Monthly Archives: October 2017

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Oilers/Senators: Five Things We Learned After Game 4

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Did you think that we’d be in losing our minds this early into the season? I mean, personally, I’m not hitting the big red button labeled “Panic Mode” yet but there are some very concerning signs showing their ugly faces and the odd thing about them is that they’re the things the cynics warned us about in the off-season.

But before I get into that I want to say that the Oilers physical pushback was encouraging. You don’t see Milan Lucic go out there and start engaging players on the first shift very often but it got my motor going. It was all good until the game was out of hand and the refs put the clamp down on any shenanigans Pat Maroon or Zack Kassian were getting into.

One last thing, how about that spear that Pageau gave Nurse last night? A suspendable offense last season but I guess not this year… weird.

  • Injuries

Leon is out with “concussion-type” symptoms. I have a couple of questions about this though,

  1. The symptoms are either those of a concussion or they aren’t. Pick one. Don’t treat us like we’re stupid.
  2. How long did the Oilers know about the concussion and decided to mask it under the guise of an “eye-injury”?

Drake Caggiula is still out with an undisclosed injury. Is THIS a concussion? Cam Talbot got smoked in the head last night, will that be a concussion?

  • The 2nd Pairing

Matt Benning’s start to the year has got the “I told you so” crowd on the highest of horses but probably rightly so at the moment. I have no problem with McLellan sitting him against the Senators because he’s young and he’ll bounce back from it. One of Benning’s great characteristics is his resiliency. Another reason, I’m not against the benching is that we had to see Auvitu at some point.

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But here’s the thing, Darnell Nurse’s development is right on schedule and he will be on the 2nd pairing for the foreseeable future. When the rest of the team has looked like trash this season, Nurse has found a way to get a passing grade.

What I’d  experiment with doing if I were coach though is tossing Benning up with Nurse and observing that duo for maybe 2-3 games and having Russell and Gryba sort out the 3rd pair. This way, every player is on their correct side and arguably in the right rung of the ladder.

  • Slow Starts

The entire team is starting slow. Not one player on the Oilers after game 4 could be described as statistically having a good start to the year.

I’ll be honest here, all of the things that I’ve mentioned so far would cripple any team in the NHL. The goalie starting slow, the secondary scoring failing to show up, a vital piece or pieces to the roster being injured.

These are all things that would make it very difficult for ANY TEAM to start the season on the right foot. So is it really fair to be shitting all over the Oilers right now? Maybe we should be looking for solutions instead of finding faults…

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED VS. OTTAWA

  • Leon Draisaitl is more important to this team than some thought. 

Boy did Edmonton really miss Leon last night. His power, playmaking, and most importantly his faceoff skills (Connor was 18% on the dot at one point in the 3rd period) were sorely missed.

  • Team speed, Where it be?

I don’t really consider the Senators to be a “fast” team per se but the teams with hard forechecks and relentless checkers are giving the Oilers fits and I can guarantee you that it’d be the same with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Nail Yakupov in the lineup. That being said, I do think that the Oilers are lacking in the quickness department. They’re missing Drake Caggiula for sure. Having Anton Slepyshev on the 4th line is doing nobody any good. Jujhar Khaira simply isn’t consistent enough to consider a factor in the forechecking dept. Iiro Pakarinen, quite frankly, isn’t a factor in any aspect of the game for this team.

I would love for the Oilers to address this team speed/quickness this year by adding a guy like Brendan Leipsic (VGK) or a Michael Grabner (NYR) but really, I’d love for them to acquire a pest of their own. A guy like Andrew Shaw, who if he didn’t make so much money, might be a perfect addition given the Habs struggles at the moment.

I think it’s important to force the other team into considering the different aspects of the Oilers game. From the physical domination to the McDavid/Draisaitl factor, to, if they had such players, the zippy irritating players that drive everybody nuts.

Right now, the Oilers are a very predictable team and their opponents are easily taking advantage of this. Rob Brown and Kelly Hrudey made some good points last night during their respective broadcasts in that Hrudey said the Oilers were trying to recapture the magic from the playoffs and that’s not what you do. Every season you have to start new. And Brown said that the Oilers aren’t playing to their strengths, they’re trying to match the style of their opponents and it’s not working because their team isn’t built that way.

  • Cam Talbot, notoriously slow starter

A caller from the post-game show brought this up I believe. It’s a valid concern. He doesn’t look like the old Cam Talbot we’re used to but is he not a slow starter as well. If we recall, his career with the Oilers didn’t start great and it was between him and Anders Nilsson if I recall correctly for a good chunk of the start of the year in 2015 before Talbot settled in and took the no.1 spot for good.

I would not be opposed to giving Laurent Brossoit the start versus the Canes this week and perhaps using that as a challenge to Talbot.

  • Yohann Auvitu Isn’t as bad as he looked.

We often say that we need to put players in a position to succeed with young players but I think that rings true for new members of the roster as well. I didn’t see Auvitu as bad as some, not that he didn’t have a poor night but who didn’t? It was his first game with the club and I’m sure there were nerves but I noticed him waaaaaay up on the play a couple of times and I didn’t mind it given the Oilers were being spanked.

My question is if the Oilers could work with Auvitu’s defensive shortcomings and take advantage of his offensive gifts, is there a player there that could have more of an impact on the game? Oh, and why was he not on the 2nd PP unit if he was brought in for his puck-moving instincts instead of Russell?

He must be given more of a chance to showcase what he’s all about. He’s chaos but trust me, chaos can be managed and if you’ve ever driven a scooter in Taipei, you know what I’m talking about.

  • Kailer Yamamoto can play

What a game he had eh? His style fit in very well against the Senators and he really deserved the point on Adam Larsson’s goal. Who, might I add, is on pace for 200 shots on goal… #Shooter

I don’t see Yammo as fast but I do see him as quick and as I mentioned above, the Oilers could use a bit more of this style of player and if he were older, I’d say keep him.

Now, after he’s sent back to junior, will his performance allow Joey Laleggia an opportunity to open up. They’re not too far off in size and style and let’s not forget, Laleggia was runner-up to Jack Eichel for the Hobey Baker award back in 2015 I believe. He may very well be the Oilers version of Conor Sheary.

He must be given more of a chance to showcase what he’s all about. He’s chaos but trust me, chaos can be managed and if you’ve ever driven a scooter in Taipei or Taiwan for that matter, you know what I’m talking about.

He’s got to get the confidence of his players back. Not only in themselves but in him as a coach. Get those players into the video room, show them some sweet Beer League Heroes Youtube compilations and let them know that they haven’t lost the ability to play well. It wasn’t pure luck that they nearly won the Pacific last year and it wasn’t chance that they were so close to making it to the Western Conference final.

Just from a cynics point of view though, we’re three seasons in here with McLellan and we know the shelf life of an NHL coach is not long. If the team fails to climb out of this mire, how many losses would it take for the axe to come down on the coaching staff’s necks?

Darryl Sutter, a Stanley Cup winning coach, is sitting at home in Viking, AB tending to his farm but one has to wonder how closely he might be watching the situation in Edmonton?

Something to think about anyhow. I don’t think it’ll come to that and I have complete faith in this roster and the coaching and management staff to figure out a way to get this season back on track.

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Is This A Viable Trade Option For the Oilers

Sportsnet’s Montreal Canadiens reporter Eric Engels put out an interesting tweet recently and it perked my ears because it could have an impact on who is an Edmonton Oiler next week.

Now look, I’m not saying that the Oilers are going to make a trade this early in the season, I think that’d be a bit of overkill, but I do wonder what happens if the defense shits the bed again on the weekend, don’t you? An in-house solution will not cut it but do you think that one of Mark Streit, Joe Morrow, or Brandon Davidson would shore up the D in exchange for a player that might score a few goals for Montreal?

An in-house solution will not cut it but do you think that one of Mark Streit, Joe Morrow, or Brandon Davidson would shore up the D in exchange for a player that might score a few goals for Montreal?

I’m not a huge fan of Joe Morrow nor am I one of Mark Streit but Brandon Davidson I fancy a bit as a player that would fit in well with the Oilers on the short-term.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has long been on the Habs’ radar and Brandon Davidson did have a nice run as an Oiler previously. Not only that but he’can play the off-side, he can skate, and he can shoot. To add to that, he’s a player on the cheap at $1.45M (RFA this summer). And from what I’ve gathered, he didn’t have a great training camp nor is he having a good start to the year.

Davidson passes the eye test with regards to his fancies as well (Ha! See what I did there).

According to PuckIQ.com, in the 2016/17 season, he had a CF/60 of 55% and a CA/60 of 51.6%. His DFF/60 was 35.9% and his DFA/60 was 35.5%.

To compare that with say Erik Karlsson, the Swede’s DFF/60 and DFA/60 were 39.9% and 39.1% respectively or perhaps a more realistic comparison, Mark Pysyk, his DFF/60 and DFA/60 were 34.3% and 34.9% respectively.

FYI: Justin Schultz was no.1 amongst dmen with 500+ minutes TOI in DFF/60 with 49.3% and no.1 for DFA/60 was Colin Miller with a 27.6% score. Who would’ve thought?

Oh! If you’re wondering what DFF and DFA are, they’re dangerous fenwick for and dangerous fenwick against. Basically, it’s a stat that accounts not only for the amount of unblocked shots but it puts a weight on where the shot is taken. Meaning a shot from your own blue line isn’t as dangerous as one from the slot. You want you DFF high and your DFA low. Read about it more here.

Nuge for Davy straight across is absurd and we know that RNH is very well liked by the Oilers brass but what about Galchenyuk and Davidson for Nuge? Gallagher and Davidson for RNH? The Habs need scoring and it looks like Nugent-Hopkins has come to play this year. I’d like to throw in that Marc Bergevin’s job looks to be hanging by a thread at the moment and he might be willing to overpay…

I’ll be honest, I’d have a tough time parting with baby Nuge right now. I think he’s playing fantastic and even though there’s some controversy going on over at RW and D, I’m not sure I would trade the former 1st overall pick, especially for a band-aid solution. Don’t get me wrong, I love Brendan Gallagher and no doubt he’d be a fan favorite in Edmonton, I’m just not sure that’d be the right deal at this point in time. Also, adding another lefty to the back-end isn’t something I’m interested in either.

But let’s say Ottawa takes Edmonton out behind the tool shed and gives the Oilers a lickin’. For you, in your opinion, Do you think that the Oilers would HAVE to do something? 1-3 to start the year can soon turn into 3-7… And then the team is playing catch up, right?

Or would you be willing to weather the storm and give the team some time to shake off the cobwebs and get their shit together?

Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel as well!

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Oilers Insider Says Yamamoto Might Be Back in Spokane Sooner Than You Think

Just listening to today’s Oilers Now and Bob Stauffer along with Mark Spector threw out a few interesting tidbits regarding the Oilers and its playing personnel.

Let’s get into it.

ON THE OILERS LACKING SPEED

Stauffer: I wonder whether or not the Oilers at some point look at possibly adding- like some people said, “why don’t they bring in Iginla?” I think they need another winger that can skate.

Ullrich: Well what about Puljujarvi in the minors? He can skate. If he has a good game on Thursday do you call him up? Look at the next four games, Bob. Who they play after Ottawa. Carolina, Chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh. All four of those teams are pretty quick, especially Pittsburgh.

What might be confusing to fans is how speed is defined though. It’s quite obvious with players like Connor McDavid and Zack Kassian but I do see Leon Draisaitl as fast and Puljujarvi is as well. The difference is how long it takes the latter two to get up to top speed and I reckon what fans are looking for is the zippy player like Todd Marchant used to be or Brendan Leipsic is for the Golden Knights. Somebody who can juke and jive, a Connor Sheary-type perhaps.

This slowness of the Oilers was really apparent last year when they played the teams that had a bit more zip to their game. It’s funny, for years the Oilers were known as one of the fastest teams in the league and now it’s almost the complete opposite. But look, this is the change that the Oilers had to make to become competitive in the Pacific Division with the likes of the Ducks, Sharks, and the Kings. They may very well have to pivot again soon to keep up with the rest of the league but the number one goal of the team is to make the playoffs and the easiest way to do that is to finish in the top 2 of your division. Figure out how to do that and you let the rest sort itself out.

I think that Ullrich has a good point but I’d rather the Oilers stick it out with what they’ve got instead of rushing Puljujarvi up. I guess there’s the option of putting Caggiula on the IR and bringing Pulju up then but that’s reliant on Caggiula being more injured than “hurt”.

CHRIS KELLY

Spector: Is he the guy though? A depth guy

Stauffer: He could be the guy for the first half of the year but you gotta make a move before that happens. You gotta send a guy down to junior. ‘Cause otherwise you’d be at 50 contracts.

Earlier in the conversation, Stauffer and Spector were talking about if they’d seen Kelly around the rink the last two practises and they said they hadn’t and were quite sure what to conclude from that because Spector said he’d spoken to Chris Kelly and the former Bruin had told him he was sticking around to practise with the team…

Anyways, the end of Stauffer’s comment at the top flows into the next section very smoothly…

KAILER YAMAMOTO

Stauffer: What would you do with Yamamoto right now?

Spector: I’ll tell you this, a team that’s trying to find it’s overall game and trying to find itself like the Oilers are, there is very little time for the temporary development of a junior player. I am of the mind, I think that you’ll agree, Bob. He’s going back to junior. It’s just a matter of when.

Stauffer: Maybe sooner than you think.

Spector: If things were going swimmingly, I’d say give him 6 or 7 games. Slide him in here or there, give him some NHL experience. I’m not worried about him missing games for Spokane, Bob. He’s got lots of time for Spokane, who cares about Spokane. This is no place for a young guy right now. I would suggest that there’s every chance they send him back today, on off day frankly…

Stauffer: If we knew if Caggiula was 100% healthy that might accelerate that process. Just cause right now they’ve got one, I mean, they’ve got one guy that can come in and that’s Jujhar Khaira because we don’t know what the status of Caggiula is.

So we wait now to receive word on Drake Caggiula’s status from the coach, once we get a clear idea of where Caggiula is in regards to his health, we might be able to make some clearer guesses as to when Yamamoto is going back to junior, if Chris Kelly is being signed for the year, or if another move is in the works.

I think that Yamamoto is way out of his league right now and it’s almost to the point of being dangerous keeping him up. I mean what is the point of keeping him up if he’s being healthy scratched or only played 5 or 6 minutes a night. I could see them possibly waiting on Anton Slepyshev to get back into game shape, or waiting on a good report from Bakersfield regarding Jesse Puljujarvi, or as we said above, Drake Caggiula’s health. But even then, if it’s a bottom 6 player the team needs, go out and acquire one or bring one up from the minors like Brad Malone or Mitch Callahan… Nobody will take those guys when they hit waivers on the way back to the AHL.

What do you think about the comments from Stauffer and Spector? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter/Facebook! Thanks! Oh and don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel!!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Oilers/Jets: Five Things We Learned After Game 3

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I guess the Jets chose to be the pissed off team instead of the complacent one eh. Perfect attitude to take in against a Turkey Day hungover  Oilers and all without the serviced of that human wrecking ball named Dustin Byfuglien. That said, we’re 3 games into the season, the games have been spread out quite a bit, and this is still a developing team. It’s not all going to be rainbows and lollipops.

Let’s get into the five things we learned from game three:

USING A 19 YEAR OLD ON THE 4TH LINE PROVES NOTHING

Kailer Yamamoto was invisible in the bottom 6 apart from a glaring mistake on the Jets first goal but once Todd McLellan decided enough was enough and slid Draisaitl back down to the no.2 hole and moved Yamamoto up into the top 6, we saw shades of what Yammo can do. I still prefer Puljujarvi right now because at least he’s got a two-way game but that’s beside the point and I’m sure that my craving for Puljujarvi to be up with the Oilers will be satiated soon.

DARNELL NURSE IS CLOSE TO PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

I’m loving what I’m seeing from Nurse. He looks calm and composed. He’s still mean and unforgiving out there though. I like that he’s using his skating and showing some offensive flair this season. That pass to Nuge wasn’t exactly what I was thinking on the Oilers 2nd goal. I thought he might play it safe and move it to the outside as oppose to right down the gullet but it was a good choice and it worked out.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS HAS BEEN THE OILERS BEST CENTRE TO DATE

If you take away the season opener versus Calgary, I feel that Nuge has consistently been the Oilers best pivot so far. I know McDavid brings the mob to its feet every time he touches the puck but his 2-way game hasn’t been there as much as RNH’s. Leon’s had only a handful of shifts as a true pivot, Strome hasn’t shown as much, although tonight he looked a helluva lot better than the previous two games, and Letestu is taking a bit of time to warm up to the new season.

I wanted to see more of RNH but alas I reckon his stint at 2C is coming to an end and back to 3C he will go. Who his wingers will be are a mystery. Kassian has looked good on his wing. Will it be Jokinen, Caggiula, Khaira, Yamamoto, or Slepyshev on the other?…

THE EARLY SEASON JITTERS ARE AFFECTING EVERYBODY

There are quite a few players starting off slowly and the young players are repeating mistakes that they’ve made in the past to try and jump start the offence. This is driving not only the fans but the team and the coaching staff insane. Todd McLellan called out his stars tonight for more or less being lazy on the defensive side of the puck last night and good on him for doing so. The players MUST be held accountable for poor performances.

As we know, within McLellan’s system, it can take a player a year or more to get himself sorted out. This is how I feel with Ryan Strome. I don’t get the feeling he knows his role and I wonder if it is actually defined or not due to Todd McLellan’s penchant to taking his lines to the blender on nearly a nightly basis.

Matt Benning is having a hard time adjusting to the 2nd pairing and a lot of us feared that. Now, there’s two ways the Oilers can go about dealing with this hiccup.

  • A) Be patient and keep him there. Show him support.
  • B) Get him out of there immediately and wait until he’s playing better before throwing him back up.

On the Cult of Hockey post-game podcast, Staples and McCurdy talked about possibly sitting Benning vs. Ottawa to try and shake things up a bit for him and the team and I’m not totally against that. They also talked about what would happen to the lineup if that happened because taking him out would mean adding another lefty. So, Russell would need to go back to the right side and maybe Nurse would move up, then perhaps Auvitu would draw in.

THE POWERPLAY IS A BLOODY MESS

Both units are playing far too pretty. In the first game of the year, McDavid’s unit was playing things perfectly and thus Oscar Klefbom ended the game with nearly 10 shots. I felt like the no.1 PP unit was trying to be too cute vs. Vancouver and Winnipeg and the no.2 PP unit simply didn’t have any chemistry. As soon as Nuge’s unit hit the ice it was mass confusion.

But correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t special teams have a rough go to start the year last season too? I faintly recall the Oilogosphere on Twitter really getting on Jay Woodcroft’s case.

NEXT UP

Next game up is against the Senators of Ottawa and they’re winless this season so far. This team is having quite the time scoring goals (Five players have registered points) and I really feel like the Oilers could exploit the Senators defense without Erik Karlsson but this is a Guy Boucher-led team too, so scoring against them won’t be easy.

Is this a game where the coaching staff will shake things up a bit, maybe toss Draisaitl back down to 2C? Scratch Benning or Gryba and insert Auvitu? Will Drake Caggiula shake off whatever ailment is keeping him out and get back in the team? Will it be Talbot or Brossoit?

Whatever it is that the Oilers players are going through, it’s best they get it out of their system by the time Carolina comes to town on the 17th because after that the schedule is awfully compressed and whatever flow the team will have settled into at that point will be hard to break out of.

Do you think the Oilers will make a Sens-ational return to the win column on the weekend or will they pay a visit to their old friend at the bottom of the Pacific Division? Let us know in the comments below!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Re-Live a Dynasty That Died 10,000 Days Ago

*FUN FACT*

According to Oilers blogger Ryan Batty, it has been 10,000 days since the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup.

I’m glad he did the legwork on that because I sure as hell wouldn’t have. I’m not even sure if that’s accurate but if I do the lazy math it sounds about right.

Now in 1990 I was ten years old and dominating minor hockey in Camrose, AB and if I can recall correctly, I had more of an interest in hockey cards and playing street hockey than I did watching actual hockey games. I mean my dad would take me to watch the local college team (Go Vikings!) at the old Rec Centre (it’s now called the Max McLean I think or maybe it’s part of the Enmax centre…) but I never spent much time in my seat. I was too busy chasing pucks that went over the glass, buying hockey cards out of those coin-operated machines, or playing “kick hockey” in the hall by the dressing rooms.

But in 1990, my dad somehow got his hands on tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals and I can’t exactly remember what game it was. All I can remember is Andy Moog deflecting pucks into the crowd every time he kicked his leg out to make a save, Ray Bourque’s unforgettable playing style, and Bill Ranford be as electrifying as he ever was.

Anyways, I worked some magic and present to you the Edmonton Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs courtesy of the NHL VHS movie they put out that year. It’s basically just the parts of the movie that feature the Oilers. Enjoy and don’t forget to subscribe to our Beer League Heroes Youtube Channel for more sweet videos!

GUEST POST FROM GEARGEEK.COM

What stick does each player on the Oilers use? 

If a question like this interests you, your next stop should be www.GearGeek.com, the world’s first online database of NHL equipment. Recently launched, the site has more than 3,500 equipment items used by all 700-plus active NHL players. You can slice and dice the information just about any way you want, and see the results within a couple of seconds. 

It’s an Oilers fan’s paradise — and one that has been much in demand, since previously it has been quite difficult to get accurate and comprehensive information about player equipment. Speaking of accurate, GearGeek updates its site daily so Oilers fans can keep track of equipment changes their favorite players make during the season.   

Specific pieces of equipment GearGeek monitors include sticks, gloves, pants, skates, helmets, blockers, pads and masks. The site also details player stats for the past/current season. It’s free to use and requires no registration or login. It’s a highly “bookmark-able” site for any hockey player or Oilers fan who enjoys being in the know about pro equipment.

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