So since he’s left it up to us to give him his opinion, let’s do that!
*Just a precursor before we do get started, I’m including a few HERO charts from @mimicohero in my post today. I’ve had to resize them a bit to fit them in, so if you want a closer look, just click on the image and a larger one will appear. I’m not really happy with how they turned out but it is what it is and I’m hoping you can see past the aesthetics. Thank you!*
Line 1
Taylor Hall – Connor McDavid – Teddy Purcell
I see what the thinking is here. Put a veteran on the wing to insulate McDavid… We know from this tweet that this was always part of the plan. But I wonder if that was the plan before McLellan was hired?
I don’t like it and I make that judgement based on the eye test. Purcell’s style of play is too soft and his 125 hits over the course of his 9 year career confirms that. Compare that with Nail Yakupov who’s racked up over 200 hits in 3 years!
Yes Purcell is a big body and he has pretty good hands for man of his size but I don’t like him on that line.
Contrary to my feelings his HERO chart tells us something a bit more optimistic.
From that angle we can see highlights in his playmaking (first a/60) and his possession for (CF60 +/-). Unfortunately there are a couple of blemishes. His goals/60 is terrible and I’m not a fan of his CA/60 +/-.
What I’m reading from those two stats, and please correct me if I’m off base here, is that he can’t score at the NHL level and he has a tough time when the other team has the puck.
I guess this sort of line combination is betting on the Oilers having puck possession the whole time…
I’d rather see someone like Eberle. Check his HERO chart… WOW!
Not a lot to complain about there. I mean if you were trying to throw a line out there that would keep the puck, wouldn’t you want this guy?
I imagine that we’ll see a line featuring Hall, McDavid, and Eberle at some point. It’s inevitable. But if a deal could be made I’d be looking at trying to acquire someone like Mark Stone out of Ottawa or Kyle Okposo from the Islanders to fill in on that right side.
Line 2
Leon Draisaitl – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle
Why is this line the 2nd line? Or is it 1b? The key to this line is Jordan Eberle. He’s a possession driver according this his HERO charts but why not Pouliot instead of Draisaitl? The chemistry is undeniable from last season.
His chart also tells me that he can put the puck in the net. Something Purcell cannot do but unlucky for everyone, Pouliot plays the left side. I wonder aloud for you all if this could be amended? One would think that a veteran like Poo could switch sides no problem, right? If so, he’d also be a candidate for the 4/97 line.
Now one question I’m wondering about here is where is Nail Yakupov? Why isn’t he featuring on any of the top two lines in Bob’s foreseen lineup here?
I wrote here about how I thought this was the year for Yakcity to break out and I still believe that but I also mentioned if he was buried on the 3rd line that he was most likely finished as an Edmonton Oiler. There are players in the minors like Iiro Pakarinen or Anton Slepyshev, players on the team like Rob Klinkhammer or Lauri Korpikoski that are much better suited for 3rd line duty. Or is it that Nail Yakupov is being viewed in the same light as say Nino Niederreiter before he was dealt to the Wild?
Line 3
Benoit Pouliot – Anton Lander – Nail Yakupov
As a fan of watching young players, this line looks really fun to watch. Earlier above I said that Yakupov would be finished as an Oiler if he was deployed on the 3rd line. Well this line looks like a safe one for Yak but why not add Draisaitl? That’d be a pretty damn sexy line to me and one that I think could be quite effective. Draisaitl’s size, playmaking ability, and penchant for rushing the puck like a runaway locomotive perfectly compliments Landers defensive bulldog-like style and Yakupov’s shot. I have zero problems with this combination.
Another reason I like this line is that I feel Draisaitl was just getting into the rhythm before he was sent back to the WHL, Lander was putting up pretty good numbers after he was called up and Yakupov really settled into his role during the latter stages of the season.
If this were a soft zone starts line, I think that would be the proper deployment procedure for it.
Line 4
Matt Hendricks – Mark Letestu – Lauri Korpikoski
Get your grind on! Good Lord! This 4th line could rival that of the once famed bruins 4th line of Dan Paille, Greg Campbell, and Shawn Thornton. But alas the numbers do not like these guys at all…
Apart from Letestu, Hendricks and Korpikoski are struggling to stay in the league. I haven’t watched a lot from the newly-acquired Finn so it’s hard for me to judge. I love the style of play and the leadership that Hendricks brings and Letestu I’ve seen very little of but the numbers fall in his favor.
I mean this is all without looking at Rob Klinkhammer and Luke Gazdic. But if the team was serious about getting out of the Western Conference’s outhouse, they should be eyeing up players like Sean Bergenheim and Lee Stempniak to round out the bottom 6.
Why is this guy unsigned? Is there some sort of competition between him and Cody Franson?You know Lee, Edmonton isn’t that far from Winnipeg and it’s way cooler!
I think all of us Oilers fans are in agreement that until the defence is settled this is a team that will continue to struggle. So we might not even see some of these forwards past Christmas anyhow. Friends of BLH, Oil on Whyte, penned a piece covering such a scenario here. Thanks to Sammi Silber!
Thank you for reading and I truly hope you enjoyed the post! When you get a free moment hit us up on Twitter or Facebook or bet yet, BOTH! And if you’re feeling a tad chilly this winter but feeling the need to break out that old SEGA Genesis and play some NHL ’94, do so with a 16-bit Superstars T-Shirt! You can find them at our shop here!
To close out this discussion, I’d like to ask you how the lines for the Oilers should look this season? Would you trade anyone or sign any free agents? Let me know in the comments below!
News in the NHL has slowed to a trickle over the last few weeks. Especially if you are a fan of the blue and orange. The only real notable news is the training camp invites and the venerable Lowetide has those covered for us here. There are a couple notable players on that list of camp invites. Especially defenseman Loik Leveille, forward Rihards Bukarts, and goaltender Jordan Papirny. All three are players that I would have though would have been drafted but the NHL is a different animal and the best players are not always the ones that are selected. The Oilers currently have eight players coming to camp on an invite but with nearly a month to go until camp officially opens we could still see more added to the list. I know a lot of people are still hoping to see diminutive forward Vladimir Tkachev receive an invite but I think that ship has sailed and should the pint-sized player receive said invitation I highly doubt it is with Edmonton.
So what else is there to discuss in Oiler-land? The vast majority of blog sites as well as most main stream media are busy with point projections, line combinations, and standings predictions at this point in the summer so that just goes to show just how little is actually happening at the Oilers offices over on Kingsway.
I happened to be surfing the web this morning and came across a few rumors that, while I don’t think are actually going to happen, still got me to thinking about possible changes that would greatly affect how Connor McDavid is used in his first season of professional hockey. The first rumor is the Kevin Shattenkirk for Jordan Eberle that is making the rounds on the net right now. I’m not going to say much about this proposal as it has been covered today already in the Sunday Night Pint by myself and several others. You really should read the post, it is a terrific series we run every Sunday. If you haven’t read it yet then shame on you but hereis a quick link to the post. The other rumor that I read, and I have no intention of offering free publicity to the original poster, is that the New York Rangers supposedly have some interest in doing a swap of Keith Yandle for the so-called enigmatic Nail Yakupov. I would have to think about that deal long and hard before I decided either way but that is irrelevant at this point.
For my intents and purposes I want to assume that one of the two is moved. Return is of little consequence to this post because obviously if either is moved it will be for help on the back end and not a right wing that can play top six minutes. Should Peter Chiarelli decide to move either Ebs or Yak prior to the season than who can fill the hole left behind? That is the $64,000 question. Can Edmonton trade their best player on the starboard side for defensive help without bringing in help from outside the organization to fill it?
The funny thing is that prior to the draft lottery on April 18th, a night that will live forever to Oilers fans, I would have said there was absolutely no chance that Eberle would be moved as there just wasn’t anyone close to being able to fill his skates so to speak. Winning that lottery changed everything for the Oilers. We went from having a middle of the pack prospect group to have the best group in the entire league. Between McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse and Reinhart we have four young players that should make huge impacts on this team sooner or later. My money is on sooner by the way.
Should Edmonton move Jordan we are left with a gaping hole on the right side that needs to be effectively filled for there to be any chance of a playoff appearance this season. Do any of the three other right wings that are expected to be on the opening night roster look like they are able to bring what Jordan does on a nightly basis? They sure don’t to me.
Likely the best option available may be for one of our two prospect centers to be moved to the right side and hope they are able to keep up. To me the two best options for a replacement from within would definitely be Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. Both are extremely highly touted prospects and would both be able to handle the pressure of playing in the top six on the right side.
Obviously the issue here is which player would be better suited to the move? Everyone knows the scouting reports for these two players and what each kid will potentially bring to the line up. With Draisaitl we have a big player that has hands of silk and quite possibly the best passing ability on the entire team. He has 39 games of pro experience so he obviously already knows what it will take for him to be on the team for the duration. There isn’t really anything that needs to be said about McDavid that hasn’t already been said before by someone. He is the real deal and from where I stand I don’t really see any weaknesses in his game.
In my opinion the easiest way to answer the question of which guy to move is essentially answered by who would be more important to this team as a center this fall. If I was the general manager I think I would be inclined to put Leon at center and move Connor to the wing. If for no other reason than because Leon is huge! His size lends itself well to having to line up against the big bad centers of the western conference. To me Draisaitl would be much better equipped to do battle with the Getzlaf’s and Kopitar’s in the west than the smaller McDavid. Not that I think that Connor couldn’t handle it because he has excelled at every challenge that has been placed in front of him for the better part of the last decade so to count him out would be extremely foolish.
More than likely Connor would handle himself just fine as a rookie center in the NHL even if he doesn’t dominate from the outset but why add that extra pressure to a kid that is already under more pressure than any player since Crosby. I would actually venture to say that McDavid is under more pressure for the simple fact that the Oilers fans are such a ravenous bunch that most expect an immediate turn around now that he is in the fold even though one player can’t do it all on his own. Those are some insanely high expectations to place on an 18 year old kid. Even one that is as poised and mature as Connor appears to be.
What would you do? Would you move McDavid to the wing? Leon? Or do you have another option in mind? Personally I think both Ebs and Yak will be here come October and this argument will have been pointless. Fun but pointless nonetheless.
Be sure to check out Cooke Designs for my latest designs. All t-shirts are on sale for $14.00 each until after the Labor Day long weekend. In addition there is a 15% off back to school t-shirt sale starting later this month. Come and see all we have to offer!
Sunday Night Pint #5 is in session! Welcome back to those that have been here before and It’s good to see you if you’re new to the Sunday Night Pint. This is our weekly post where we gather a few of the writers here at BLH and go over the week that was in the world of hockey, sometimes more specifically the Edmonton Oilers.
If you don’t know, Mr.Thomas is the brains (not the beauty, that belongs to Jackie Dawson) behind The Oilers Rig. He knows his hockey and he certainly knows his Oilers! Keep an eye out for him in the future as he could be on your TV sooner than later. Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_thomas14.
The topics today are as such:
So if you’re comfortable in your seat and beer is in hand, let’s get started!
1 – Ads on Jerseys, Yeah or Nay?
AT – Honestly, it totally depends. I would hate it if the jerseys looked like European hockey jerseys or like soccer jerseys. The logo needs to be front and center, not a sponsor. That said, if they elect to go the AHL route and have a minor sponsor, I’d be fine with it. I like the jerseys as is, but I don’t think it’s ruining something sacred like many believe. If the NHL is making money, and they will off this, and the change isn’t too radical, I’m okay with it.
CM – Jersey ads have been a unique conversation point in recent years. You look back to the NHL implementing the “no tuck” rule a few years ago, and the instant conclusion was that ads were coming. And from what I can see on social media is most fans don’t want to see them. Of the four major sports in North America, the NHL has the best looking uniforms, from the color scheme, to the logos on the front. To ruin that look with big money sponsors seems so wrong for so many reasons.
You look at hockey in Europe. Club teams have almost no space left on their sweaters, and the clutter of ads is a major visual turn off. It’s nice to see once in awhile, like during the Spengler Cup, but that’s not something I want to see for an 82 games season, and then playoffs. Unfortunately, the trademark of the Bettman Regime has been to find revenue in non-traditional ways. And if you look at a league like the CFL, ads are small, and don’t take away from the look of the uniform as a whole. So if the NHL follows that model, a modest corporate logo on the sleeve or something, and as long as I can purchase ad free jerseys, I really don’t have a problem with it.
ZL – Aesthetically, I am not a fan of having sponsors on the jersey’s however I do realize that the NHL will more than likely be having sponsors on jersey’s sooner rather than later. It provides a chance for NHL owners to receive more money, and anytime you can add revenue to a business that is a positive. Like with when the NHL first introduced ads on the boards in the 1980 season, fans didn’t like it but they eventually got used to it. Just like we will have to do with the ads on jerseys.
RC – I don’t particularly like the idea myself. With that being said I think that the vast majority of fans will feel that way as well but I don’t see any of us owning a team so realistically our opinions don’t really matter. The league and team owners will see the added dollar signs that will be coming with the addition of jersey advertising. The almighty dollar will win out here and there isn’t really anything that fans will be able to do about it…
BLH – Listen to me when I say this. An a supporter of the Edmonton Oilers, YOU WANT ADS ON JERSEYS! The reason is simple. All these years of sucking ass has landed the Oilers with arguable the best crop of young players in the league. How are they to keep all of them under the cap without extra revenue?
2 – Would You Trade Jordan Eberle for Kevin Shattenkirk (St.L)?
AT – No, I wouldn’t. Jordan Eberle is a tremendous offensive talent, easily the top RW on this roster. I like Shattenkirk as a player, but he’s more of a second pairing guy in my mind. He’s great offensively, but to me, Shattenkirk’s defensive game leaves much to be desired. To me, Shattenkirk is what Justin Schultz should be. He’s a good player, but he’s not a game changer on the blue-line. I’d rather keep Ebs.
CM – For a long time now, I’ve reserved myself to the fact that the Oilers need to sacrifice one of the kids to obtain the assets they need to be a winner. And I’ve stated many times on Twitter, that it should be Jordan Eberle. Hall and Nuge, now with McDavid, have a much higher ceiling than a Jordan Eberle, as much as most fanboys and girls will disagree with me. And if part of the package coming over is Kevin Shattenkirk, than by all means that move should be made.
Two season ago, I was really liking the idea of an Eberle package to Nashville for Shea Weber, which at the time I felt was very realistic. Now, the general consensus is that Weber is a pipe dream at best, but you can do far worse than adding a Shattenkirk to the revamped blue line. I think that deal has more moving parts than just Eberle for Shattenkirk straight across
ZL – This is a very interesting proposal. TSN’s Ray Ferraro suggested the Oilers look for a trade surrounding Jordan Eberle for Patrick Berglund and Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk is a very interesting player and is thought of to be a player that will soon develop into a top pairing defender in the NHL. He doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of size to his game (6’0”, 202lbs) but since joining the league in 2010-2011, he has scored 215 points ranking him 12th among NHL defenseman since then.
If the Oilers were to make a trade with Eberle and Shattenkirk being two main pieces going back and forth, it could certainly benefit both teams.
RC – Yes I would! Everyday and twice on Sunday! I know Ebs is the current best option on the right side but defenseman with the skill set of Kevin Shattenkirk do not become available very often. I’m sure that the advanced stats will back up my opinion but that is something I will leave to our stats guru, Walt Foddis (@waltlaw69) to discern.
BLH – I would also do this trade but I’d expand it horribly into a blockbuster and try for David Backes as well. Maybe you throw in Draisaitl with Eberle and they send back Backes and Shattenkirk. Seasoned vets have a certain value to teams like the Oilers who are coming up and big mean veterans who have a good 5 – 6 years left who’ve work the ‘C’ on their chest for a good portion of their career is something I’d be willing to pay dearly for.
3 – Who Are Your Top 5 International Players of All-Time?
AT – My top five? Oh Jeez, that’s tough. Being so young, it’s hard for me to look back and pick the top-five international players ever, but I’ll try…. In no particular order, I’ll take Wayne Gretzky, Mike Eruzione (Come on, that’s the best hockey moment, like, ever), Dominik Hasek, Mario Lemieux and Mark Messier.
CM – My top 5 international players? Obviously no list is leaving off Jari Kurri or Teemu Selanne. Add Pavel Bure to that, and now you’ve got three. My last two might go off the board a bit. Sergei Makarov and Vladislav Tretiak, two of the great players from that powerhouse Soviet team.
ZL – Wayne Gretzky, Viacheslav Fetisov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Sidney Crosby, and the obligatory Connor McDavid. Hehehe!
RC – Obviously as a Canadian born and raised guy my list is made up of some of the best Canadians to ever play in some form of IIHF tournament. Wayne Gretzky has to top the list for sure. How can he not? At the 1987 Canada Cup he lit up everyone for 21 points in 9 games and Gretzky himself says it is the best hockey that he ever played.
His linemate at that tournament would be my second choice for this list. Mario Lemieux was a fantastic player on the international stage and one of very few people that can claim to have won the Stanley Cup, Canada Cup, World Cup, and Olympic gold during their career.
Next on my list is Captain Canada, Ryan Smyth. No player has represented this great nation more than Smytty. He has done everything that can be done internationally and when I call him Captain Canada I do so because it is a very well deserved moniker for him.
Following Smytty is Jordan Eberle. He was the most clutch player I have ever had the pleasure of watching at the World Junior’s and his goal against the Russians in the dying seconds of the game is right up their with his first NHL goal for highlight quality.
My final choice for the list is likely one that not a lot of people will agree with but I am going to go with Eric Lindros. At the junior level the Big E was as dominant as any player I have ever seen and his 42 points in 29 international junior games is pretty damn impressive. Of course that isn’t even including the 34 points in 36 games at the men’s level. Those 34 points include 1 goal that he managed during the 2002 Olympic games.
BLH – Jeez Cooke, you damn near have a post on its own there. Lol. My top five international players of all-time are Valeri Kharlamov, Peter Forsberg, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Slava Fetisov.
Bonus – Who’s Your Favorite Player to Hate?
AT – My favorite player to hate? That’s tough, but I can’t stand Zack Kassian and Ryan Kesler. Really, I hated those good Canucks teams, they had a cocky arrogance to them even though they have never won a thing. Kassian was a total goon, just a guy with no regard for other players. Kesler just killed the Oilers and played a pest game. That said, even though I hate Kesler as a player, I have a lot of respect for him.
CM – My most hated player, for whatever reason, is Ryan Kesler. I’m guessing it’s got to do with how much he really personified what being a Vancouver Canuck meant while he was with them. I never want to see him win a Stanley Cup. And actually, throw the caveman Kevin Bieksa on this list too. Two guys that I cannot stand watching play the game, throwing dirty shots on the ice, and turtling until a ref for linesman comes in.
One of my greatest joys recently as an Oilers fan was watching Kesler get tuned in by Sam Gagner. So yeah, forget those guys. Didn’t like them as Canucks, don’t like them as Ducks. And just to cover all my bases, Aaron Ward can take a walk off a bridge too
ZL – Anybody on the Calgary Flames. Just because I live in Calgary, and it’s not easy being an Oilers fan in Calgary.
RC – This is a hard question for me because the Oilers have really been irrelevant the last half decade and it is hard to really get a hate on for anyone when our team was so god awful. If I have to pick one player that I truly hated it would have to be Ryan Kesler. To me he epitomized the “whiny player”.
He is known as a diver and a player that isn’t afraid to embellish a lot if it will get him the call he wants. He has always managed to play fairly well against Edmonton as well so that kind of irritates me a little bit more about the guy.
Another guy that definitely deserves some hate mail from Oilers fans would be the goof Zack Kassian. After his stick swinging incident from a couple seasons back where he nearly decapitated poor Sam Gagner I find it very hard to feel anything but loathing when his name is mentioned.
BLH – We have quite the Canucks theme going on here… But it really is hard not to hate at least 3 players that were on that team in the last 5 years or are currently on. Kassian, Kesler, Bieksa, and Burrows come to mind immediately. I imagine Prust will fill the void this season. But I have a feeling the kid Ferland in Calgary is going to creep into these lists in the very near future.
So there we have it! Jersey ads are cool… Kinda. Ebs is on his way out and everyone hates the Canucks and Flames! Obviously.
Thank you for joining us for the Beer League Heroes Sunday Night Pint #5! We hope you enjoyed the read! Let us know in the comments below what you think about ads on jerseys or a potential Eberle trade!
Welcome back to Season Primers, today we’re going to look at the Dallas Stars. The Stars had a disappointing season, missing the playoffs despite adding Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky to their roster last off-season. The decline was mostly due to poor goaltending, with starting goalie Kari Lehtonen posting only a .903 SV%, backup goalie Anders Lindback posting a .875 SV%, and other backup goalie Jhonas Enroth putting up a .906 SV%. The Stars addressed this by adding former Sharks starter Antti Niemi. The Stars also landed Patrick Sharp via trade, and added Johnny Oduya through free agency.
Key Additions: LW Patrick Sharp, LD Johnny Oduya, RD Stephen Johns, G Antti Niemi
Key Subtractions: C Shawn Horcoff, LW Ryan Garbutt, LD Trevor Daley, G Jhonas Enroth
If I’m a Stars fan, I’m excited about this season. This team has made improvements in every position. Up front, Sharp will provide more offense than Ryan Garbutt. On defense, Johnny Oduya replaces defensive disaster Trevor Daley:
In net, Antti Niemi replaces Enroth and creates some competitions for Kari Lehtonen.
The Stars also added a promising young defender through the Patrick Sharp trade in Stephen Johns, who has a chance to crack the roster.
Projected Lineup (All Players Healthy):
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin
Patrick Sharp – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky
Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Brett Ritchie
Travis Moen – Vernon Fiddler – Patrick Eaves
Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Johnny Oduya – Jason Demers
Jordie Benn – Jyrki Jokipakka
Patrik Nemeth
Jamie Oleksiak
Kari Lehtonen
Antti Niemi
Roster Contenders: C Radek Faksa, C Travis Morin, LW Curtis McKenzie, LW Brendan Ranford, LD Esa Lindell, LD Mattias Backman, LD Ludwig Bystrom, RD Stephen Johns, RD Julius Honka
This is a really good roster, up front the Stars are led by the tandem of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, who are obviously very good players. Valeri Nichushkin was injured for most of the 2014-15 season but will now look to bounce back, he could excel on that top line. The second line could also be very good, with the veteran trio of Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, and Ales Hemsky. Brett Ritchie replaces Ryan Garbutt on the third line alongside Roussel and Eakin, a duo that have shown very good chemistry. Moen, Fiddler, and Eaves form a solid 4th line.
On defence, there is a good mixture of offense and defense in the top 4, with Goligoski and Klingberg being good offensive defencemen and Oduya and Demers being reliable defensively. There will be quite a bit of competition for a spot on that third pairing, with the defensemen I have on the roster plus a bunch of young defencemen in the system clamoring for a spot. I have the underappreciated Jordie Benn along with Jyrki Jokipakka, who quite possibly has the best name ever.
Finally, in goal, Lehtonen and Niemi should be a reliable tandem. They will be the key to the Stars’ success this season.
As mentioned, the Stars have great defensive depth with a lot of good prospects in the system, but the depth at forward and goal isn’t as great. I think it’s quite possibly that Dallas looks at trading someone like Jamie Oleksiak for a younger forward.
All in all, I expect that Dallas will make the playoffs this season, and could be another top 9 forward and a little bit of time away from being a cup contender. If Dallas fails to make the playoffs, it could mean the end of Lindy Ruff’s time there as a coach.
It’s getting to be that time of the year again! The fantasy projections are coming out, the preseason schedule has been released, and we’re getting footage and interviews from players at events like the Biosteel camp and Perry Pearn’s 3-on-3!
Today I’m going to let you in on who I think will be breaking out in 2015/16 for the Oilers! A couple of names won’t surprise you but I’m pretty certain at least one of them will…
Let’s get to it!
1 – Nail Yakupov – Mr.Yakupov has had a tough go of things the last couple of seasons but I’m of the belief that he was miscast and misused. He wasn’t given the proper linemates at the right times. What I mean by that is when he was put on the top line or lined up with Hall or Nuge, his confidence was low and the confidence put in him by his teammates was lacking.Enter Derek Roy. DR whipped Yak into shape and re-lit the fire that Yakupov once showed during his rookie season when Sam Gagner was his center. Hold on! Is it possible that Gagner and Roy have or had similar playing styles? Smallish centers with high work ethic and excellent playmaking skills and Yakcity thrived with each, no?
So that leaves me to wonder, is Nail Yakupov better off playing along side Connor McDavid or RNH? It’s ridiculously obvious that he needs to be the trigger man not the setup artist. The reason I ask that question is that I get the feeling that Teddy Purcell is being groomed to be the veteran presence on the 2nd line.
This brings us back to the question of Yak’s break out. I believe this is the year that Yak takes off but it’s contingent him playing alongside McJesus or Nugent-Hopkins. If he starts slow and finds himself playing with Anton Lander and Lauri Korpikoski, game over.
Prediction: Give or take a few points, I see Yak joining the 25/25 club for a total of around 50 pts.
2 – Justin Schultz – Jultz will finally find himself with a competent defense partner and that will go a helluva long way in his development. No longer will people be complaining that his defensive game is an issue because his offensive game will make them forget about it.I’m confident that we’ll see Coach McLellan deploy Justin Schultz in a different manner than previous coaches. I see soft zone starts and PP time in his future. I see him getting partnered with Klefbom again as well.It’s hard to ignore the fact that Schultz has actually put up half decent traditional stats. 30 points per season on average is not an easy thing to do in the NHL. Apart from his horrendous +/-, which is hardly relevant anymore, he’s in good company from 2012-2015. He sits alongside players such as Cam Fowler, TJ Brodie, Dion Phaneuf, and Brian Campbell.
Prediction: I think with the new coaching, the new powerplay setup, his TOI getting reduced, and having a (hopefully) stable goalie behind him, we could see Shultz’s totals shoot up into the mid-40s or even the 50s IF the powerplay performs as well as we’re all expecting.
3 – Anton Lander– I believe we’re seeing the emergence of the Swedish Horcoff. Lander finally broke out a bit last year after he was called up from the Oilers’ minor league affiliate in Oklahoma. He picked up 20 points in 38 games, pretty impressive for a 3rd line center on a horrible hockey team I say!That kind of point production leads me to believe that he can be counted on to step in on the 2nd line if need be and continue his work in all facets of the Oilers’ special teams. I mean 4 of his 6 goals did come on the power play last season.
One concern I have with Anton Lander is his faceoff percentage. Last season’s .501 puts him in the Crosby/Getzlaf range, so that’s not bad but Lander and Letestu collectively will be expected to replace Boyd Gordon’s .559.
Prediction: If I were to put a number on his stats I’d say he’s good for 12 goals and maybe 20 assists. He’s going to get the tough zone starts no doubt! And I fully expect him not only to embrace the shut down role but to thrive in it. It wouldn’t surprise me if one day he had a letter on his chest and was part of the leadership core. He works his ass off and doesn’t say one word about it apart from “What else can I do for the team coach?”
Well that is all for this post! I hope you enjoyed the read and let me know in the comments below whether you agree with my selections for Oilers most likely to break out in 2015/16!
