.
They just need to kill their stupid extra innings change and go back to being the only sport that was doing it right.
MLB was literally dying. They were forced to innovate.
The NHL is still doing record numbers by their count. Nothing will change because there’s no incentive to. Forward thinkers these guys are not.
Gregsaint: very nice take. I’ve been watching the game for many years, and the officiating in the NHL is getting worse, not better. It’s a fight to remain involved as I love my team. But really, the official having a conversation with the goalie and telling him he got lucky he wasn’t called (if that was the conversation) and calling that a goal (and I think it was a goal too, but clearly the video couldn’t nail it 100% to my eyes) AFTER the four stooges collected themselves to “discuss” the situation was so pathetic and amateurish. It felt so – how can I say this – outside what a professional sport should do, and tarnishes the hard work the players put in. I almost puked up my supper. No one, and I mean no one, could have seen that as a goal with the naked eye….and even the video was inconclusive (Hrudey, not my favourite and I suspect anti-Oiler, even said that)….yes, we think it went over, so we will go with that. If they were in front of me now, the only question I’d ask them is whether they had any pride in their craft. All said, LT is right, the NHL can be Saturday Stampede wrestling at times, and it was incorrigible last night
I can distance myself from these pathetic calls, and will say, unequivocally, that the Oilers didn’t earn the win last night anyways, so here I’m just talking about a game’s integrity. The Ducks were the better team. And, surely the Oilers have benefited from some stinky cals as well, so there’s that. And as an Oilers fan, I’m embarrassed when they get these calls. The Orange guys are for real. They want it, and can taste it. Our team may just not be up to the task. And, that’s okay.
To both you and LMHF: MLB is the real deal, but like LMFH, the extra inning thing is not only confusing, it is just bad….for me, it just sucks that my Phillies are off to a horrible start, and may not recover. The season is so long, it does give fans long hope…The Phillies need change, and Harper is not the saviour he thinks he is. He’s still got a great bat though.Go Phillies and Go Jays…nothing like sitting in the park and hearing the crack of a bat, or swoosh of the ball hitting the leather and seeing the dust come off the glove
The calls do go both ways. I’m with you though that its embarrassing watching a blatant non-call go in the Oiler’s favor. Same feeling as watching an obvious missed strike/ball call against the Jays, which is now mostly a thing of the past.
Then there’s the “uhoh, when’s the make-up call coming” feeling.
You just want them to get it right, right? Instead of feeling so arbitrary and random.
Great ideas. For another example of how well this can work, check out an international rugby game.
There is an off field official in a booth. He and the on-field referee can communicate with headsets. If the off-field official or touch judge (equivalent to linesman) see an infraction the ref misses, they can tell the ref and they can review the play at the next stoppage. Similar, the on-field ref can appeal to the off-field ref if he wants something to be reviewed.
The ref is mic’d up, so you can hear the dialogue – it is generally, smart, nuanced, comprehensive, fair. The right calls are essentially always made, and the thought behind them is transparent. It does not feel (to me, at least) like the game is bogged down with lengthy reviews.
When you are used to suffering through NHL reffing, it’s a complete breath of fresh air!
The sample size is small but it’s clear ANA are the better team right now. That’s not an indictment on the roster entirely, but the reality of the current state of coaching/roster/health between the two teams.
I do think that Knoblauch’s secret is out and his achilles is exposed. Opponents have a clear plan of attack against this group, and the coach has not been able to devise a counter.
Would not put it past LA to sign Dickenson.
Justas a stop gap ….should tear the whole thing down though.
Bit young for KH no? Henrique would be the target I’d think.
He already acquired 3C Scott Laughton from Toronto although he does need to be re-signed.
People like to complicate matters.
Lose 2 first round picks in their early 20’s -with above average speed –
for nothing. Zero
Zero return.
Trade for and extend Frederic
And we have no first round draft picks for help.
Would love to hear a case on how we improve this team next year.
I suspect Jason Dickenson will get a Brinks truck this summer from some team .
The case has to have Mattias Elkohom’s age factored in…as well.
True, the team’s future would look a lot brighter with an Ekholm replacement and a 70 point winger signed to extensions instead of playing for another team…
He’s never scored 70 points and he plays centre.
They probably should have kept Holloway yes. Bro might have been a challenge as he wanted out, thanks Holland