Monthly Archives: August 2016

Edmonton Oilers, Michael Sifeldeen, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Hedge Your Bets on Benson

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I’m typing this article up on a combination of an iPad Air 2 + Apple Magic Keyboard 2. It’s replacing my very-powerful-yet-very-old-and-temperamental Macbook Pro that I picked up sometime in 2010. It’s a great computer and all, but more often than not it’s a headache to use, it doesn’t show up for me every day, and basically I just needed something new, different, more reliable. Maybe the iPad doesn’t have the same kind of raw computing power as my old Mac, but it is also without the old, buggy software and backlog of files slowing it down every time I need to count on it.

Which is, of course, an absolutely perfect metaphor for who we’re going to be talking about today: Tyler Benson. I’m going all in here, and I’m predicting that Tyler Benson is going to grow into the perfect left wing replacement for Taylor Hall. It might not be this season or the next, but wait and see. By his early 20s, Benson is going to be an absolute force in the NHL, and he’ll be tearing it up on the left side in a very Hall-like fashion, but (hopefully) without all the other bullshit getting in the way of otherwise remarkable performances.

BACKGROUND

The Edmonton Oilers picked up a really interesting player in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Tyler Benson. He’s an Edmonton boy, and a minor celebrity coming out of the South Side Athletic Club following his just absurd numbers put up in AAA with the Lions Bantam team. Touted by some analysts in the early 2010s to be the “Next One” out of Western Canada, how did such a shining prospect fall into the Oilers’ laps 32nd overall in the 2nd round?

In a word: injuries.

The kid was an absolute monster in AAA. Like, as in, “numbers no one had ever seen before.” He scored 146 points (57G, 89A) in 33 (33!) games in 2013 for the SSAC Lions. Can you just imagine for a second what scoring almost 4 1/2 points per game must feel like? Absurd. And according to an Edmonton-based /r/hockey redditor familiar with his junior league play, Benson’s bantam coach — in an apparent show of mercy and good sportsmanship (but mostly mercy) — would often bench him for much of the 3rd periods of his games when the scores just got out of hand. So really, his point totals should’ve been even higher than the already-terrifying numbers he put up playing only 2/3 of his normal shifts.

But last winter, after being drafted first overall into the WHL for the 2014-15 season and putting up a very good showing (62GP-14G-26A-40TP), his 2015-16 campaign was cut short to only 30 games when he had to have surgery to remove a cyst from his back. In a stroke of horribly bad fortune, Tyler then developed a groin/lower core issue called osteitis pubis, which is a disorder that kids get from working out too much and too hard.

BEYOND BOXCARS

Boxcars are good and all, but with the absence of advanced stats in the minor leagues, how does Benson really “play the game” outside of putting up just a whacky amount of points, and why do I think he’ll be a perfect Taylor Hall replacement if he gets back and keeps his health?

Steve Kournianos has this to say about the Vancouver Giants captain:

“He is a nightmare to defend because he is as physically punishing with the puck as he is without it… Benson is very shifty with tremendous balance, meaning he can continue to move if he gets hit at the same time he decides to change direction. Possessing the kind of vision and IQ he owns makes it no surprise the CHL came close to giving him “exceptional” status to play a full season as a 15 year old (cut short by a knee injury).”

He’s not a small guy at 6′ and 200lbs, and if his scouting reports are to be believed, he’s steady and stable with and without the puck, and can be a real force at both ends of the ice. He’s sure-footed, and the word “complete” gets used time and time again when referring to the guy. Say what you want about Taylor Hall, but to my eyes and ears, we were never seeing or hearing those things said about him. Hall simply isn’t a defensively-minded forward, and despite his elite foot speed, almost every game he was over-skating pucks and slipping on the ice at inopportune times. Flame away in the comments section, guys, but I’m just sayin’…

SUMMARY

Chiarelli says Benson’s hockey sense is “through the roof”, and the reports out of orientation camp in Jasper this year have him looking and feeling healthy. The Oilers organization has a real gem with former Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater David Pelletier as their skating coach, and I have no doubt that he and the other coaches in the system will be working closely with Benson to ensure that he maintains his health in a sustainable way.

The irony here is that, had Tyler been fully healthy for his last season in the W, there’s no chance the Oilers get to pick him up at #32. The same Draft Analyst article by Kournianos has him being compared with the likes of Auston Matthews with regard to his on-the-spot corrections and his ability to create offense in ostensibly impossible situations, for Christ’s sake. I, for one, am right chuffed on Tyler Benson, and I look forward to having this article cited about four years from now when he’s considered an elite NHL winger and I get to say “I told you so!”

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Wisniewski Signs PTO with Tampa Bay

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The Edmonton Oilers have missed yet another chance to add to their defence. A piece of the pie they’d be clambering for all summer. James Wisniewski has signed a PTO (professional tryout offer) with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now, we’ve been hearing Wisniewski rumours to the Oilers all summer. I was personally told that term was the hold up, not money. Now the Oilers are behind the 8-ball a bit. They can watch from afar but honestly, if they’re only willing to give him a 1 or 2 year deal, why would he sign in Edmonton? A veteran like Wisniewski will be looking for his best opportunity to win a Stanley Cup and if he does well, Tampa likes what they see, and he decides to choose Tampa Bay after training camp ends; he’s done well for himself as Tampa and Pittsburgh have the best shot at heading to the Cup finals next year.

In all truth Oilers fans, as soon as you seen this tweet from Bob Stauffer, you should’ve known that Wisniewski wasn’t coming to Edmonton on a PTO.

He also said on Oilers Now! this week that IF Wisniewski didn’t get an offer elsewhere, he’d sign a PTO with the Oilers…

Bobby tends to lay it out there if you can read between the lines and he very rarely crowdsources like that on Twitter. So that’s a tell right there.

WHAT NOW?

Can the Oilers still sign the right-shot 31yr old dman who played all of 47 seconds last year before blowing his knee out? Sure. But as I said above, the ball’s not in their court anymore. But should they be really concerned? We don’t even know how Wisniewski can skate on that repaired wheel.

OTHER OPTIONS

Well at this point if the Oilers are really set on having a RH’d shot on the point they’ve got the following choices:

  • Adam Larsson: I think he could surprise here if given the chance.
  • Jordan Eberle: Not unless he’s packing a 100MPH clapper now days.
  • Jesse Puljujarvi: This might be more real than you think.
  • Mark Letestu: (crickets)

Am I missing someone?

More realistically they’ll be playing a LH’d shooter on the blue line for the PP.

  • Oscar Klefbom: Did somebody say bomb?
  • Brandon Davidson: Showed he can fire ’em last year.
  • Nail Yakupov: He can shoot, no doubt about that but accuracy might be an issue here.
  • Andrej Sekera: Shinpad Assasin…

Apart from those guys, the free agent market still has:

  • Dan Boyle: Can’t skate like he used to and may have issues keeping up in the Western Conference.
  • Jakub Nakladal: 5pts in 27 games last year for Calgary. Has a hard shot but doesn’t sound like teams are lining up for him.
  • Eric Gryba: Not the droid the team’s looking for…

What about trade?

Well, personally I think the team is set up front apart from some tinkering in the bottom nine. But if there’s a team that needs draft picks and left-handed defencemen, then they’d be a good fit for the Oilers as a trade partner.

  • Dennis Wideman: Please. Please. Stop with the Wideman suggestions. Screams Nikitin!!
  • Cody Franson: A big boy who we know can shoot and skate but would the Sabres eat skrilla to make it happen?
  • Ryan Murphy: Young guy who can’t seem to get traction with the Hurricanes.
  • Brandon Montour: Lowetide likes this guy but I’m skeptical as to his availability. 57pts in 68gp for Syracuse (AHL).

If anything the team could wait until training camps are winding down and see who gets waived or they could wait a tad longer and see who shakes loose during the season and make a clever deal to bring that RHD in.

So what do you think? Should the Oilers just buckle down and get ready for the year with what they have? Or should they try to force something through because it’s imperative that they make improvements on their record in 2016/17?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Fancy Stats, NHL

Analytics Vs. Culture: Why Can’t It Be Both?

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Most of you know famed Edmonton Oilers vlogger Ryan Robinson but if you don’t know who he is, I suggest you head to his Youtube Channel and get to know him quick before he’s snapped up by a major media outlet.

I don’t know how he does it but he manages to capture my thoughts exactly how they SHOULD be and how I want them to come out. He can be a bit of quirk at times but I dig his brand of humor.

Robinson’s latest vlog has him going off on fans and bloggers of the Oilers regarding how they are STILL arguing about the Taylor Hall trade and analytics versus hockey culture. Check it out below. I’ll give my comments under the clip.

  • FYI: I’m going to be tossing out #fireableoffense all year long

“The thing is, after struggling early in the season, when did the A’s start winning? It was after Billy (Beane) came into the dressing room and realized that something needed to change.”

  • How many times do you think that happened in the last 2-3 seasons with the Oilers but the GMs were handcuffed either by the market or by ownership?

“He had been treating these guys like numbers on a spreadsheet and forgetting they’re human beings.”

  • Bingo! I won’t say that there’s a be-all end-all answer to winning in sports or life for that matter but I will say that numbers can take you anywhere YOU want to go. Now whether that’s the right destination or not, therein lies the debate.

“He (Billy Beane) changed the culture of the team”

  • After championing for Giambi for his numbers regardless of the “attitude” or “character flaws” he was warned about by his scouts, Beane realized his mistake (wouldn’t admit to it) and set him on his way.
  • In the movie we see Beane go into the locker room after a loss and catch Giambi and a few other teammates having a bit too much “fun”.
  • In the book, author Michael Lewis offers up a couple of tidbits (p.200-201) that you might be keen to hold close to the vest for future reference when Larrson starts paying dividends for Edmonton,

    “In a silent rage, Billy called around the league to see who would take Jeremy off his hands. He didn’t care what he got in return.”

    “When Billy (Beane) traded Jeremy Giambi, the A’s were 20-25; they’d lost 14 of their previous 17 games. Two months later, they were 60-46. Everyone now said what a genius Billy Beane was to have seen the talent hidden inside John Mabry. Shooting Old Yeller had paid off.”

  • Taylor Hall is no Jeremy Giambi (at least to my knowledge), let’s get that straight but it does speak to the inner workings of a locker room and how one change can set the tone.

“There shouldn’t be an analytics vs. culture debate! You need both to be successful!”

  • This is something that many come to forget, myself included. I tend to fall on the culture side of things and rely on the numbers when need be. But Robinson hit’s the nail on the head here.

“It doesn’t matter if you have a group of highly skilled players if there’s no chemistry and cohesion and everyone pulling in the same direction. Likewise, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a great group of guys, really tight-knit group, if they all skate on their ankles. You need both, you need a balance.”

  • In Peter Chiarelli’s press conference on July 1st of this summer he said there’d been some “attitudinal change” based on what they’d done. Off the bat that says part of trading Taylor Hall was due to attitude. Part of bringing in Milan Lucic and Adam Larsson was due to attitude.

“It’s not even hockey culture, it’s not even sports culture. It’s job culture. It’s the relationship dynamics in your working environment. It’s how people in an organization interact with one another. 

And the Oilers had a serious problem in this area. 

Contrary to what some people believe, not all fans bring this up to try to “feel better” or “justify” the Taylor Hall trade. I mentioned this being an issue way back in March.”

  • Is this where the numbers fall off a bit? Can we analyze how the dressing room culture through numbers?

“Darren Dreger, David Perron, Andrew Ference, Todd McLellan (1,2,3), Eric Belanger have all made remarks about this being an issue as well. 

These statemens are TRUE.

These guys didn’t just wake up one morning and say “Gee, I think I’m gonna fabricate a bunch of stuff about there being a problem in the Oilers dressing room and I’m going to tell the media about it””

  • We can add Oscar Klefbom and Ben Scrivens to that list now as well.
  • On Oilers Now! Mark Spector was asked about his opinion regarding the comments frmo Klefbom and Scrivens and his reply was predictable. He said Klefbom should worry about how he plays versus the best teams in the league and staying healthy, whilst Scrivens’ comments don’t hold much water because 30 NHL teams didn’t want him and now he’s a KHL goalie.
    • Yet the head coach has said as much without saying names but these two former teammates’ comments should be dismissed outright.

“Make no mistake about it, Taylor Hall’s presence on the Edmonton Oilers was negatively impacting the team.”

“I am not referring to Taylor Hall’s character as a person nor am I referring to his skill set as a player. I AM talking about what he had come to represent in the Oilers dressing room. 

He was the face of entitlement. 

And this was no fault of his own. He came in at 18 and was handed the keys to the city and anointed the saviour. Rather than being brought along by a strong leadership group, he was allowed to run amok out on the ice, doing as he pleased. And firing the coach on almost a yearly basis relieved Hall of any responsibility for the way he conducted himself.”

  • I couldn’t agree more here. Not holding the kids responsible was a huge mistake. Not bringing in the right veterans and having their back tore the team apart and caused cliques to form.

So now that we have a coaching and management team that is willing to hold players accountable and is willing to bring in the right kind of players, I am fully behind this team being able to make huge gains compared to what they’ve been doing for the past decade.

Walter Foddis is actually planning on publishing a post showing how the Oilers were actually a playoff team in the last 25 games of the season last year. I’ll be interested to read that for sure because I know their real record was 8-16-1. I wonder how much culture talk will be included though?

Let us know how you feel about Ryan Robinson’s vlog in the comments below!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Somebody is Missing From This List

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The NHL Network recently put out it’s top 20 forwards and, depending on who you ask, there was a major name missing from the list. Our main man and rising star in the hockey blogosphere, Zach Laing, helped us out with the list:

*But before I get to that, I wrote a post about the Oilers adding Jiri Hudler the other day as a possible no.3 centre. It wasn’t until later did I realize that he took only a handful of draws last year. In fact, he hasn’t played centre for some time now. I will take only partial blame as the site’s I visited listed him as a centre. My bad! But the Oilers WILL be looking for a third line centre be it Brandon Pirri or someone else.*

Have you guessed who’s missing yet? None other than Taylor Hall, one of the best LWers in the league… Or I thought he was according to the rhetoric in Oil Country. Sure takes the shine off of Hall a bit. And don’t try to tell me, “Oh that just goes to show what the people working at the NHL Network know.” or that there’s an Eastern bias because Johnny Hockey is right up there at #15 and last I checked, Calgary didn’t make the playoffs last year either.

Anyways, this isn’t a shit on Hall post, I just wanted to point out the obvious and toss out a top 20 list of my own.

So I reckon we’ll just go with results from last season and who I think will have the most impact on their team’s success going into the 2016 season.

  1. Sidney Crosby – Best all-round player and captain in the game today.
  2. Patrick Kane – Filthy mitts, likes to grab… (Stay classy Beer…)
  3. Steven Stamkos – Rounding into form as the league’s most elite sniper.
  4. Connor McDavid – Does things no other player can at top speed and plays in Edmonton no less.
  5. Jamie Benn – Best LW in the league and toughest too.
  6. Alexander Ovechkin – Possibly the best goal scorer or all-time.
  7. Evgeni Malkin – Can take over games at the drop of a dime. Don’t get him angry either.
  8. Tyler Seguin – At least one of the guys Chiarelli traded makes the list.
  9. Jonathan Toews – Might not get you the points on the scoresheet but your team will be a winner.
  10. Patrice Bergeon – If Crosby is the best all-round, Bergeron is the 2nd best. Elite 200ft game.
  11. Anze Kopitar – Would probably put up more points if he wasn’t in LA. But those Stanleys…
  12. Vladimir Tarasenko – Snipe City folks. Not many can pot ’em like Tank.
  13. John Tavares – This guy will drag your team out of the mud on his back and take the pay cut.
  14. Blake Wheeler – The blend of size, speed, and creativity… He’ll be a force in 2016 with Laine.
  15. Evgeni Kuznetsov – He may very well usurp Niklas Backstrom for no.1 centre in WAS in 2016.
  16. Johnny Gaudreau – Best “little guy” since Martin St.Louis.
  17. Joe Pavelski – Is there a better shot tipper in the league?
  18. Filip Forsberg – Will take it to the next level with Subban in town.
  19. Artemi Panarin – Absolutely pains me to put this guy in here after he robbed McDavid of the Calder.
  20. Alexander Barkov – Panthers are on the rise and he’s a major part of that.

Close but no cigar: Nikita Kucherov, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Jaromir Jagr, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Claude Giroux, Niklas Backstrom, Taylor Hall, Joe Thornton, Brad Marchand, and Mark Stone.

I took some value away from the older guys like Thornton and Jagr because I’m not exactly sure if they’ll keep up their pace, especially in Jagr’s case. Jumbo Joe could very well put up another 80+ points in 2016 though. Best apple tree in the league quite possibly.

McDavid is the only player worthy of being on that list from the Oilers and I would’ve liked to have put him higher but it’s really hard to argue with the NHL’s reigning scoring champ, Conn Smythe winner, and a two-time Rocket Richard winner. But here’s to hoping he’s all of those in the near future!

And one more thing to consider with 97, if he is to have the individual success that we all think or hope he’s going to have, it’s going to take the help of his teammates. Nuge, Ebs, Yak, and Looch; Drai, Pulju, Big Rig, and Pou. They’re all going to have to do their jobs so that McDavid doesn’t have to. OK/AL (Klefbom/Larsson) are going to need to stay healthy and on top of their game too. And don’t forget Cambot 5000 will need to be Curtis Joseph 2.0 as well.

This team has a long ways to go but it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life, for me… And I’m feeling good!

Who would you have in your top 20? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Edmonton Oilers, Eric Friesen, NHL

Five Possible Defenceman To Join Oilers Alumni Roster

 

After months of speculation, the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets unveiled their rosters for the 2016 Heritage Classic on Friday. The Oilers alumni includes Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy, Randy Gregg, Dave Semenko, Esa Tikkanen, Marty McSorley, Craig MacTavish, Kelly Buchberger, Ken Linseman, Blair MacDonald, Craig Simpson, Ryan Smyth, Bill Ranford and Dwayne Roloson. Glen Sather and Ron Low served as honourary coaches for the Oilers alumni.

Jets forward Blake Wheeler wasn’t wrong when he said “the alumni game might trump the main event” at the Heritage Classic presser. It likely will. As excited as I am for the Oilers-Jets regular-season game, the alumni game will be a once in a lifetime event for many hockey fans, myself included.

Lowe jokingly said that the Oilers would hold a “training camp” to fill the last spot or two for the Oilers alumni on defence. Not unlike the current edition of the Oilers, the alumni roster could use another right-shot defenceman as well. Today I wanted to look at some of the top candidates to fill the last spot on Edmonton’s blueline for the 2016 Heritage Classic Alumni Game.

Jason Smith

For the fans who were hoping to see more players from the 1990s and 2000s named to the Oilers alumni roster, Smith would be an excellent addition. Smith was a hard-nosed blueliner who consistently sacrificed his body to block shots and was team captain from 2001 to 2007. The 42-year-old Calgary, Alberta native was recently named the Head Coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, who play the Seattle Thunderbirds on the night of the alumni game, so he likely won’t be available to the Oilers.

Janne Niinimaa

Niinimaa was the Oilers best offensive defenceman in the early 2000s. At 6-foot-1 and 220 pound, Niinimaa had great size, a solid point shot and was great on the powerplay.  The 41-year-old Raahe, Finland native retired from professional hockey in 2013 and would give the Oilers alumni some “young legs” on the back end.

Steve Staios

Staios is another younger option for the Oilers on the blueline. The 43-year-old Hamilton, Ontario was strong, two-way defenceman and only retired four years ago and is certainly in better shape than any of the already named alumni defenceman. As the President of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, it would be easier for Staios to suit up for the Oilers than his former teammate Smith.

Lee Fogolin

A heart and soul defender, Fogolin is arguably the greatest right-shot defenceman in Oilers history. He’s best remembered as the player you handed the ‘C’ to Gretzky in 1983. The 61-year-old Chicago, Illinois native would be the oldest player on the team, but if he’s able to play, I’d love to see him throw on the Oilers jersey one last time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ahTDixJ7A

Jeff Beukeboom

At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Beukeboom was a hulking defenceman who won battles in front of the net and in the corners and was able to clear the puck out of his zone efficiently. The 51-year-old Ajax, Ontario native won’t provide much offence punch, but would be a solid choice to fill a third pairing role. And who doesn’t love that name, right?

Thanks for reading. Let me know if you agree with my picks and we’ll see if any of these former players make the cut in October!