I’ll be glad when this deadline passes, because the holes in Edmonton’s roster don’t have obvious fixes. We know the holes (No. 2 RW, No. 7D, RH No. 4 C). I know people want a scoring winger for Leon Draisaitl, and keep mentioning Vladimir Tarasenko of the Ottawa Senators. I think a two-way type, a responsible player who can cash, is ideal. Where have you gone, Fernando Pisani?
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: What are the Edmonton Oilers’ 5 biggest trade deadlines ever?
- DNB: Philip Broberg is showing his promise: Will NHL opportunity come with the Oilers or elsewhere?
- Lowetide: Breaking down the Oilers’ 50-man list at the trade deadline
- 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
WHAT TO EXPECT IN FEBRUARY
- On the road to: VEG, ANA, LAK (Expected 2-1-0) (Actual 1-2-0)
- At home to: DET (Expected 1-0-0) (Actual 1-0-0)
- On the road to: STL, DAL, ARI (Expected 1-1-1) (Actual 0-0-0)
- At home to: BOS, MIN, CAL, LAK, STL (Expected 3-2-0) (Actual 0-0-0)
- Overall expected result: 7-4-1, 15 points in 12 games
- Actual February results: 2-2-0, 4 points in 4 games
- Oilers in 2023-24: 31-17-1, 63 points in 49 games
This team started 2-9-1, and are 29-8-0 since. Kris Knoblauch is 28-8-0 to begin his NHL career and has met every challenge so far. There’s a few leaks springing, led by the penalty kill and a lack of foot speed when the grumpy old men (and Sam Gagner, who never did get grumpy) are all in action. I like this team plenty. I think the big need is a two-way winger.
REAL REL GONE
Since the before times, when I’m looking for a good two-way player, I slide into the Corsi Rel pile and have a look at suppression people. Here are some names that popped up (remember you never use this stat against the league, only the teammates of the players on his club).
- Lawson Crouse, Arizona Coyotes. Bendelson mentioned his name in a dm to me, and made some solid points about Crouse. He isn’t mentioned much because he has term, but Crouse checks a lot of boxes. His rel totals are solid, he plays a bunch against elites and he can score goals. I like this option, he’s $4.3 million times three more years so that’s a hurdle.
- Philip Tomasino, Nashville Predators. I’m telling you he’s a player. Tomasino gets sent to the minors every year and it’s clear the Preds don’t see him. Puck IQ sees him, has all down the line. Check out the PDO, the offensive zone start percentage. Let the Canucks have the other Phil, this is the one you’re looking for.
- Tyler Toffoli, New Jersey Devils. If we’re honest, Toffoli is extremely unlikely to go anywhere. He is also an ideal fit for the Oilers. He is eroding, but my goodness he’s a fine player in a lot of areas.
- Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins. Oilers love him and it’s easy to see why. I don’t see him being dealt.
- Kailer Yamamoto, Seattle Kraken. Shut up, he has great rel numbers and chem with Leon. Plus he isn’t expensive.
- Anthony Mantha, Washington Capitals. Go look at his season. Seriously.
I would go get Tomasino. The Oilers need actual NHL players next year, too. Inexpensive ones will be in great demand. Tomasino checks all the boxes.
TRACERS: PISANI’S REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS FOR THE 2008-09 SEASON
If you watch a team long enough there are experiences you associate with specific players. Marc Andre Bergeron is all about anxiety, Michael Peca’s play made me think of a coma, as there just wasn’t much happening anywhere. Ales Hemsky? Fast car. Ty Conklin? The worst of times. Fernando Pisani? Calm waters, trusted skipper at the helm, clear sailing, blue skies.
I think his illness last season had a huge effect on the roster, as part of bringing along youngsters is giving them quality veterans to show the way. Pisani is a very smart player on a team that collects them, and there’s no doubt in my mind a player like Brodziak would be farther along had he enjoyed the opportunity to play for a long stretch with a healthy and effective Fernando Pisani.
This season all reports are that he’s fine and will be at full strength in the fall. Although Pisani did in fact play 70% of the season there were many games where Fernando wasn’t close to 100%. He’s such a valuable player in a variety of areas that his being healthy will have a major impact on the young player he’s paired with (just ask Stoll and Torres) and on the overall performance of the team.
In my roster setup Pisani plays with Cole and a rotation of Brodziak and Pouliot. The truth of course is that he’ll play some with everyone and will get more PP time than we as fans think he should, but he’ll earn his dough at EVs and PK. Here are his 5×5/60 numbers for the last three seasons:
- 05-06: 1.84
- 06-07: 1.39
- 07-08: 1.55
A healthy Pisani playing with at least one solid offensive option should be able to do some things at 5×5.
It’s Thursday on the Lowdown, noon to 2 on TSN1260. Bagged Milk from Oilers Nation will join us and we’ll talk Blue Jays, NFL (draft is just two months away) and more. The Jarmo Kekalainen firing will also be discussed. 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.
This strikes me as a natural progression of any sports individual/team that’s ascending.
Baseline level has issues, searching for answers
Improves various facets, gets better results
Confidence peaks, as do results
Urgency, awareness and focus wanes, results start slipping
Back to basics mentality is brought in to recapture what was working
Results improve accordingly
Lesson learned/reminder on what won’t work is just as important as finding it before
Complete buy-in happens, and team/individual has built a repeatable and reliable approach to succeed
One would have to be prepared for a ‘correction’ coming off a 16 game streak. A middling run of .500 is to be expected, and this is what losing looks like. The really good teams nip this in the bud fast.
So, what is the PR talking points about Derek Ryan, Janmark and the league wide comedy show that is Connor Brown?
It’s the middle of February and – finally- local media picking up on what Connor Brown is doing this season, ( Jim Matheson X)
Like Belanger before him, LONG ago stopped being about Connor Brown.
How is he still in the lineup?
Derek Ryan has been less effective than Connor Brown at 5 on 5 and on the PK for a while now.
Connor Brown has not been good enough.
Derek Ryan has not been good enough.
Four people have been timed out this evening. Folks, you don’t have the right to make personal comments. That isn’t what this blog is for, if you wish to do that please start your own blog.
Thanks.
Since the all star break EDM has 86.39 SV%, 29th in the league. HDSV% ranks the same. 20 goals on 147 shots over 5 games. That matches the October -November look to this team. Let’s hope they can snap themselves out of this. Because they can’t fire the coach.
PK is also reverting back to form….
Shots ourselves in the foot but the refs were sure trigger happy towards us.
Crap games happen. It’s what you learn from them that matters.
Brown is gonna score. He’s getting chances and once one goes in his confidence will start to grow. I’m being serious. Remember when McLeod scored his first on an empty netter and woke up?
This has been mentioned multiple times in the past 4 months.
Where is he if he’s 21?
Age has nothing to do with it. Jeff Jackson has a gentleman’s agreement with himself not to waive.
I understand Yamamoto apologetics. I understand Puljujarvi apologetics. I do not understand Brown apologetics.
Based on play the last 20 games or so, Derek Ryan should be waived before Connor Brown – based on the aggregate of 5 on 5 production, goals against, goal share and PK performance – Derek Ryan is not ahead of Connor Brown in ANY of those categories, and quite below him in a couple.
It would also save more on the cap than removing Brown.
I certainly don’t love Connor Brown nor do I hate Derek Ryan but Ryan has been objectively inferior for 20 plus games now and has a higher cap hit if we are being objective and not being clouded by the bonus which is of no consequence to making the better current roster/lineup decision.
They should both be press-boxed honestly.
I have time for Derek Ryan because he’s been a good soldier for this team the last few years, and he at least tries to get to the dirty areas and make something happen. He’s also found the back of the net four more times than Brown has.
Connor Brown is allergic to contact – he skates around in wide arcs across the ice with his stick extended as far as it can reach so that he doesn’t have to make physical contact with the opposition. He’s always above the circles in the O-zone and never in the blue paint in front of the ice where plugs like Brown (and Ryan) get their goals in the NHL (same thing in the D-zone too). Perry already has more goals for the Oilers … because he goes to the dirty areas and takes a beating down there.
Connor Brown stylistically strongly reminds me of Jesse Puljujarvi … the mediocre skating, the muffin shot, the lack of physicality, the lack of hockey sense about where to be on the ice to produce offence.
And he’s owed a 3 million dollar bonus – not his fault, but that bonus is going to hurt far more than the Derek Ryan contract.
Sorry OP – but he’s my whipping boy and comparing him to Derek Ryan doesn’t change my opinion one iota … if Brown is on the Oilers playoff lineup, the Oilers are going to bounced by Vegas in the first round.
and that’s fine. Whip away.
I’m just pointing out that there is another player that has been less effective than Brown over the last 20 plus games (both at 5 on 5 and on the PK) that takes up more on the current cap.
That isn’t to absolve Brown but ALL the talk is about Brown and Ryan gets a free pass from the fans based on past work.
Who will score first, Brown or Puljujarvi?
St Louis have good dmen. And that goalie on his game allows them some wins.
Saad finish to this game
I was a little worried the Oilers would turn yet another game around in the 3rd period and learn the wrong lesson, again.
You’d think that October and November would have taught this team enough already.
And a coach firing.
All star break killed this teams mojo.
Vegas broke ’em again.
The load em up pray ….paid off again for the opposition coach.
Refs certainly managing this game
Pretty shitty managers then. This wasn’t management, it was something else altogether.
8 powerplays lol
Rooney has to have history with Desharnais going back to Rhode Island.
What a Defensive play by Bouchard
Went to look up the referees and don’t recognize either name.
This is brutal.
You should check out their hockey DB. Most informative.
Too many penalties.
Blue we’re hitting in the first. Oilers would not hurt a fly.
Then in the third ref decides he’s going to call anything against the Oul. They still are not hitting, but any Blues player who falls over must have been fouled.
Time for that patented Brownie Shortie. He’s due.
That patent has expired.
YEAH !!!
BOOM!!! Perry goes to the dirty area!!! That’s how you get goals in this league!
Going to the tough areas to score. Great job Perry.
Can’t say that Knoblauch isn’t a stubborn cuss when he wants to be.
That Ryan/Nuge due has lost all but one of its last eight Dzone PK draws and has been scored on four time in that stretch.
He keeps running them out there
Yep
Connor Brown played ( 12:24 tonight- yes penalties)
No word if Mrs. Knoblauch paid the ransom
Okay Oilers, just score 4 more goals than the other team, this period, and you’ll be fine.
I used a term a lot at the beginning of the year to reflect how little respect the Oilers give their opponents.
Hubris
Their brains won’t compute that Thomas-Kyrou-Buch are terrific hockey players that will require all of their attention to compete with. They were the same with Petterson-Miller-Boeser. Eichel all last playoffs. They need to find a way to snap out of this mindset and respect the other teams best.
Bennington has been superb. Skinner hasn’t been. Hope to see Pickard in the third.
If no one takes a hard shot to stop….
Connor Brown taking all the heat as the PK is getting smoked now.
Brown has been on the ice for zero PK goals against last game and this and Ryan 3 PK goals against.
Ryan also missing two glorious chances and its just as much a black hole as Brown has been on offence (less points at evens in the last 20 games than Brown).
Wasn’t Brown just watching a goal against from the box?
Sure was but he is one of the very few NOT getting killed on the PK during this run.
Derek Ryan has been MUCH less effective than Brown recently (and actually over 20 games now). Everything said about Brown is equally applicable to Ryan, even more so.
Connor Brown sucks. He is completely useless. Can’t shoot and can’t out skate anyone. This has nothing to do with Derek Ryan. Comparing him to Derek Ryan does not mean that Connor Brown sucks any less. He’s does not belong on an NHL team that fancies itself a contender because he is an offensive black hole.
Everything being said of Brown is equally applicable to Ryan and even moreso over the last 20 games. Ryan is just as bad offensively (worse over the last while) and getting lit up on the PK (which Brown actually isn’t).
Everyone playing with Brown has been awful defensively. Ryan has become a black hole with Brown, just like McDavid did, like Draisaitl did, like Kane did, like MacLeod did, etc.
Brown hasn’t been getting lit up defensively at 5 on 5 (Ryan has).
Brown isn’t leaking goals on the PK. (Ryan is).
A player who can’t piss a drop on offense does not belong on an NHL roster.
Derek Ryan is also not getting paid 4 million for this season.
That is of no consequence to any current lineup and deployment decisions and, truth be told, Brown has a lower cap implication than Ryan does during the current season.
What Connor Brown is doing is spectacular…..the sheer futility is breathtaking.
Brown:
GF 7 / GA 14
In the last 20 games:
At 5 on 5:
Brown:2 points
Ryan 3 points
Brown: 4-2 goals
Ryan 2-3 goals
On the PK:
Brown: 2 goals against
Ryan 4 goals against (in 10 less minutes).
——————-
I am not absolving Brown but Ryan has been objectively inferior for a long long stretch now.
Ekholm had a big hit?
Kids look good again. Janmark, Brown, Foegele, and others MIA
Yes – speed and sustained energy
Most of the vets are coasting a lot, except the Captain
It’s not often you watch McDavid get outworked like seven shifts in a row. There were worse periods at the start but I’m not sure he ever got a licken laid on him like the Blues just gave.
Hard karma for Hyman blowing those gimmes in the first. Then You knew it was going to be bad when Ryan muffed that SH breakaway at 2-2.
Hockey Gods game. Time for fire whoever is in charge of the PK (no not for real but what the hell?)
Connor is the only vet that showed up
Not watching the game. Just checked the score. Oilers getting goalied?
They’ve been brought to the center of the intersection and are being mounted.
Appreciate the concision. Much obliged.
A bunch of Oilers are present in the rink, but their brains are elsewhere. It’s like they thought this was supposed to be a shinny game against the U of A team.
Haven’t been goalied in ages
Have to finish at an NHL level to score unless the goalie sucks
Skinner letting in softies or quality chances?
He hasn’t been great but not the issue
What adjustments does Knoblauch make in the intermission? I’m thinking he breaks up line 1. Does he go nuclear with McDavid and Draisaitl?
Start Pickard?
Makes 12 deals like Allvin did and has a better group
Yep.
Bannister called out McDrai before Knoblauch did….cheeky bastard
I hope McDavid has a cig hanging out his mouth and he’s speed bagging Brown infront of the team as a sacrifice.
McDavid has been in photo on four goals against tonight.
Which is why I hope he’s really venting and letting it all out, maybe lights a 2nd cig.
My eyes saw Nuge on 3 as nearest Oiler occupying no man’s land
Smokin’ Connor McDavid.
That’s my new favourite McDavid.
Well the party is officially over.
Am not sure if it’s any comfort to know that the Oilers CAN play all-round good systemic responsible hockey (but aren’t any more)
This is the very frustrating part. We know they can execute the system.
Loses come in threea before the big win streaks show up. This is the third. Next is 24 wins in a row.
If they bring Holland back I will be ill. Have a good ‘final’ deadline Kenny
Getting too slow now. 2 finishers. Connor trying to drag them solo. Drai in the multiverse. Multi long no movement contracts on average players aging out. No Cups yet and a mess for ‘hopefully’ next guy
Not based on this game
Enjoying Connor and Holloway
Oilers are just toying with them?
Toying with them or toying with us?
Brown can be very very very easily waived if he can’t even PK because he’s in the box.
He’s worse than useless at 5on5.
Been saying this for months now. He can’t shoot, and his skating is mediocre. He’s not an NHL player anymore. Now that the PK is a mess, it’s time to send him to the pressbox or better still, it’s time to waive him and send him down to the minors. Should’ve happened after game 9. What a bust.
He skates fine to me. Turns pucks over. Nothing else
PK beyond dreadful
Seems like this game Oilers are trying a lot of stuff, to see if anything works. I don’t think they’ve discovered anything positive.
Pull Skinner just cause, this team is ugly.
Not liking the post-break Oilers. Reminds me too much of the early season Oilers.
Our Pk peaked to early…can’t stop a cross seam if their lives depended on it…
Cody Ceci – not actually a good penalty killer.
McDavid “losing the draw and a half ass flip up the boards. Not a penalty killer…
Oilers stinking it up.
That’s it. Get what they deserve tonight.
Brown – dumb 200 ft from the d zone.
Oh boy – any deadline pickup better be able to PK
Can we stop pretending that Connor Brown is an NHL player still?
I think he needs to spend some time in the ahl. He needs a reset.
In the past 5 years I wonder how many forwards who average > 10 min per game have gone through a full season without scoring?
It’s been a while since the season felt lost but glimmers of that old nihilism are back. Giving up 4+ goals a game, puck-chasing and leaning on the stars ain’t gonna cut it.
Top line got its ass kicked six ways from Sunday that period.
Nuge has been worse than useless.
McDavid has sucked to
Add ekholm and Bouchard in the dzone to that list
Ekholm has been terrible since the restart. He’ll come around.
Somebody tell Louie to watch McLeod’s trip, that was a textbook can opener.
Guys in front isn’t enough. They have to get to being in position for deflections and tips
Bouchard could have rubbed out the forward with the puck on the low left side boards again on the 3rd goal against, but made no effort. Just let the Blues retain possession without a challenge at all.
The Oil do seem to avoid the physical
intensity. Corners, net front, blocking shots.
Hooks the guy’s legs so he can’t get up and pummel him
Learn everybody!!!!