AHL points-per-game isn’t an accurate predictor of NHL success, partly because it has to be placed in proper context. This is a group of Oilers forwards at age 20, over the last decade. Tyler Benson posted the strongest scoring numbers in the group, yet the man with the most NHL games is Kailer Yamamoto, and he is followed by Ryan McLeod—who posted the second lowest total in the group.
We talk about this all the time in “Farm Workers” and it’s a fact. The highest scoring forwards skip the AHL, or play six games like Leon Draisaitl. In his most recent 82 AHL games, Raphael Lavoie has 38 goals. He can’t buy a recall. Is this a unique situation, something Ken Holland brought with him from Detroit? No sir. This has happened before with Oilers prospects. It’s the truth and the way. Same as it ever was. Doesn’t make it right.
THE ATHLETIC
- New Lowetide: Breaking down the Oilers’ 50-man list at the trade deadline
- New DNB: Oilers trade deadline notebook: Potential chips, fits — and will Edmonton acquire a goalie?
- Lowetide: What’s Oilers prospect defenceman Max Wanner’s NHL ETA?
- DNB: Kris Knoblauch’s lineup decisions just pan out as Oilers get back to winning ways
- Lowetide: Oilers’ right wing makeover nearing completion after years of tinkering
- DNB: Jack Campbell is regaining confidence in the minors, but an Oilers return doesn’t appear imminent
- Lowetide: The Oilers’ winning streak is over but they’re finally a 5-on-5 wagon
- DNB: Oilers come up 1 game short of NHL win-streak record. What went wrong?
- Lowetide: 7 reasons the Oilers should be all-in at the NHL trade deadline
- Lowetide: Oilers prospect Xavier Bourgault’s season and what it means for his future
- Lowetide: What’s changed for Oilers’ Evan Bouchard in his impact season?
- DNB: Quizzing Oilers All-Star Leon Draisaitl on the top 10 NHL goalies he’s scored against
- Lowetide: Everything that went right for the Oilers in their perfect January
- DNB: Ranking the Oilers’ top 5 trade assets: Which ones could be in play?
- Lowetide: Will the Edmonton Oilers go all-in at the 2024 trade deadline?
- DNB: Jeff Jackson Q&A
- Lowetide: Why Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais’ next contract could be bigger than expected
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers top 20 prospects ranking, winter 2023
CURRENT CONDORS FORWARDS AT 20
- Seth Griffith 2013-14 (.72) 80 NHL games
- Dylan Holloway 2021-22 (.67) 72 NHL games
- Xavier Bourgault 2022-23 (.55)
- Adam Erne 2015-16 (.49) 378 NHL games
- Raphael Lavoie 2021-22 (.46) 7 NHL games
- Lane Pederson 2017-18 (.41) 71 NHL games
- Tyler Tullio 2022-23 (.41)
- Greg McKegg 2012-13 (.37) 233 NHL games
- Matvey Petrov 2023-24 (.26)
- Carter Savoie 2022-23 (.25)
- Jayden Grubbe 2023-24 (.25)
If you’re asking me who in this group will eventually pass Adam Erne and his 378 NHL games, I’ll go with Dylan Holloway all day. He had a solid pts-game at 20, he has size and speed, and he had some injury issues leading into that rookie AHL campaign. There are places he can go in the next five years.
Who is the next best bet? I still think it’s Xavier Bourgault, but he’s getting pushed around in the AHL. He does get chances, and makes great passes, but there’s a Kailer Yamamoto feel to his season. I don’t think the Oilers are going to have another Yamomoment with a small winger on a skill line, so Bourgault may have to reinvent himself in the AHL. That’s going to take some time. He has to get stronger in the offseason. I would not be surprised at all if the new general manager trades him, in fact it could happen at the deadline.
Third best? I’m still on the Raphael Lavoie train, but Jayden Grubbe is already winning battles and already recognizing where to go in order to score goals. He has six in 40 games, same as Bourgault this season. All six of Grubbe’s goals are at even strength, just two for Bourgault. It’s a thing.
PATTERNS
Sometimes things bother me. I return to them over and over again, sometimes over many years. These are not massive, earth shattering things, but they matter to me. A few examples: Why do prices at the pumps go up immediately after news of an increase in oil prices, but never go down when the price of oil falls? Why do men lose hair on the top of their head as they grow older, while at the same time nose and ear hair grow like weeds after 50? How can a perfectly useless vegetable make itself into carrot cake? Why isn’t all rhubarb harvested, cooked in 11,000 tons of sugar and given out for free as rhubarb pie?
So, by November 18, 1992, in 17 games, the Cape Breton Oilers “VCR” line flattened the AHL. Left winger Dan Currie (21-20-41), center Shaun Van Allen (5-33-38) and right winger Steven Rice (18-11-29) were on fire.
All three had scoring success previous to November 1992, but the Oilers couldn’t use them. However, by 1992-93, the Oilers were trading off veterans and there was a need to new blood.
Currie played just 22 games in his NHL career, despite scoring 223 goals in 369 AHL games (that’s 49.6 goals per 82 games). Van Allen played 794 games in the NHL, catching a wave with Anaheim and then Ottawa during the expansion 90’s. Rice would see 329 NHL games.
Raphael Lavoie has scored 15 goals in 34 games. He’s done it in a league that averages three goals a game. Dan Currie scored 57 goals in 75 games in 1992-93. He did it in a league that averaged four goals a game.
Currie was 24 that season, Lavoie turns 24 in September.
I’ve always wondered why Currie didn’t get a chance with the Oilers. In 1992-93, the club dealt Esa Tikkanen for a center (Doug Weight), that should have left some room. Based on scoring summaries that season, the top lines featured wingers Petr Klima, Esa Tikkanen, Shayne Corson, Craig Simpson and Scott Mellanby. Once Tikkanen was dealt, one would have thought Currie was a candidate.
When talented AHL scorers fail, it’s most often foot speed, lack of two-way acumen or perimeter play. Currie’s story rolled out without an NHL chapter of note, there’s every chance the same will occur for Lavoie. In my book On The Clock, I list seven men (Currie, Selmar Odelein, Mike Golden, Gord Sherven, Ralph Intranuovo, Doug Lynch and Teemu Hartikainen) who should have had NHL careers. Some were robbed by injury or size bias. Some gained reputations for needing to be pushed by their coach, others were deemed shy violets or conditioning worries.
I think hockey men have favourites just like everyone else, and I think Raphael Lavoie needs an inside champion to get a real chance. If he can survive in the organization until Kris Knoblauch sees him in the fall, then maybe it all works out. The fact he isn’t here now, with the team badly in need of offense from the depth lines, is a tell.
A big show today with plenty to discuss. It goes noon to 2 on Sports 1440. Rachel Doerrie from Staph & Graph podcast will help break down the current situation for the Oilers, with an eye to bringing in an expensive scoring winger at the deadline (how do they make the cap work?) and we’ll chat Morgan Rielly’s suspension. Jason Gregor will be by to talk about the road trip, the current state of affairs for Edmonton and the lack of secondary scoring. We’ll talk Super Bowl with everyone. You can reach me at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section or on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly.
OILERS LEADING SCORERS (MINOR LEAGUES) BY YEAR
- 79-80 Mike Toal 76gp, 31-45-76
- 80-81 Tom Roulston 69gp, 63-44-107
- 81-82 Walt Poddubny 60gp, 35-46-81
- 82-83 Ray Cote 80gp, 28-63-91
- 83-84 Ray Cote 66gp, 26-36-62
- 84-85 Ray Cote 79gp, 36-43-79
- 85-86 Bruce Boudreau 65gp, 30-36-66
- 86-87 Bruce Boudreau 78gp, 35-47-82
- 87-88 Mark Lamb 69gp, 27-61-88
- 88-89 Mark Lamb 54gp, 33-49-82
- 89-90 John Leblanc 77gp, 54-34-88
- 90-91 Shaun Van Allen 76gp, 25-75-100
- 91-92 Shaun Van Allen 77gp, 29-84-113
- 92-93 Dan Currie 75gp, 57-41-98
- 93-94 Peter White 45gp, 21-49-70
- 94-95 Peter White 65gp, 36-69-105
- 95-96 Rem Murray 79gp, 31-59-90
- 96-97 Ralph Intranuovo 68gp, 36-40-76
- 97-98 Jeff Daw 79gp, 28-35-63
- 98-99 Chris Ferraro 72gp, 35-41-76
- 99-00 Daniel Cleary 58gp, 22-52-74
- 00-01 Paul Healey 79gp, 39-32-71
- 01-02 Jason Chimera 77gp, 26-51-77
- 02-03 Jarret Stoll 76gp, 21-33-54
- 03-04 Jamie Wright 78gp, 25-30-55
- 04-05 Tony Salmelainen 76gp, 22-24-46
- 05-06 Marc Pouliot 65gp, 15-30-45
- 06-07 Kyle Brodziak 62gp, 24-32-56
- 07-08 Rob Schremp 78gp, 23-53-76
- 08-09 Ryan Potulny 78gp, 38-24-62
- 09-10 Charles Linglet 75gp, 19-55-74
- 10-11 Alexandre Giroux 70gp, 32-46-78
- 11-12 Ryan Keller 71gp, 21-28-49
- 12-13 Mark Arcobello 74gp, 22-46-68
- 13-14 Roman Horak 66gp, 23-32-55
- 14-15 Andrew Miller 63gp, 27-33-60
- 15-16 Matthew Ford 64gp, 27-24-51
- 16-17 Anton Lander 42gp, 25-30-55
- 17-18 Josh Currie 68gp, 20-26-46
- 18-19 Tyler Benson 68gp, 15-51-66
- 19-20 Josh Currie 56gp, 24-17-41
- 20-21 Cooper Marody 39gp, 21-15-36
- 21-22 Seth Griffith 64gp, 30-50-80
- 22-23 Seth Griffith 72gp, 17-43-60
- 23-24 Seth Griffith 36gp, 10-23-33
Craig MacTavish valued the AHL players, they learned to play across 200 feet and he rewarded them. I think he would have found a way to make Anton Lander and Teemu Hartikainen NHL players, probably Currie and Lavoie, too.
I see some talk below about the Oilers poor finishing. On the PP EDM generates 10.9 xGF60 and finishes 10.9 GF60 (2nd). 5v5 EDM generates 3.24 xGF60 and finishes 2.65 GF60 (9th): 0.77 GF60 below expected.
The finishing problem is 5v5. And the “culprits” are somewhat predictable. In previous seasons Draisaitl and McDavid finished well above expected. That doesn’t seem to be the case as much this year, although Drai is starting to look his normal self. The numbers point towards volume shooting depth players who just don’t have it, and stars who’s finishing has been ok, but not the regular amazing.
Seems funny to call anyone in the Oilers bottom 6 a volume shooter since they aren’t.
I guess Foegele is there now, and it’s true he is taking 2 shots/game for the first time in his career.
The stranger thing for me is how the same (mostly) team is all of a sudden having issues with finishing.
Team rates by year (5v5):
19-20 2.33 xGF 2.44 GF (+0.11)
20-21 2.31 xGF 2.52 GF (+0.21)
21-22 2.68 xGF 2.73 GF (+0.05)
22-23 2.95 xGF 2.91 GF (-0.04)
23-24 3.25 xGF 2.65 GF (-0.60)
The gap in real and expected this year is bigger than all the other years combined.
And you’re right that PP finishing is at ‘expected’, but that’s way off of what the team is used to.
Team rates by year (PP):
19-20 7.46 xGF 10.64 GF (+3.18)
20-21 8.19 xGF 10.56 GF (+2.37)
21-22 9.55 xGF 9.71 GF (+0.16)
22-23 10.19 xGF 13.23 GF (+3.04)
23-24 10.89 xGF 10.90 GF (+0.01)
So the PP finishing has been every bit as much of a problem as their 5v5 finishing if you compare it to their previously established levels.
Anyway, I’m not sure I agree that ‘volume shooting depth players’ are the crux of the issue.
Just how weird the Oilers trouble ‘finishing’ this year is I think is most clear when looking at the all situations GF and xGF rates.
Team rates by year (all situations):
19-20 2.75 xGF 3.11 GF (+0.36)
20-21 2.84 xGF 3.26 GF (+0.40)
21-22 3.30 xGF 3.43 GF (+0.13)
22-23 3.58 xGF 3.93 GF (+0.35)
23-24 3.82 xGF 3.39 GF (-0.43)
xGF and GF rates rising every year, and until this year the GF outpacing xGF (by 0.31 GF/60 on average).
This year the xGF continuing the 5 year trend (actually 6 years), but the GF% falling way off the pace.
With the same personnel. Weird.
It’s pretty common for teams to be a little all over the map in 5v5 shooting % year over year.
Colorado for example:
21/22- 9th
22/23-21st
23/23- 9th
Boston:
21/22- 31st Seems like this team had the most talent on paper
22/23- 2nd
23/24-3rd
I believe a good portion of shooting % bouncing around can safely be chalked up to “shit happens”.
Obviously skill is a greater portion of the pie, but enough players have inexplicably great/terrible years in shooting % for seemingly no reason that you know chance plays a big role here.
Something to keep in mind is that the Oilers are maybe 9-10 5v5 goals away from being a top 10 shooting team at 5v5.
The margins between 19th where they sit, and top ten for example are pretty small. Janmark is a guy that has created some pretty bonafide grade A chances this season and could be sitting at 4-5 goals instead of 1. He’s usually a 10% shooter and is sitting at 2.5%. Are his hands gone or just going through a bad stretch? Pretty tough to say.
Perry should help, and I think its obvious the Oilers are looking at a forward upgrade at the deadline which will also help.
A Tarasenko at the deadline for instance solves this “problem”. Another hot month like they had in December would shift the dial a lot as well.
Chaulk:
Broberg got hit hard twice last game and couldn’t finish – has a lower body injury, just swelling and bruising – no bone or ligament damage. They are hoping its just a 7-10 things (which isn’t quite as good as what DNB advised earlier).
They want Lavoie to be stronger on the puck in the offensive zone, hold pucks and take them to the net more.
Thought Bourgault was dynamic in the four games prior to the break with Pederson and Caggiula but that just wasn’t there in the two games since. They chatted today and he knows he can be better and they want him to be.
Summarizing!
Lachance was denied soup and so shall have to subsist on a salad mix three days past its best-before date.
As for the game, Northeastern tied the game in the third and won in OT to claim the Pot of Beans. (This is their pot…and these are their beans.)
Prospecting takes a break until Wodin’s Day.
The pot of beans will continue to simmer until the tournament final next weekend.
Huh? Actually, no.
Northeastern won the tournament tonight, I watched them present the trophy. That is why TSN carried it.
https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/icehockey-men/d1/northeastern-hockey-sweeps-2024-beanpot
I can’t wait for Valentine’s Day on the 21st!!
For those who didn’t watch it, LaChance played on the 4th line, but they are trusted and played in the last minute of every period. He had a couple of chances, but he is a power forward and the heart of his game is cycling along the boards and standing in front of the net.
He is not a dynamic player and if he makes the NHL, he will be a 4th line mucked-type, however he does not play on the PK.
FWIW, he is a 20 year old freshman and will likely play 4 years at BU (his maternal grandfather had a 40 year history there as a player and head coach, while his NHL father only played there 1 season, but he was a 4th overall pick). So when he arrives as a pro he will probably be 24 years old.
As for the game, BU completely dominated Northeastern, badly outshooting them, while the NE tender stood on his head. I estimate that the puck was in Northeastern’s zone 85% of the time, it was incredibly old-sided.
All the Huskies goals were either scored on the rush or on the PP (1), but plays where the goalie was basically scrambling. NE had very little time in the O-zone.
It was a very unusual game to watch, but an exciting and unexpected finish in OT. Northeastern really held their own at 3 on 3.
Programming note for anyone with access to the NHL Network:
Day-man and the Birds of Fire will be on the telly on the 21st as they battle Memorial Cup hosts Saginaw @ 5 p.m. Bruce time, or 8:30 p.m. Goulds time.
Well played sir.
Holty said that Broberg looks to be OK but he’ll miss a couple of games.
Per Nugent-Bowman:
Oilers prospect Philip Broberg will miss both of the Bakersfield Condors’ next two games at Colorado tomorrow and Wednesday with a deep bruise sustained Saturday at San Jose. Saturday at home vs. SJ is the likely return to the lineup.
Okay, here’s some out of the box thinking.
What about a deal surrounding Jack Campbell for Rickard Rakell?
Why the Pens trade Rakell? He’s turning 32 and has 4 more years on the cap at $5m. His production has slumped and they’ve signed Jesse Puljujarvi.
He has 5 goals and 18 points in 37 games.
No question, Rakell is now a poor contract. I haven’t watched him lately, but he was a player I always liked in Anaheim.
Cambell’s contract is a year shorter. Campbell’s buyout this summer is $3m cheaper.
Both contracts will likely need a buyout.
Why the Pens do it? They shave a year off Rakell’s contract and gamble on a Campbell rebound. They likely get a good asset in the deal too. They save $3m in real dollars on a buyout and shorten the buyout pain by two years.
Why the Oilers do it? The Oilers need an upgrade at RW. It allows them to reallocate Campbell’s cap space which is mostly being wasted ($3.85m buried penalty) into a potential top six player during pivot year where they have a chance to win the cup.
Next season, though Rakell’s buyout is more expensive and longer… next season it’s only $500k on the cap vs $1.1m, the year after it’s $1.7m vs $2.3m, so there’s some cap savings during our window.
Are you sure you want to add anything to the rapidly growing “over 30” pile?
I would make this trade depending on the parts to make it work.
The Oilers are in dire need of help on RW.
These upcoming playoffs are the Oilers beat chance to win the cup.
Next year, you have the Connor Brown bonus and the Draisaitl contract issue.
If the Oilers can extend Draisaitl, then they have a good chance next post season as well potentially.
After that, there will be the huge spike in price for 29 if he’s still here along with the weak prospect pool and a bunch of over 30 club guys aging out.
Heading into these up coming playoffs with nearly $4m in wasted cap space from Campbell is not good.
I think the correct answer to the comment was that your trade suggestion wouldn’t add to the ‘over 30’ pile, since both players are over 30.
As Ryan pointed out, Campbell’s contract is a year shorter so, in fact, Rakell DOES add to the pile if not immediately but at a time when the over 30 pile is even older.
damn these goal posts are moving fast once again lol…
To the trade suggestion itself, it does look like a plausible summer trade.
Like with your Reilly Smith suggestion previously though, I just can’t see why Pittsburgh would make that trade in season.
They don’t need Campbell at all (even if they see rebound potential). Jarry and Ned are both having good seasons, why would they add another goalie and subtract an underperforming top 6 forward.
I guess the premise is that Pittsburgh will fall out of it and be sellers (they are 9th now), but that’s far from certain (and I personally don’t expect Dubas to sell with all the old hall of famers on the roster).
Certainly worth exploring.
I guess you would want to get a very solid explanation of why Rakell’s performance has cratered since he had 28 goals and 60 points last season.
He’s pretty young to have completely fallen off a cliff.
Not giving Broberg and Lavoie a serioius test drive to see what they are capable of means Holland is running in place. He will be no further ahead on what role he can safely assume they can handle this upcoming summer than he was last summer.
It is a poor way to operate.
The salary cap probably is a forcing function to playing Broberg next, but Lavoie is probably never going to get a fair shot from the Oilers because Holland will just sign another 30-something hanger-onner.
What agent is going to want his player drafted by the Oilers if the GM treats them like shit.
Do agents get to choose which players teams draft?
One can intentionally do poorly or guide a team away from you at a team interview at the combine.
There are all sorts of passive aggressive ways of suggesting a lower level of interest by the player and his agent.
Lavoie was put on waivers and was available for any of the other 31 teams to claim.
Hard to be too upset with Oilers management when the whole league passed on giving you an NHL job.
Is this a serious suggestion? Please.
Best advice from an agent, ever: Play poorly so you get drafted later.
Holland is beloved league wide for his kindness to his players.
Saying he treats his players like s&*t is more than a stretch.
Not sure why you’re more upset than Lavoie.
You should both just keep your heads down and try harder.
Nah….Play well. Mumble and show up late to your interviews with the Oilers.
Allegedly he’s retiring or going back to Detroit or whatever
It wasn’t going to happen because he isn’t current. He has loaded up the team with older players, as I mentioned elsewhere today as he did in 2007-2008 his last Cup. 10 old timers then
Which may be why he doesn’t notice or care that some of his vets aren’t any better than rookies or youth would be. The team in Detroit was way deeper than this one. I don’t know that he sees it’s the players he has chosen and kept rather than their experience level
In the playoffs at 5v5 he had 9 players at GF% 50 or more. Against Vegas that dropped to 8 and only Connor and Hyman of the top 6
I don’t think the current Oilers’ team is really any more loaded up with vets than the Knights were in last year’s playoffs – right down to Gagner and Kessel as extra forwards.
1) Ken Holland is trying to win the Stanley Cup this year and, given where the team started, and how far back they had to come from, icing the best team nightly was (is) of primary importance, not seeing where his prospects are for next season.
I think Broberg could have (and should have) been playing more but its tough to argue for him to get looks over any of the incumbent 6 – its wild there have been no injuries.
2) Raphael played OK in his NHL games – he didn’t force any additional ice time or force his way up the lineup. Sam Gagner has been able to produce offence on the 4th line, something Lavoie couldn’t do – its not impossible.
3) If Lavoie is that upset, he could not sign his QO next season and just sit all year, not getting paid and not developing, or head over to play in Europe.
Holland’s strategy for trying to win the Stanley Cup is flawed with respect to young players.
Whether he is icing the best team nightly is debatable. I think not. He is playing it safe.
If they had only played Broberg in a rotation starting in the fall, the Oilers would have their answer up or down.
Coach is very aware that their “finishing rate” is near the lowest in the league – its been that way all year and its been very low post-break.
Talks about going to the net and being quicker in the offensive zone. Gotta get off the perimeter, put away the fancy passes (for most) and be more direct. Also don’t want to just giveaway pucks by funneling them to the net – there is a balance.
Looks like Gagner will indeed get in the lineup in the name of offence in the bottom six.
Sam has been great but hasn’t had a role and Perry being added complicated that as well.
Thank goodness. It is really apparent in certain types of games. I hope he has a plan for that, probably does
Gagner in for Brown is a format they should evaluate for a stretch of games.
I foresee Holland adding a player at 2RW or 3RW that bumps Perry down to 4RW to start the playoffs, with Brown and Gagner as the 13th / 14th fwd’s.
Judging by practice, it looks like Gagner is likely in for Janmark.
Gagner played well for a few games and then started Gagner’ing
Brown and Jan are reliable defensively. Trade off
This is exactly it – in addition to their PK work, Janmark has been on the ice for ZERO goals against at evens in 20 games (and Brown 2 goals against).
Gagner was responsible for a goal against in each of his last two games with defensive zone issues.
Its time to get Gagner in and mix something up in the bottom six but there are reasons those two guy have been playing nightly despite no drops being pissed.
Oilers have more high danger shots than any team in the league according to NHL EDGE puck and player tracking.
493 shots from the immediate slot. Toronto is second with 485. Pittsburgh 3rd with 466.
Edmonton has multiple games in hand on everyone too.
Don’t think they are having issues “getting to the hard areas” or whatever other NHL talking points they want to use.
But the coach says they aren’t scoring well
They are not a good finishing team. Like many talented teams they can get a lot of goals. But they aren’t great at scoring when it’s not in their favour or they wouldn’t have lost the last series
5v5 it wasn’t good and the PP is iffy in tight games. Like the last two against teams that played them hard and the Oilers should have been equally as motivated to beat
Huge goalies and collapsing defenses abound. Predictability is death. Bar down. This is the way
More evidence of having an issue finishing as a team.
I mean they are 12th in 5v5 shooting % over the last 2.5 seasons. Not a huge problem by any means.
ES shooting percentage varies pretty wildly with every team over a 3 year span.
Of course it couldn’t hurt to pick up a 20+ goal guy at the deadline. There are some decent options available.
Coach talks about chemistry being so important on the d-pairs and they will be going back to the regular d-pairs tomorrow.
Thinks both on the 3rd pair can contribute more – thinks they might be the best 3rd pair in the league. They can handle a little more but happy with how all the d-man are playing. Both Kulak and Dessy can handle more minutes if injuries happen.
Holland has it right on the potential for trading Broberg:
https://theathletic.com/5268043/2024/02/12/oilers-trade-deadline-fits-goalie/
Hard to find smooth skating tall D with talent. Lots of tall pylons
Hunter1909’s Confession:
I saw the score at 3-0 LAK and since then have no idea what the final score was, nor am I planning to return to see the score if anyone posts it.
Oilers are well intrenched in 3rd in the Pacific and they might go up or possibly down but they’re going to be the terror of the playoffs wherever they end up.
McDavid is on a mission.
What is the matter with TSN.ca?
Under the headline, “Could David Perron be a fit in Edmonton”
Countdown to TradeCentre: Ottawa Senators need to clear space for Anton Forsberg’s return | TSN
“David Perron has 10 goals and 39 points in 45 games this year” … really?
David Perron has 10-14-24 in 45 games, along with 39 penalty minutes.
Be better, TSN.
Perron bailed from the Lowe+MacT saga and there’s no reason to imagine he returns, ever.
I’ve always liked Perron, but at nearly 36 when the playoffs are on, it seems like The Expendables
Already 8 forwards 30 and over (30,30,31,31,32,34,37,38), 4 top 6
Vegas – 3 (31,31,33) 2 top 6
Dys – 2 (both 30) 1 top 6
Kings – 3 (36,30,37) 2 top 6 one is Kopi
Avs – 3 (31,36,39) none top 6
Stars – 7 (oldest 39) 3 top 6 including Pav
Jets – 5 (oldest 31) 1 top 6
And the Stars are seemingly the weakest team. I think they don’t need more experience, they need proper play but more energy and pace. And recovery between close hard games. This isn’t the 2008 playoffs where he had 10 x 30 plus players (Chelios 45) play a lot of games and only 4 x 25 and under
The game is faster and younger considerably now. Connor can’t do it all himself
Pretty hard to get things right when you layoff most the staff.
One would think a big slightly nasty first shot scorer might be interesting to a team without many
As for Bourg, being smaller isn’t the issue, it’s a problem if the player isn’t fast enough or has enough fiesty
Marssechault does just fine, some others, but they are aggressive players offensively and don’t back down
Also usually maybe shorter but not also light. Short light players have trouble in the bigs, either competing or health wise
Shooters are best when they are over 5’11” in height.
Please argue! I know next to nothing about hockey.
Shooters are best when they are good shooters!
Great quote from Bruce at COH.
This quote captures something in the back of my mind about which of those additions would be the most impactful.
Goalie? Sure if you could find an actual upgrade on Skinner, but that’s unlikely..
Ceci upgrade or top six winger seem probable, if you can acquire them.
Last year, Barbashev was very impactful for Vegas, but they probably won the cup because of Broussoit’s injury forcing them to play Hill.
The trio of Brown, Janmark and Ryan.
All 3 are getting run over by the Mendoza line.
Brown has a 33% goal share. Ryan’s at 42%.
Brown is 329th (out of 332 players) in the league in points/60 (0.52) for forwards who’ve played over 400 minutes at 5v5, zero goals to boot.
I liked Brown pre-injury, but it’s time to call it a day. Has there ever been a thirty year old player this bad that’s battled back from injury/time off then suddenly became useful by the playoffs?
We’ve seen the impact of depth scoring turning a series with Vegas Colorado and others. Can you hope to win a cup with Brown,Janmark,and Ryan?
Hear hear. Not sure what we are waiting for in terms of Brown. He’s a shadow of himself and a drag on all lines he’s played on.
Well he hasn’t been a drag in his last 20 games. 67%GF (though only 4GF-2GA).
I don’t entirely disagree with Ryan, but those 3 have not actually been a drag on the team over the last couple of months.
Oilers can’t buy a goal with the depth lines while also sitting a guy that does nothing but put points on the board.
Play Gagner.
Gagner you like but you never freaking to ever want to need him to deliver.
He has done some other things, including being directly responsible for a goal against in each of his last 2 games.
The Oilers have been winning games with team defence and the PK and, in the last 20 games, Mattias Janmark has been on the ice for ZERO goals against at even strength – ZERO.
Yes, its time to inject some more offensive creativity in to that bottom six but there are real reasons why Sam hasn’t been playing recently.
Pretty much all as expected (well, Janmark being the odd-man out for Gagner was up in the air, I mean, he’s been on the ice for like ZERO goals against in 20 games – 5 on 5):
I remember how excited I was when the VCR line was debuting…so rare to see an entire line of AHL players…my reptile brain thinks they did ok…but history disagrees.
I just had to log in again, and the login screen asked me to prove my humanity by solving a math problem.
I think a better test to prove one’s humanity would be to care about someone other than themselves.
I failed, but I’m both terrible at math, and actually a robot, so the odds were stacked against me. Also, gleep glop. Also, also, this robot is craving rhubarb pie in an obsessive way…who knew that would be the moment the war kicked off.
Had some strawberry/rhubarb pie on the weekend. Damn it was good!. Wife planting some rhubarb at the lake lot next year.
I love the stuff.
Super healthy to eat fresh picked raw too.
Really? It’s 94% water and of the remaining six percent nearly a quarter is sugar. It’s not a decent source of anything other than Vitamin K, which has far healthier sources, like eggs or fish for example, if anyone was ever deficient of it (never happens).
I will pass on the sugar-water sticks, thanks.
Yeah, but what about the pie form? With some more sugar added plus the delicious carb/fat/sugar shell? Some tasty!
I grew up in small town Saskatchewan (Leroy) and Gord Sherven was my best friend’s cousin. Drafted out of the SJHL, he played on a bunch of Team Canada’s, including the Olypmic team. It was a thrill for me to meet him. Selmar Odelein is from a neighbouring town, and Leroy and Quill Lake had some epic battles with the Odelein’s (Lyle included). My brother played against them. The Woods brothers played for Leroy (Brad and Bob, who was an assistant coach for the Wild recently). Brad and Lyle had some fights in Peewee and Bantam. They both went on to become heavyweights in the WHL.
A small world gets smaller: I am known to Brad, and he is known to me.
I could see a Yamamoto-type Oilers career where he fits in the top 6 in short stretches but, ultimately, never grabs the top 6 spot on merit and becomes more of a middle six type player. That’ IF he makes it and, right now, that is still an “if”.
I will say that, while I like Bourgault, he is not nearly as impactful as Yamamoto was in the AHL. Remember, in Yamo’s last stretch in the AHL he was absolutely dominant, a scoring chance creation machine who’ box-car under-represented his on-ice impact in a big big way.
In some respects, Bourgault’s box-cars also under-represent but I am certain his level of impact is not close to what Yamo’s was – he was dominant.
Definitely not unique and currently equally applicable to Philip Broberg who is the best d-man (often skater) on the ice, both teams, almost every game.
One could argue that Lavoie could play in the NHL over the likes of Connor Brown or Mattias Janmark or Derek Ryan but PK is a think and the former two, in particular Janmark, never get scored against and Same Gagner can’t find the lineup (although I suspect he may play tomorrow).
Brett Kulak has been playing his best hockey of the season lately and Philip Broberg can’t find an NHL paycheque due to crazy health but he will impact the Oilers lineup this season, I’m confidant.
Prospectocracy!
Another Monday, another appearance for Shane Lachance. That’s because his BU squadron takes part in the Beanpot tournament, which happens the first two Mondays of February and features the four Boston-area Div-1 schools (BU, BC, Northeastern, Harvard).
Lachance and the Terriers oppose the Nor’easters in the Beanpot final @ 5:30 p.m. Golden Spike time.
I wonder if that’s on tv. It’s a fun tournament.
Indeed it is, on TSN 3 and 5 at 5:30 pm Bruce time, or alternately, 9:00 pm Goulds time, for us NLers.
Mmmm… Bruce.
If you’re driving by and neglect to stop in at the hotel, that would be a missed-steak.
10/10 on the wordplay haha. Been there many for many a steak night over the years. Grandparents lived there most of their lives and ran the general store for much of that time.
Boston College features 4 former 1st round picks.
William Smith 2023 #4 overall SJS
Ryan Leonard 2023 #8 overall Ryan Leonard WSH
Gabriel Perrault 2023 #23 overall NYR
Cutter Gauthier 2022 #5 overall PHA (since traded to ANA for Jamie Drysdale)
The BU Terriers have a bit of a British Columbia flavour
Macklin Celebrini 2024 draft from North Vancouver
Aiden Celebrini 2023 6th round pick VCR from North Vancouver
Tom Willander 2023 #11 overall VCR
G Mathieu Caron undrafted Abbotsford
Also featuring Ryan Greene from Paradise NL 2022 57th overall CHI
Speaking of LaChance:
Colby Cohen
@ColbyCohen36
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58s
Replying to @coopsie39
He’s as good as I’ve seen at the net front spot in the NCAA this year