We’ve all seen some gorgeous Oilers jersey concepts over the years but this from concept artist @dylannowkart (give him a follow if you dig sports concept art!) from Instagram takes the cake. I love the white aways the most and hope the Oilers would be willing to make these sharp subtle changes to their unis for next season.
Admittedly I’d be a bit pissed because I just dropped $300 on a Draisaitl away jersey but I’d probably be willing to do it again for this design. It’s bloody outstanding!
To see all of the designs (home and away) hover your mouse over the image and an arrow pointing to the right will appear. You won’t be disappointed!
You probably already know this but today the Oilers put Anton Slepyshev on the IR with what I’m suspecting is a groin injury because that’s what the analysts were talking about in the game last night versus the Devils. So, in his stead, the one and only, Jesse Puljujarvi is being recalled for the first time (and only time I hope) this season.
Don’t mind the crass humor from above. I’m close to 40 than I am 30 but I’ve got the maturity of a 13-year-old when it comes to things I fund funny.
One could argue that the Oilers should’ve recalled Ty Rattie, who leads the Bakersfield Condors with 9pts in 10 games (6 goals and 3 assists) but is Rattie a guy that is more suited for the 3rd line in Edmonton? Whereas Puljujarvi has top-6 written all over him…
Anyways, how closely does this recall mirror the one that happened with Leon Draisaitl?
If you recall, as a 19-year-old in 2014-15, Draisaitl suited up for 37 games for the Oilers and put up a modest 9pts (2 goals and 7 assists) before being sent back to the WHL (and giving us a peak into what would become a trademark of his… A clutch playoff performer). The next season, as a 20-year-old, after 6 games and 2 pts in Bakersfield he was recalled and accrued 51 pts in 72 games for the Oilers. In 2016-17, the German put the world on notice that he was now one of the best centres in the NHL and finished the year with 77 points.
Now, I do not expect Jesse Puljujarvi to do any of that. For one, he’s just 19. So if he plays the rest of the year on the Oilers and scores, say 10 goals and 20 assists, or anywhere from 30-35 points, I’ll be happy because that’ll mean the coaching staff had put their faith in the kid.
But as we’re being warned by pundits across the Oilogosphere, if the Oilers do not handle things correctly, they risk losing Puljujarvi as they did with Magnus Paajarvi. Not only that but they lose a trade chip if they do decide to move on from him which I think would be a mistake. Chiarelli is already on thin ice I believe from his previous trades, which I supported and still do, but I’m not sure if the brass feels the same.
Back to Jesse though.
One argument that has been going through the Oilers Twittersphere re: Puljujarvi’s AHL production is that he hasn’t had a decent centre to feed him the puck, therefore he’s yet to show his true value in the minors.
Leon Draisaitl, as mentioned above, only scored 2pts in 6 games for Bakersfield in his short stint with the AHL club. Jesse Puljujarvi, last season, had 28 pts in 39 games as one of the youngest players in North American professional hockey last year. He’s still one of the youngest players at 19!
I’ve also said that Puljujarvi might benefit MORE from the NHL game than the AHL one in that it’s more structured. I’ve always thought that was why Draisaitl took off in the NHL and not the AHL.
The timing couldn’t be better for team and player as the Oilers are losing wingers left and right recently or they’re simply not performing up to par.
Kailer Yamamoto was sent back to Spokane (smart move btw), Slepy is made of glass, Drake Caggiula blocked a shot from one of the NHL’s best young shooters in Ryan Pulock (You know, I’m surprised his foot is still attached to his leg after that), and Jujhar Khaira has decided that he’ll try to kill the opposition with kindness instead of attempting to make each defender he forechecks on part of the board advertisements.
Now, we can assume that Pulju is coming up to play flank to RNH and opposite to Milan Lucic and that bodes well for the young Finn doesn’t it and THIS is an excellent opportunity for him. These two players will not only help carry Puljujarvi along but, and I preface this with an “in theory”, they should be able to paper over any huge mistakes he might make.
But even with that being said, Puljujarvi, Lucic, and RNH are going to be up against some of the best players in the league and I’m hoping that Lucic’s game is going to keep improving but RNH is just settling in as an offensive centreman. Asking him to cover for Puljujarvi might affect his scoring. Then again, I’d say that Pulju’s defensive game is miles ahead of where it should be for a 19-year-old.
Could everything he falling into place?
The dreaded afternoon game versus the Rangers (8-7-2), who are on a 5-game winning streak btw, is upon us and since I’m still getting over the jet lag and the game is on at 2am here, I’ll be watching!
Puljujarvi needs to have an above average game I believe and this will give him some space from the media, the fanbase, and himself. If he scores a goal or gets an assist, all the better! If he photobombs another McDavid interview, GOLD!
Good Luck Jesse! I’m cheering for you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lShHTusM1Y
Here are a couple of good articles on the subject from Jason Gregor and David Staples.
And for gawd sakes, grab a sweet tee from the BLH Teepublic shop! The Sale is on NOW! 30% off of everything from t-shirts, to onesies for your baby, mugs, phone cases, pillow cases, hoodies, etc!
Grab a Grinning Finn tee by clicking on the pic!!Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!Pick up this sweet tee and let the whole world know how much you love hockey’s favorite cheat!You’d never be tired in this! Pick it up by clicking the pic!
Wow, it’s been 11 games since I did up a post-gamer. I guess that’ll happen to a guy when he hits the road for 3 weeks!
I think the Oilers are starting to get their game together. I remember last season getting ridiculously anxious when the other team would get a lead because I was used to the Oilers simply shutting things down at that point in previous years but instead what happened was the 2016/17 version of the club started to come back and win games and take leads which were held onto for wins.
I’d like to say it was pleasing that Edmonton didn’t allow another ex-Oiler to score on them this time and still won the game. Hall was flying out there though. He could’ve put the game away a couple of times but Cam Talbot shut the door. So beers are on him!
Is Looch the only player in the league that’ll go five-hole on a goalie on a 2v1? His contribution to the secondary scoring is picking up and that’s a huge boost to the Oilers. I love that he had a great game that didn’t require kicking somebody’s ass. He needed that game because when I watched him in October he was playing like trash.
Nugent-Hopkins is making a statement to Peter Chiarelli, “Trade Me and You’ll be Fired!”
Nuge turning those Devils inside out in OT was a pleasure to watch, it’s like that puck is tied to a string when he handles it. His hands are so silky smooth and now that the biscuits are going into the basket, you have to wonder about his future…
I’m pretty certain at this point that Pat Maroon can kiss his Oilers career bye bye. Perhaps Kris Russell and/or Andrej Sekera as well. The Oilers are going to need that cap room to keep RNH on this team. And if Chiarelli deals RNH for cap savings again… Woof! I’ll be tuning out of Twitter and the Oilers call-in shows. Edmonton might start itself on fire if that happens.
Adam Larsson hates on-camera interviews.
Was it me or was he just waiting to get the hell out of there. I mean Gene Principe is the man and he’s wonderful at his job but no amount of trying to make Larsson feel more comfortable helped those intermission interviews… The least the Oilers could’ve done was run some game footage overtop of the audio…
Todd McLellan is getting tired of players getting injured.
If you listened/watched the post-game press avail, I don’t remember if it was Spector or Matheson that asked McLellan about Slepyshev but I was listening and I could feel the frustration through my ear buds…
I feel for guys like Caggiula and Slepyshev and I’m not confident they’ll be Oilers next season but let’s remember how Oscar Klefbom’s career started out… If either player, or both, can figure it out and keep their body in one piece, the Oilers secondary scoring is that much better. Not only that but both of these gents aren’t afraid to get their noses dirty and that right there is one point in the Coach Todd’s good book for them.
Leon and Connor are the most electrifying 1-2 punch in the NHL.
Hands down! And I don’t care what Stamkos and Kucherov are doing down in TB. All their games have been vs. Eastern Conference teams. McDavid and Draisaitl are making a mockery of the 3v3 OT.
— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) November 10, 2017
So there you have it kids! The Oilers are on a 2-game winning streak (two wins from .500) and are digging their way out of the basement of the NHL. They’re only, what, 4pts out of a wildcard spot and 5pts out of a playoff spot. The season is still young, lots of time to get back into the top three of the Pacific. 🙂
Things are on the up and up! Looking forward to watching Connor and the gang dismantle the Rangers and the Capitals next.
Don’t forget to pick up a tee at the BLH Merch shop over at Teepublic! Click the pics below to go on over or you can click HERE and head directly!
Welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL in style! Click the image above to pick up this sweet t-shirt!Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!Pick up this sweet tee and let the whole world know how much you love hockey’s favorite cheat!*VERY POPULAR* Grab the new Kassian tribute t-shirt now! Click the image above!Dig skateboarding? Click the pic and grab this new “Thrasher Magazine” inspired tee!
We’re back baby! BLH’s annual trip back to Edmonton was a massive success! We got in three Oilers games (DAL, WAS, PIT), a Red Deer Rebels game, and even a Pee Wee Camrose Vikings game (who knew that former NHLer Harry York was coaching in Camrose?)!!!
I also had a chance to meet up with a couple of BLH super fans! So a special shout out to Mike and Alex Toy as well as Marcus Boutiler! It was great to meet up with these fine gentlemen!
Another highlight was traveling the city to try and find a Leon Draisaitl Oilers away jersey only to find it in my favorite sports shop over in Sherwood Park. The Sports Closet is by far the best place to get your Oilers swag!
We spent way too much money (as we usually do on vacation) and I’m already missing it but I always love heading back to my home.
But that’s enough of the reminiscing, let’s talk about the Oilers.
I’ll start off by saying that anytime you get a chance to watch Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl play on the same sheet of ice, it’s a must-see. They’re magical. That goal vs. the Penguins?… Wowzas! You thought it was good on TV, live was even better!
But what I noticed when I was home was a lack of intensity. The big boys, apart from Nurse and Larsson, weren’t doing what they’re paid to do.
Kassian, while dangling like a MFer, isn’t playing that physical game he’s known for,
Lucic is now the best blind passer in the league (no. he’s not) and he’s not getting in there and winning battles. Although, with Looch, it’s funny that the game he decides to get in a scrap it turns out to be one of the best.
Eric Gryba is getting walked consistently and what happened to Jujhar Khaira? Wins a spot out of camp and then decides to go for a walkabout…
Injuries are playing a part in the early season woes (Slepy and Caggiula can’t stay healthy) and the players brought in my Chiarelli are taking their sweet time getting sorted in McLellan’s system which isn’t a surprise because it’s happened to players like Talbot, Sekera, and Lucic before.
NONE of this is a surprise to me. Teams go through these skids. It happened to Edmonton last November too, no? I mean look at the Kings last year or the Ducks this year. Injuries and slow starts can affect any team. I mean last year around this time, where were the Flames and Predators?
I will say that the team IS built for the Western Conference and as Bob Stauffer said yesterday, this is a team built to succeed the playoffs. That said, they need to make it there first.
Is the team lacking scoring?
I don’t think so. In that I mean, the team has the tools to put the puck in the net but the bounces aren’t going their way. They need to get gritty and work their way to a few wins. They also need to stay healthy…
Does the team need some smaller skilled forwards?
I don’t think so. The team IS slow in that it’s not a team of zippy Mitch Marners but if you’ve ever watched the team you’d know that this is a FAST team. Kassian, Draisaitl, McDavid, Slepyshev, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse, Klefbom, Caggiula are all fast skaters. Puljujarvi IS a fast player but what the media is talking about is players who move the puck quickly and not just bringing the puck into the o-zone and setting up shop waiting for a hole to open and to capitalize on a 5% scoring chance.
The team IS shooting the puck, they’re #3 in SF/g, and I dig that but are only clicking at a 6% rate… That’s a problem. The league average being 9%. I reckon they’ve got to get their asses to that net a bit better and knock a few in instead of trying to play it pretty.
So what is really the problem?
Lack of depth on the RW?
It’s easy to point here because Eberle is riding Matt Barzal’s hot streak right now and is racking up the points but it’s probably time to realize that Draisaitl will be Connor’s RWer for the year thus opening up the door for Edmonton to trade Pat Maroon and possibly keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and bring up Jesse Puljujarvi.
Lack of talent on defense?
Just like the start to the year, who could’ve predicted Oscar Klefbom starting out so poorly? I think he’s hurt but it’s something he can play through or something that Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish have sat down with Oscar to “talk him through”…
Chiarelli didn’t address the hole left by Sekera’s injury and he said that he was going to allow the playing personnel sort that out. I reckon a lot of you thought that it was going to be Matt Benning taking that spot (not sure why more fans didn’t take into consideration the sophomore slump as it happens to most 2nd yr players.) but it has been Darnell Nurse who has been playing in beast mode from game 1.
Auvitu and Gryba haven’t been great this year to date and one of them will be gone sooner than later. Especially with Sekera taking part in the skates with the team now.
I believe that Edmonton has a horrid time playing those teams built to play a quick hard forechecking game. They have shown me that they can’t handle that kind of puck pressure but even then, they did kick the shit out of New Jersey last week and the held their own vs. the Islanders. Here’s to hoping they do it again tonight 🙂
What I’d like to see go down?
I’ll tell you what the dumbest idea to date is and that’s trading Darnell Nurse to the Maple Leafs for Mitch Marner. Who trades their best dman like that?
I’m not adverse to the Oilers dealing Slepyshev, Jokinen, Khaira, or one of Jones or Bear to improve the bottom 6.
Edmonton needs to get that PK sorted because it’s really killing them this year but I feel like every year we’re talking about the Oilers special teams.
Would Chris Kelly help that? It’s up for debate. He’s a good penalty killer but they’d really be getting slower with that addition, I just don’t know why the Oilers are keeping Kelly around if they’re not signing him at some point.
I’d like the Oilers to add maybe one more Brad Malone-type to that 4th line. Someone who can play a hard fast game and contribute to the PK. Maybe that player is Patrick Russell, he DID have a pretty decent camp and was one of the final cuts…
I’d say the Oilers should go out and pick up another D but Andrej Sekera is coming back soon. But what about bringing up Dillon Simpson? He had a good camp.
A TRADE?
Speaking of the Rangers, Chiarelli was in New York last night. Is that because he was pre-scouting the Rags? Of course not, he’s got pro scouts to do that. He’s kicking the tires on a deal. Even Friedman commented on him possibly being the next guy to make a trade.
I know Chris Kreider’s name has come up but he’s New York’s on.1 LW right now. They’re not trading him for dimes on the dollar. I see that Jimmy Vesey is on the 3rd line as is JT Miller and everyone’s favorite sub $2M player, Michael Grabner, is playing 4th line. Marc Staal is also 3rd pairing.
One idea that’s out there, what if the Oilers did something to address Bakersfield’s lack of an offensive centre to play with Puljujarvi? But if that’s the case, Filip Chytil is playing at a point-per-game pace down in Hartford and acquiring him wouldn’t make any sense for the Rangers unless the Oilers are paying big… Which isn’t out of the question for Chiarelli as we’ve seen.
I can’t see Edmonton getting Vesey or Miller for cheap and I’m not sure how good Grabner really is if he’s playing 4th line in Gotham. As for Kreider, fans like him because he’s a reckless abandon but I’m not sure that feeling is shared by his coaches. He does score though and if you believe that’s Edmonton’s problem, he’d be a fit but you know Maroon is going back as part of the package or would it be Puljujarvi?
Once the Oilers’ schedule comes back to Earth, meaning more Western Conference teams, we’ll see these boys’ fortunes turn around. Now, if they can add a few wins vs. the Devils here and the Rangers, that would be YUGE!
It’s good to be back and here’s to opening the content tap and getting the site back on track!
There’s a big sale going on at the BLH Teepublic shop right now! Head over and grab yourself a sweet ass t-shirt or a ridiculously comfy hoodie to keep warm as those winter temps sink down.
Click the image to purchase this tribute to Milan Lucic!This design also comes in… Maroon. Click the pic above and check it out!Pick up the NEW “Beat His Ass” shirt right now!!Click the image to go and get a sweet BLH tee/sticker!!!
