Monthly Archives: September 2015

Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Addressing the Hall Haters

5 Comments

HallFonzBLHToday, myself and some of the other BLH bloggers engaged in a conversation surrounding the captaincy, and Taylor Hall. You can view Beer League Heros blog about why he thinks Taylor Hall shouldn’t be captain of the Oilers here.

I’ll touch on Hall and the captaincy a bit later, but the primary purpose of this blog is to pose rebuttals to the most commonly stated arguments I hear from people who argue that Taylor Hall is “a bum” or he should be traded. Quite frankly, I find these people idiotic (and that is putting it nicely). No NHL team in their right minds would draft a player like Hall, and then trade him for peanuts because “he doesn’t backcheck enough”, or “he is reckless”, or any of the other ridiculous arguments I constantly hear about Hall.

So let’s address some of those arguments:

1) “Taylor Hall Doesn’t backcheck”

Do you even hockey bro? I’m not sure what sport people are watching, but many of Hall’s strongest critics (and I suspect they are also Yakupov critics as well) commonly state that Hall doesn’t backcheck. This is total BS. What these people don’t seem to understand about hockey, is that sometimes a forward gets caught deep in the offensive zone, and the puck quickly heads back up the ice. This can happen in a number of ways. A great stretch pass. A chip off the boards that is carried out at exactly the right time. The point is that even a player with Halls speed and endurance can’t skate back to the puck 100% of the time if he’s caught deep in the offensive zone during a bad turn over or unfortunate bounce, or while on the forecheck. This is hockey 101, and shouldn’t need to be explained to you, folks.

2) “Taylor Hall sucked last year”

No. No he didn’t. Taylor Hall was injured. Once coming back from injury, Hall was scoring nearly a ppg playing on the 3rd line with limited minutes. He cooled off a bit towards the close of the regular season, but he was very much an impact player. People who make this argument also seem to forget that Taylor Hall was top 10 league wide in points the prior 2 seasons. Which leads me to the next argument that Hall haters LOVE:

3) “Taylor Hall is reckless. He’s injured all the time.”

We need to address each part of this argument separately, but I often see them used in tandem. If you take Taylor Halls speed, tenacity, and aggressive offensive play out of his game, what do you have left? A 3rd line grinder, that’s what. The reason Hall went 1st over all in the first place is precisely because he drives the play, he’s aggressive, he’s fast, and he wants to make something happen every shift. Take that aspect out of Hall’s game and you have a shell of the player he is today.

Which brings us to the second portion of this argument. Hall DOES have an injury history, and that simply can’t be denied. However, which player in the NHL doesn’t? There are very few iron men in the league, and people should measure their expectations of Hall’s point production with his injury issues. In addition, the poor kid has been on the receiving end of so much bad luck you have to wonder if he needs a witch doctor. How many NHL players in the last 10 years have missed games because they had their face stepped on by a teammates skate in practice? Hall is the only one I can think of. Correct me if I’m wrong.

While Hall’s injury last year saw him limited to 53 games, he still posted a very reasonable 38 points, despite playing limited minutes on the 3rd line. Under Dallas Eakins. Let that last point sink in for a moment, and then simply look at his previous point totals.

Finally, there is my favorite argument against Hall of them all!

4) “Taylor Hall has character problems!”

I just don’t get this at all. People who use this argument usually claim that their cousins best friends boyfriends uncle met Hall at some club, and he was a jerk. NOBODY CARES. Seriously. So you met Taylor Hall and you thought he was a jerk. Maybe he was having a bad day? Maybe you were being a jerk? Maybe you just think you’re much more important than you actually are? Maybe Taylor Hall does? Maybe I’m a jerk? I don’t give a crap. What I care about is how Hall interacts with his team mates, and how he performs on the ice. His team mates have nothing but good things to say about him, and his play speaks for itself.

Taylor Hall is on record as saying he’s often been interpreted as being arrogant because he is shy and reserved. I can relate, because I have experienced the exact same judgment due to having a very similar temperament around people I don’t know.

If you aren’t in the locker room, you have no clue. Period.

On the Captaincy

Having mentioned all of that, I’d like to address the issue of Hall potentially taking on the Captaincy. While it’s no secret I believe Taylor Hall is part of the Oilers future and it would be stupid to even consider trading him (unless the return was equal in value for the club); I’m not sure if he is ready to take over the captaincy. Ideally, I’d like to see the captaincy handed to a player like Matt Hendricks. Anyone who’s seen an episode of “Oil Change” featuring Hendricks knows he’s very vocal both in the room and on the bench, and is a natural leader. He also fits the mold of the typical Oilers captain: Hard working hard nosed grinder.

Very few of Edmonton’s captains have been offensive stars since the Doug Weight days. Most of them have been blue collar lunch pale guys that reflect the work ethic that many oilers fans love. Basically, “they backcheck lots!”. Given the fact that there were already people crying on social media for Hall to be traded after taking a bad penalty late in the 3rd period of a PRESEASON GAME, I’d hate to see how the same crowd would react if he had the C on his sweater and ended up injured or in a scoring slump. I’m quite certain many would break out the pitchforks and torches and run him out of town.

Edmonton’s captaincy issue is convoluted, and there is no easy solution. If indeed Andrew Ference is either traded or gives up the C willingly, the best options I can see are either having no captain for the time being, or selecting a captain by team committee.

This has been a subject that that has been gnawing at me since last season when people started chirping about Hall once he got injured. It was only a matter of time until I wrote something in defense of Taylor Hall, but it was also partly inspired by another blog written by Kurt Leavins which you can read here.

In conclusion, Hall haters can suck it. You can argue with me in the comments or do so on Twitter here.

Beer League Hero, Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Taylor Hall Shouldn’t be the Next Oilers Captain

9 Comments

Our favorite Oilers tough guy chimed in today with news that Taylor Hall will be named the next captain of the Edmonton Oilers… Woof!

“By the way, Bob, I heard (Andrew) Ference is taking off his ‘C’,” Laraque said suddenly during the interview. “Who is going to be the captain in Edmonton?”

Stauffer: “Who told you that?”

“I heard that, well, on the vine that the coach in Edmonton was talking that he was going to have a new captain.”

“When did he discuss that, Georges?”

“We’re heard that a while ago in the media. They haven’t changed (captains)? They haven’t done anything? Is Ference still the captain?”

“Not officially,” Stauffer replied. “Just T.B.A. (to be announced) on the captaincy issue at this time, Georges. Let’s leave it at that for today…”

“No, but Bob I can pretty much announce to everybody who it’s going to be,” Laraque said. “I already know. In Montreal we know everything.”

“Who is it going to be?”

“It’s going to be Taylor Hall.”

“Oilers insider Georges Laraque out of Montreal, former Oilers player!” Stauffer piped up . “We shall see.”

“You know it, too. You work with the team. I know you can’t say it, you just can’t say anything, but you know yourself,” Laraques said.

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Fast forward in that clip to about 13:50 unless you want to hear them ramble on about old Oilers stories and Montreal Canadiens news. The transcript is courtesy of David Staples’ post here. I like David’s work and his thoughts on this are bang on!

I’m going to preface this post by saying I think that Taylor Hall is an amazing talent and that the Edmonton Oilers are a better team with him than without him and I can’t discount how great of an athlete he is because to make it the NHL let alone be drafted no.1 he has to be an extraordinary human but there is no bloody way that this guy should even be considered as captain of the Edmonton Oilers.

For one, in my opinion, and there are very few players to the expection (Wendel Clark/Peter Forsberg) but I want the captain of my team to be someone who can stay healthy. A player can play like his ass is on fire hitting and bulldozing his way around the ice and still stay healthy but Taylor Hall cannot seem to find a way to stay healthy. Every damn year something crops up.

I want the captain of my team to show he’s willing to do what it takes and make whatever sacrifices that need to be made for the good of the team. When’s the last time you saw Hall jump in a scrum in defense of a teammate? When the guy does fight he gets hurt…

When’s the last time you seen him laid a hit that didn’t look like he had some sort of personal vendetta with that player? Do you remember the 2-on-1 last year he had with his “best friend” Jordan Eberle where Eberle didn’t get him the puck and he went to the bench bitching and moaning.

“Oh he’s just passionate BLH…” Screw that news too. That passion he has is not the same passion I’ve seen in the eyes of hockey players before him. When a player looked into the eyes of the aforementioned Wendel Clark, Peter Forsberg, or Mark Messier they were assured it was going to be a long night. Not so with Sir Taylor.

 

One example of Hall trying out some moves that might’ve worked on his ex-teammate in Windsor…

I think this hit was in his first year so you can’t fault him much here but it seems to have been a glimpse into the future for Hall.

The guy can’t seem to get it through his thick skull that he needs to be aware of his surroundings and I’m nearly 100% certain the rest of the league knows how to take Hall out of a game.

Now we could argue that all these injuries happened at the beginning of his career and he’s still a young player but the fact of the matter is this is his 6th season in the league and even watching him during the preseason this year, he’s still cutting to the middle with his head down.

We could also argue that maybe his playing style is why he gets injured all the time. If that’s the case CHANGE THE PLAYING STYLE!! This is incumbent upon the coaching and managerial staff to sort out. If Hall is unwilling to adapt to a different style of play that benefits not only him but his team and teammates, then I’m sorry, he’s got to go. The “me first” attitude has no place in a team game.

Look, he’s an elite LW but that’s only WHEN HE PLAYS!!! It is a fact and correct me if I’m wrong but a player is no help at all to his team if he is not playing.

Hall is ELITE offensively… The Oilers need him to stay healthy

Another thing that creeps into my mind that would make me feel uneasy about Todd McLellan handing Hall the captaincy is that #4 gets benched a lot more frequently than the average superstar NHL left winger. Sure, in the past, a lot of that had to do with Eakins or previous coaches but he was just benched by Todd McLellan on the 25th in a damned preseason game… A PRESEASON GAME!! That’s not a great way to impress the coaching staff or the managerial staff…

 

 

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From McLellan’s comments in that clip, it’s obvious that he believes in Hall but he knows that Taylor’s got some things he needs to work on. Hall’s mental game is in dire need of an overhaul.

BETTER OPTIONS

Matt Hendricks is a far better option than Andrew Ference and Taylor Hall. He works his ass off, he fights, he’s in the lineup on a consistent basis and he exhibits the attributes that a Captain should. Even at his age (34) he’s still an effective NHLer which is something that can’t be said for Andrew Ference. He’s also affordable at $1.85M until 2017 and which point the ‘C’ could be handed over to Connor McDavid or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a better candidate if the Oilers are looking long-term. He comes from the Joe Sakic line of leaders. He leads by example. He’s been a healthy player for the most part in his young career and he never seems to do wrong. He plays a 200ft game and he can be counted on in all situations.

No Captain might also be a better choice. Todd McLellan stripped both Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, two veteran NHL superstars, and went without a captain in his time in San Jose. So perhaps 3 alternate captains would work but then again why take the ‘C’ from Ference or have him vacate it and not name anybody? Perhaps this is only a possibility if Andrew Ference is dealt.

*Good on the current Oilers captain and the organization today for their work with SpiderMable by the way.*

For all the Hall-ogists out there. Below’s a lovely clip of what he can do when he’s on his game!

I hope you enjoyed the post or at least came out of it with another point of view. I don’t hate the guy, I just see no room for him on the leadership train. There are better players out there to fill that role. Let this guy concentrate on scoring goals and becoming the best Oiler he can be.

Thanks for reading and let me know your feelings in the comments below.

Take Care!

BLH

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rob Cooke, Sunday Night Pint

BLH Sunday Night Pint #9

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Welcome back to another edition of the Beer League Heroes Sunday Night Pint! This is the 9th installment and this week we’ve got Jason Adams (@Jason_Adams_ATB) from Alongtheboards.com, BLH’s newest contributor and photoshop extraordinaire Kjell Iverson (@kjelliverson), Justoil.net‘s Rob Cooke (@justoil78), and myself, BLH (@beerleagueheroe).

We’re going to be going over some hot topics from the week previous that include the Boston Bruins and their best imitation of the Oilers defence circa last year, Justin Schultz’s apparent turnaround, the battle between Darnell Nurse and Griffin Reinhart, and lastly, slurpees and the impact they’ve had on the socioeconomic status of blue collar workers across Canada… Or probably just what your favorite flavor is?

1. The Boston Bruins defence is in absolute shambles right now with the Injuries to Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg, this would be a perfect time for Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli to call up his old chum Don Sweeney and see if he needs some help. If you were Chiarelli how would you offer to help Sweeney?

JA: Hmm… What would I do if I was Peter Chiarelli. How would I help out Boston? Well. There’s an old quote attributed to Bobby Hull – ‘I wouldn’t piss in his ear if his brain was on fire’. That’s approximately how I’d feel about the Bruins organization if I were Chiarelli, based on the circumstances of his departure and the Dougie Hamilton trade. I wouldn’t make a trade with the Bruins right now if I was Chiarelli – who I’m sure is less vindictive than I am – unless it was wildly tilted in Edmonton’s favour, or it involved taking Nikita Nikitin or Teddy Purcell off our hands. Otherwise, if the Bruins are drowning, hand them a brick.

KI: The Oilers pick up the tab for Don Sweeney’s medication and trade Andrew Ference to the Boston Bruins in exchange for future considerations and/or a case of beer. They need defensemen, right? No? That’s not helping them? I suppose they could always pick up Brandon Davidson off waivers for nothing?

RC: I am tempted to suggest trading the Captain back to his former team but with the injuries that require an addition being to Chara and Seidenberg I don’t see that Ference can really help. He has shown over the last two seasons that he isn’t capable of playing big minutes anymore and will likely be in the press box more often than not this season on a not good Oilers blue line.

Sending defenseman Nikita Nikitin is the most obvious choice but his play so far in the pre-season hasn’t been a ton better than last season despite being 100% healthy as Niki stated. However if the Oilers were willing to retain 50% of his salary I could see a deal made so the Bruins would have the added firepower on the power-play to make up for some of what Big Z provides. I know Nikitin has little to know value but Boston is kind of over a barrel so with the retained salary I would demand an 3rd round pick back from Sweeney. I doubt he would go for it but after the draft fiasco where Sweeney and Neely asked for more from Edmonton for Hamilton than they asked of the Flames I wouldn’t be all that willing to help them out in the slightest.

BLH: With the way training camp is going I’d see if he was interested in a RW to go with say Andrew Ference or Nikita Nikitin. Maybe Teddy Purcell or perhaps even Nail Yakupov. Anton Slepyshev is really turning heads here and he plays a game that is much more conducive to a 2nd/3rd liner than Nail Yakupov. Also, should a 1st overall pick really be suiting up on the 3rd line going into his 4th season? Not sure what a deal like that would bring back for Edmonton but it might be worth looking into as I did here.

2. Justin Schultz had a helluva game the other night vs. the Jets ECHL team and that has sparked a little debate amongst Oilers fans and pundits. Is this the year that Jultzy pulls it all together?

JA: Justin Schultz is a player that’s gotten all the flak in the world over the last couple of years, but his slate should be wiped clean like everyone else that endured the Eakins Era. The fact is that Schultz’s skill set is unique on the Oilers, and he’s never going to be prime Zdeno Chara. That being said he’s shown some good signs this preseason, so yes, I’ll say he’ll establish himself as a top 4 defenceman this year.

KI: I wrote a blog about this, so I suppose I’m sort of biased. I personally believe Schultz is going to have a career year. I felt he was a victim of poor defensive depth last season, and not utilized properly in the right situations. With better depth this season and the guidance of Todd McLellan, I think Schultz will make an impact. He’ll have off nights like everyone else, but I think we’ll see significantly less “Jultzing” than we did last year. If his performance against the Jets is any indication, he’s willing to do what it takes.

RC: For me it is still way to early to tell yet. He has shown a lot more confidence this fall so far but let’s be fair. He is playing AHL competition right now. Let’s see what he can do over the first ten to fifteen games of the season when wins will be crucial for this young team. Given his past performance as an Oiler I am doubtful that he can make enough of a change this season to earn himself that long-term deal that he desires. My money is on him being moved at the deadline to a team that can put him on the third pairing with plenty of power-play time.

BLH: Boy, I hope so. The Oilers have invested a lot into this kid and so far he’s served them with a big plate of go screw yourself. How much that has to do with his ability or with the ability of the coaching staff over the past few seasons is probably fodder for more water cooler chatter but I like his chances under McLellan due to the new coach’s ability to run a very effective powerplay. Will it earn him a long-term contract? I don’t think it will. I reckon the Oilers will trade him or walk away from him because they’ve got Jordan Oesterle and Joey Laleggia in the minors who could very well be excellent PP specialists in the future for the Oilers.

3. Darnell Nurse and Griffin Reinhart are set to duel it out for one of the last remaining spots on the blueline, who do you think has a better chance at winning a spot on the Oilers’ opening night roster?

JA: I took a good hard look at this question on one of my most recent articles for AlongTheBoards. At the time, I gave the nod to Nurse, but I think the organization is leaning towards Reinhart. Griff’s been playing solid, low risk hockey and has looked like an NHLer in camp. Not that Nurse has looked bad, but there’s still some chaos in his game to iron out.

KI: This is a tough one for me. I really like both of them. Reinhart has been the steadier of the two, but Nurse has made a bit more noise after exploding Hunter Smith’s nose. I like Nurse’s mobility and mean streak, and I like Reinhart’s poise and decision making. In the end, if we assume either of them make the roster, I have to give the nod to Reinhart. That being said, I’m not sure there is room for either of them.

RC: To my eyes Griffin appears that he is a little ahead of Darnell. Reinhart is a lot less chaotic than Nurse, he is a reliable defenseman that doesn’t appear to do more than he knows he can. Nurse tends to try to be everywhere still and needs some games in Bakersfield to learn to calm down and try to do a little less. If you are asking long-term then my answer is definitely Darnell Nurse.

Both are likely going to be fixtures of the Oilers top four for many years but Nurse has a higher projection in my opinion. He can bring more offense than Griffin and still is a very effective defender with a well documented mean streak. Nurse is the future of the defense and we all hope he evolves into a true franchise defender. Reinhart projects as a top four guy or maybe a defensive specialist on the top pairing if we are really lucky. Obviously having the pair of them in the top four for the next decade is the ultimate goal either way.

BLH: At this point I like Griffin Reinhart. The Oilers aren’t in need of a flashy dynamic defenceman right now, maybe later in the season but certainly not now. Reinhart is very cool and collected. He plays a very simple style of game. He’s also very strong and his skating has looked to have improved greatly. Nurse is still trying to do too much right now and the team isn’t quite ready to accommodate that sort of player yet. So I say Griffin Reinhart for the win!

BONUS: I’d say a good portion of Canadian kids from my generation grew up playing video games and inhaling Slurpees whilst playing said video games (Mario Kart, NHL ’94, or 007 Goldeneye), my question for the participants today is, What’s your favorite flavor of Slurpee?

JA: Any answer that is not Lime Crush is the wrong answer. I don’t have slurpees often, but if I see the gas station has that flavour, I will get one every time.

KI: I haven’t had a slurpee since I was 14. I suppose I’ll go with coke (do they even still make coke flavored slurpees?) since that goes well with rye or rum. I’d prefer beer though.

RC: Personally I wouldn’t know. I don’t drink the things. If you asked my wife she would say Pepsi or Coke are the only kinds worth buying but that is her opinion I guess. If you are buying I will take an extra large triple triple from Timmy’s instead!

BLH: Tough one. I love Slurpees and they’re absolutely horrid in Taiwan. They come out of the machine in purely a liquid state and then turn into a Slurpee in your cup… It’s weird and off-putting. But my favorite flavor is Coke. It’s a classic go-to for any Slurpee lover. If I had to pick another I’d say Root Beer or Dr.Pepper.

Thank you for reading! I guess to recap the consensus is that Justin Schultz’s middle name is Chaos, Griffin Reinhart bakes a better pie, Don Sweeney can take a hike off a short cliff and Slurpees are something that somebody in their 30’s should never touch…

Let us know your opinions in the comments below! And head on over to the Beer League Heroes Facebook page and give us a like!

Take Care!

BLH

Corey Mitchell, Edmonton Oilers, Prospects

What Happened to Daniil Zharkov?

Not every prospect pans out. That’s just the nature of drafting. You can scout a player as many times as you like, but it’s a bit of a crap shoot, as you’re watching 15, 16, and 17 year old kids play hockey, trying to project what kind of player they will be 4-5 years down the road. That being said, there is a skill to being an amateur scout in the NHL. The Detroit Red Wings seem to be able to find an endless supply of mid to late round picks that end up playing in their system in one way or another. This is something the Edmonton Oilers haven’t had much luck with in recent years. But as I was going through all the players in Edmonton’s system over the last few months, one player seemed to be missing from the conversation; Daniil Zharkov.

Zharkov was the player picked using the third round pick Edmonton acquired from the LA Kings in the Dustin Penner deal. Taken 91st overall in 2012, Zharkov looked to be a somewhat promising prospect, if not a bit of a project. He was coming off his first year with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL that saw him score 23-13-36 in 50 games. He would also be a key contributor to the Russian team at the U18 Championship that year, scoring 1 goal and 4 assists in the 6 games he played. Following the draft, Zharkov returned to the OHL, and followed his rookie season up by scoring an impressive 25-18-43 in 59 games. He also had a very impressive rookie camp with the Oilers that year, showing he was more than capable to match the speed and skill of 2012 1st overall pick, Nail Yakupov. Zharkov would go on to say his goal was to play in the NHL, and that he intended to be better than his fellow Russian Yakupov, as well as former number one picks Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That’s a bit of a stretch, as you consider Zharkov never got close to matching what any of those three did during their time in junior.

However, regardless of his claim to play in the NHL, Zharkov would sign with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod following his 2012-13 campaign with Belleville. He would score only 2 goals and 5 points in his first 49 games with the KHL club. The following year, Zharkov would be held pointless in 9 games with Torpedo, and was assigned to the developmental club, HK Sarov of the VHL, whose English translation is the Supreme Hockey League. During is 39 games with HK Sarov, Zharkov would only muster 9 points, 4 goals and 5 assists.

At this time Zharkov’s rights with the Oilers have expired. He was drafted during Steve Tambellini’s time with the team. Since then, we’ve seen two regime changes with Craig MacTavish, and now Peter Chiarelli. Neither seemed to have any interest on signing Zharkov to any kind of deal, which looks like the right call. Zharkov is still in Russia, and it appears no one in the KHL or the VHL has any interest in offering him a contract either. It’s a real shame that a young man, who looked like the total package, with a great combination of size, speed, and skill, seems to have played his last professional hockey game.  It’s truly hard to peg down a reason as to why things never worked out for Zharkov. Maybe it was a lack of commitment on his part to become a better player, even though he boasted about how good he would have been after he was drafted. More than likely, and it may sound harsh, but Zharkov just isn’t a good hockey player. That’s relative of course. You need a certain level of skill to play junior and professional hockey. But he just doesn’t seem good enough to make a career out of it. It’s another draft pick that really highlights how poor the Oilers amateur scouts were, and their sheer inability to draft well outside of the 1st round.

Time will tell if Zharkov gets picked up anywhere. Perhaps injuries somewhere in the KHL will offer an opportunity to get some more playing time in. One thing is sure though, that his time with the Oilers, and most likely in North America, is over and done with.

I would like to give a special thanks to Locria (@LocksTheFox) or providing me with the info in regards to Zharkov’s current playing status, and Patrick C (@ChunkletsHockey) for helping search out any info on Zharkov over the last week. If you have any interest in what’s happening in the KHL, I highly recommend you give them both a follow on twitter, and check out their content.

**Apparently Mr.Zharkov is attending the Bakersfield Condors training camp. Hat Tip to Jack Gruninger**

Also of note, the Oilers made some cuts following the game is Saskatoon, including a handful of players that relate to the prospects that I profiled over the summer. The following players have all been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL:

Tyler Pitlick

Bogdan Yakimov

Joey Laleggia

Greg Chase

Kyle Platzer

Kale Kessy

Jujhar Khaira

Jordan Osterle

David Musil

Laurent Brossoit

 

 

Edmonton Oilers, Kris Hansen, NHL

The Weekly Round Up September 20-26

Hey everyone, this is Kris here and here is the weekly round up for the week that was September 20th-September 26th. With pre-season underway, we inch ever so close to the debut of what should be, an exciting, 2015-16 season.

My Top Three Oilers of the Week:

Honorable Mention: Leon Draisaitl. It was a toss up between Draisaitl and McDavid for the three spot. Draisaitl has arguably been one of our best players this pre-season, although he did not look as effective last night as he has in prior games. He’s going to make it a really tough decision for Todd McLellan and that’s a great thing.

3. Connor McDavid. He had two assists in his pre-season debut with the Oilers on Monday against Calgary. McDavid looked (and even he admitted it) shaky at the start but McDavid is exciting to watch every time he touches the ice. His skating is really something else and his defense was really underrated.

2. Griffin Reinhart. A surprising pick but his game against Winnipeg on Wednesday was superb. He did everything right, not flashy, but right. He’s basically the yin to Nurse’s yang: opposites in style but each offering a unique game that the Oilers sorely need. Reinhart was effective in all areas and hence why he earns my number two spot. I wrote about Reinhart on Oilonwhyte.com yesterday and I think we should definitely be supporting the young man.

1. Justin Schultz. Oh boy, I really hope this is the Justin Schultz that we get for the regular season. Forget the goal he scored but look at the Klefbom hit: Schultz of all people was the first one in the scrum! Finally some resilience from the man. He’s been playing like a top four defenceman. Perhaps he could surprise everyone with a rock solid year.

TSN Had a recent feature on Schultz

Connor McDavid to Play Against Minnesota in Saskatoon Tonight

There has been much talk about Connor McDavid and his lack of Pre-Season play, but this confirms that he will be playing in Saskatoon tonight rather than Winnipeg last night. This makes sense on a couple fronts: Yesterday’s squad was mostly filled with AHL players and players fighting for their roster lives and tonight’s squad is playing in an Edmonton Oilers market. It also makes sense on the front where Saskatoon has a large Oilers fanbase. Might as well treat them to one of the best stars in the league.

 

Lowetide’s Rollerball

Lowetide has always been a favorite of mine. He’s THE icon of the Oilers blogging community and he constantly produces quality content. This one stands out however, as he looks at the big three on the back end (Klefbom, Nurse and Reinhart) and their potential offensive production. Lowetide urged that some of the comparables for offense was a good Steve Staios and that we should not be disappointed with that especially if they are rock solid defensively. I think it’s important to stress the defensive side of the game here since quite frankly, the Oilers have had very ineffective defenseman who can play quality defense. Lowetide also hints that maybe Klefbom’s potential might be hidden due to the invisible Swedish Secondary Assists (where they do not count the secondary assist, just the primary).

Patrick Kane’s Case is Bizarre 

Patrick Kane’s Rape Accusation case took a really bizarre turn of events this week when the accuser’s lawyer, Thomas Eoannou, held a press conference declaring that the Rape Kit was delivered to the Accuser’s Mother’s doorstep and that it had been tampered (the evidence bag was empty, was supposed to hold the rape kit). Eoannou, the very next day no less, resigned from the case stating that it was within ethical reason for him to leave the case as he did not believe the Mother’s story.

This is downright confusing. I have no opinion on whether Kane is innocent or not and that is not up to me to decide. I am purely neutral in this case and without anymore evidence or news related to the story, I will remain neutral. That said, this is just plain nutty and confusing.

Even ESPN’s first take had talked about it (although I do warn you, tolerating Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith takes a lot of patience)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfkleAuOl1I

 

Flyers Brothers on Trading Block?

According to NBC hockey, both Braydon and Luke Schenn are on the trading block from the Flyers. It’s not really surprising: I find both players to be blunt, mediocre at best. Luke Schenn is fighting for a job with a log jam of defensiveman and Braydon Schenn has not produced to the levels that were expected of them. One thing though, I really hope that the Oilers stay far away from both of these players. They are not what the Oilers need in my opinion: We are set at Center and I would rather have Lander over Braydon Schenn and Luke Schenn would just be another 5-6 Defenceman that the Oilers don’t need.