This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!
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The Athletic
If Oilers plan a coaching change, why stop there?
- Can this roster recover with a reset, a long period of rest and some strong days of practice? I expect it can to some extent, but help from the general manager would be a prudent move at this time.
- The overall decision is already in on the Keith trade, though. It was too much by plenty, as that cap room sent to the Chicago Blackhawks would have come in handy when all the injuries hit in December.
- A strong analytics department, combined with scouting that is informed about trends and strong attention paid to the salary cap, is now in place with several teams across the NHL.
- If the losing continues, firing the coach will relieve pressure on the team and give everyone a fresh start. That could happen soon. Edmonton plays Monday, Jan. 10 against Ottawa and then has a week off before playing Chicago on Jan. 18. That’s a window of opportunity.
- Fans can reasonably expect a Dwayne Roloson spike from a trade for a true No. 1 goaltender.
- If the organization stays the course with Tippett for the remainder of this season, the first step is probably a goaltender acquired soon, along with a replacement for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins if he’s out long term. A multi-player trade, with a club like the Seattle Kraken or Boston Bruins, might come into view.
BLH’s Thoughts: As we spoke to this morning, Dave Tippett got his war chest this summer and here we are talking about Nuge and Hyman solving the third line problems and contemplating 2nd pairing defensemen so that Duncan Keith can be moved to the 3rd pair…
You know who has a strong analytics team, Colorado, and they’re in the same shape as Edmonton… New Jersey, Seattle, and LA as well… Don’t preach to me about the Oilers being in this position because they don’t have a dedicated analytics department. Maybe have the Mahe boys on your radio show and dig in to see what’s up…
If Nuge is out long-term, they’ll expedite Dylan Holloway’s debut seeing as he’s been skating for a while now and we’re into the new year. If I recall correctly, the pundits were saying he should be back to playing in February. Knowing how the Oilers have told players to suck it up in the past, would it shock you if Holloway was playing for the Condors shortly?
With the way things are trending, the Oilers are going to have to use a blue chip prospect or a first rounder to get rid of Mikko Koskinen… They’re probably better off sending him to Bakersfield, to be honest.
Oilersnation
- A new coach could have a different message, and maybe that is enough to jumpstart the group. However, I sense Ken Holland will be patient. His track record of firing coaches during the season reflects this. He has never fired a coach during the season. He will be patient, but if the recent losing skid continues for a few more weeks, he might have no choice than to make a move.
- If the players like Tippett, then they need to play better if they want him to stick around.
- It is easy to blame one person, and look for a scapegoat, but there isn’t one person responsible for the Oilers’ recent play. It is a total team effort.
- But, the harsh reality is the GM can’t change all the players, and often the coach takes one for the team. I don’t think Holland is seriously thinking about it yet, but with each loss the tension mounts.
BLH’s Thoughts: The MOST cost effective measure is to fire Tippett. It only costs money, to which we’re lead to believe OEG has a lot of. They can bring in Mike Babcock to run out the year like they did with Ken Hitchcock or they could see what’s up with Joel Quenneville or Paul Maurice too.
The fact of the matter is, there’s never been a better selection of unemployed head coaches to pick from. I mean, since there’s no salary cap on coaches, why not pick the three best and go that route?
I call it the “Bob Nicholson Team Canada Special”. Could you imagine Quenneville, Claude Julien, and Babcock running the show in Edmonton? $15M/yr in coaching and Stanley Cups out the wazoo right there, the players would have nowhere to run at that point. Ship up or ship out. LOL!
The Daily Goal Horn
- On Patrik Laine: The big question surrounding Laine is if he is willing to sign a long-term deal in Columbus. There’s no way that President John Davidson and GM Kekäläinen can find themselves in another Seth Jones situation… Laine will be an interesting name this season, but even more so at the NHL draft. It would not surprise me to see Laine moved to get a top five selection.
- On Vancouver: One veteran they could move for a great return would be JT Miller… The 28 year-old has one more year left on his deal worth $5.25M before becoming a UFA. He’s also been extremely productive with 36 points in 34 games for Vancouver this season.
BLH’s Thoughts: If Ken Holland wants to make a splash, can you think of two better players who are potentially available? Laine on McDavid’s wing with Pulju would be magical and JT Miller teaming up with Leon would make Edmonton’s 2nd line very dangerous on multiple levels.
