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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

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Lowetide.ca

• It won’t be immediate, and it may not impact the Oilers in the final standings this year, but Vegas Golden Knights got their franchise center in the trade with Buffalo. Great trade for VGK assuming a return to health, great trade for Eichel because he can get surgery.
• For Buffalo? They didn’t get enough for the franchise center but Tuch is a quality player and Krebs a legit prospect.
• The Golden Knights made another loud noise trade, but this time it’s for a much younger player. In a way, this trade was a must. I’m not sure how the cap works for them but the team leads the league in LTIR so there must be a solution.

BLH’s Thoughts: I also agree that Buffalo didn’t get enough. Surely finding a way to upgrade the defense should’ve been part of the list of priorities in this deal considering where the Sabres are in their development and the group they’re deploying. If it were me, I would’ve targeted Nic Hague instead of the draft picks and ran a left side of Dahlin, Hague, and Bryson/Hagg this year and Dahlin, Hague, Owen Power next season. 

Oilersnation

Oilers Prospect Report: Bourgault takes the lead in QMJHL scoring race

• Bourgault continues to reign terror on goaltenders across the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Oilers first-round scored eights points in two games extending his point streak to three.
• Shane Lachance finally got his name on the box score for the Youngstown Phantoms. He opened the scoring for Youngstown in their 4-2 win over the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The next night, Lachance grabbed his first assist of the year in a 5-1 win over the Chicago Steel.
• Maxim Denezhkin had himself a productive week… he scored two goals and five points in four games for Lada Togliatti. That now takes his season tally to five goals and 17 points in 19 games.
• Dmitri Samorukov scored the game-winner last Friday in his second game back from injury, and Philip Broberg picked up a couple of assists. Broberg now has five assists on the year, which leads the Condors.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bourgault is just toying with the “Q” right now. It’s too bad he can’t play in the AHL because you worry about a player developing bad habits or getting bored when he’s dominating so much. Another thing is that other teams don’t appreciate getting their asses handed to them by one guy and he will become a target for cheap shots if he’s not already and that brings along injury concerns. 

That said, I reckon “Go-Go” will be getting serious consideration for Team Canada with this start.

As for LaChance, I don’t know if we’ll see him in Edmonton, but who can even tell right now? It’s so early in his playing career, we’re better off waiting another three years when he’s just started to grow into that massive frame of his and when there’s the possibility that he’s dominating due to said body mass increase and experience. I just think he’s a longshot to play for the Oilers because he’s not much of a producer nor is he the best skater… Yet. 

Denezhkin is one of those little Russian skillers that will no doubt do well on the European ice, but I am concerned that he’s looking at Edmonton’s roster and whispering to his agent “F*ck that. I’m not going over there to play in the AHL or the Oilers’ bottom six. I’ll stay in Mother Russia and make more money and be an all-star over here.”

The Athletic

What 9 NHL executives think of the Jack Eichel trade to Vegas

• Team exec No. 1

“(Buffalo) Needed this saga to end for everyone’s sake and get the most they could.”

“…the risk is they have no cap flexibility at all moving forward, lose a really good young forward in Krebs who is NHL ready now and just getting going, lose a ‘Vegas identity’ player in Tuch for a guy who has four more years left at $10 million a season and nobody knows what kind of player he will be after he gets this surgery.”

• Team exec No. 2

“People are going to hammer Buffalo for it but nobody offered more because it’s hard to make room to add a $10 million player.”

• Team exec No. 3

“Just expected a little more of a return from Buffalo. Tuch is a good player under control thru 2025-26. Krebs, while a good prospect, jury is still out. Picks are decent. Would have expected at least another proven player in there.”

• Team exec No. 4

“This deal could swing in two ways: If Eichel’s health returns, it will be a massive win for Vegas. They clearly got the best player in the deal. However, if he doesn’t return to form, Buffalo will have dodged a bullet and broadened their base of talent by adding a top-line winger in Tuch and a potential top 6 center/winger in Krebs.”

• Team exec No. 5

“They should have done the deal at the draft when 31 teams are under orders to improve, have more cap space and more runway to correct their cap position if acquiring Eichel put them in cap non-compliance. They would have gotten a much better return.”

• Team exec No. 6

“I view this as a win-win for both sides. Buffalo was always going to be limited in the return they could get because of the injury, but I think they did well and got cost-controlled assets to build for the future and Vegas didn’t have to decimate their current roster to get their man.”

• Team exec No. 7

“I also have to wonder how quickly this deal got done (became a reality) based on the pressures of Vegas being the only team/option after the potential Calgary deal ‘leak’ yesterday…not good.”

• Team exec No. 8

“I’m curious about the collateral damage going forward now (for Vegas) trying to fit all those contracts under a flat cap when healthy. Probably have to move some more pieces and not be able to sign (Reilly) Smith etc., next summer.”

• Team exec No. 9

“Kevyn Adams did a great job in this way: he had damaged goods, he had a bunch of b.s. going on around it, and you’re never going to get maximum value for that player.”

• Lebrun’s Take

“On paper, this is a deal that Vegas couldn’t pass up. The ceiling on a healthy Eichel is worth the risk. There isn’t really a tomorrow for this franchise. They’re not terribly deep prospect-wise. It’s all about winning in this current window.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, at least the Flames didn’t get him and we’ll get to see McDavid v. Eichel 5x or more a year… 

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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Oil on Whyte

The Pacific Division Just Got A Little More Difficult

• This does not change anything for the Edmonton Oilers this season, but now they have another star player to keep in mind when they face off against the Golden Knights, this rivalry is only going to grow from here.
• I cannot help but think about the playoff showdowns that could be coming the next few years. Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have met many times in the postseason, it is where their rivalry truly shined. Now the Oilers and Golden Knights will have that every season with McDavid and Eichel, the first overall and second overall draft picks from 2015.

BLH’s Thoughts: For what the Golden Knights are going to have to cut from their team to become salary cap compliant, I think that’s going to offset the Eichel addition. Add that to the fact that Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty’s health will be a constant concern from here on out and I’m not as concerned about the impact of this trade on the Oilers as I was maybe a month ago. 

I do like the idea of seeing Eichel/McDavid more often though. Good hockey is good hockey. 

Oilersnation

The Golden Knights beat out the Flames in the Jack Eichel sweepstakes. What does this mean for the Oilers?

• Eichel still winds up in the Pacific Division, making one of Edmonton’s toughest competitors even stronger.
• …when the Golden Knights are fully healthy, they’ll be able to run a very deep forward group, which will likely consist of Eichel playing with Stone and Pacioretty on his wings, the standard second line of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith, and a third line centered by Chandler Stephenson, who leads the team with nine points in nine games.

BLH’s Thoughts: One of Edmonton’s toughest competitors is slowly going to become weaker and weaker since they prefer to pilfer all of their draft picks and trade from a deficit when it comes time to move one of their mega contracts in order to fit in the flavor of the day that season. 

They won’t be able to run that roster suggested because they’ll be over the cap by a significant amount. But Bob Stauffer has been intimating that Mark Stone might be out months, not weeks… Reckon Vegas is going to pull off “The Kucherov” IF they can make the playoffs?

The Hockey Writers Rumors

• As is being reported by multiple sources and confirmed by the Sabres organization, Eichel has been traded to the Golden Knights and the deal is a big one. The Golden Knights have acquired the center and a conditional pick from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, and two conditional picks. The conditional picks are a first-round pick in 2022, and a second-round pick in 2023.
• According to a report by Kevin Weekes on Wednesday, the Calgary Flames were extremely close. While there was some pushback on his report that the Flames had offered Matthew Tkachuk as part of a proposed deal, he tweeted, “For all asking, my understanding is the @NHLFlames have Tkachuk (who is a future potential captain) an upcoming 1 Rd pick, a former 1st Rd pick, and 2 prospects in the Eichel sweepstakes with the @BuffaloSabres.”
• As per Pierre LeBrun and a couple of other respected sources, the Carolina Hurricanes were the mystery team in the Eichel sweepstakes. It’s interesting news considering the team is 9-0 to start the season and would have likely moved significant roster pieces to acquire a player who wouldn’t be available for approximately four months.
• Frank Seravalli said earlier this week that Carolina has proven they aren’t afraid to make big moves or trade anyone if it helps the team. Do they have something else cooking now that they failed to land someone they had some interest in?

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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Cult of Hockey

Leon Draisaitl takes over NHL scoring lead, Edmonton Oilers 5-2 over Nashville: Cult of Hockey Game Grades

• MIKKO KOSKINEN . 8. Stopped 31 of 33 shots, although his mates did a pretty good job of keeping the high-danger chances to a minimum…  Koskinen is 6-1-0 on the season. Came into the game with a .933 SV% and improved on that!
• CONNOR McDAVID . 8. 2 more assists tonight.
• LEON DRAISAITL . 9. Another big performance.
• RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS . 8. Nugent-Hopkins is off to just a terrific start to the season… The Nuge was good on the PK, too, with 3:04 of work…although he did lose the draw on the 4-2. Leads the NHL in Assists with 13.
• CODY CECI . 4. Not his best effort… Crushed in shot metrics 5v5 to the tune of 15-25, 37%. Certainly not all bad, but he’s been much better.
• DEREK RYAN . 4. Very effective on the PK in 2:13 of work. But lost the possession battle quite properly 5v5. Finished the night between Shore & Perlini.
• KRIS RUSSELL . 4. I thought a saw the veteran D-man struggle some, early.
• DEVIN SHORE . 7. Played well and was elevated to the 3 ^rd line with good results.
• TYSON BARRIE . 7. Has really settled his game down defensively after a wobbly start.
• KAILER YAMAMOTO . 6. Yamamoto scored his 2 ^nd goal in as many nights with a high, Hard wrist shot after a pretty feed from Nugent-Hopkins.

BLH’s Thoughts: It was good to see some of the guys who’ve been on slumps lately put the puck in. Jesse has been fighting it and same with Killer, so good for them. Devin Shore is in good form right now, the confidence is high and he earned his promotion to the third line. I wonder what Ryan’s deal is and if he’s carrying a knock because he’s be the recipient of some painful looking spills this past week. 

Mikko’s just shoving it in the Edmonton media’s face right now and it’s glorious!!!

It was actually a couple of Predators that caught my eye last night. Mikael Granlund and Mattias Ekholm were really good despite the scoreline. Ekholm was playing like the entire Oilers team kicked his dog or something and Granlund was so dangerous in Edmonton’s zone. Did Ryan Johansen play last night?

Sportsnet

Oilers’ early-season accolades are mounting, but focus is on that silver trophy

• Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. And he’s not even leading his own team in scoring.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins isn’t sure if he’s streaking or slumping — he hasn’t scored a goal yet, but he’s leading the entire National Hockey League with 13 assists.
• The power play has been the NHL’s best for two years running and is killing it again this season at 46.4 per cent through nine games.
• Draisaitl may just be the second-best player in the game today, as lethal from his spot on the Oilers’ power play as Alex Ovechkin is from his in Washington.
• Draisaitl (9-11-20) is the first player to have 20 points in the first nine games of a season since Mario Lemieux back in 2002. Like, who is matching Lemieux records, in 2021?
• As a team the Oilers are now 8-1 after dispatching of the pesky Predators, perched atop the Western Conference, trailing only the two unbeaten clubs — Carolina and Florida — in the league standings.
• The Oilers are 15-5 in their past 20 home games, while McDavid has a point in every game this season. He is working on a 17-game scoring streak, going back to last season (12-28-40).
• Edmonton’s third line has a goal in seven of the team’s nine games this season.

BLH’s Thoughts: Oilers fans can bask in all of this early season success, but I still think it’s fair game to wait until the end of the month to start getting excited. I’ve yet to see a consecutive performances where Edmonton is far and away the better team. I don’t know if the PP will go on a dry spell this year, but if it does, can the Oilers’ 5v5 scoring save their butts?

The Hockey Writers Rumors

• …it will matter to (Tomas) Hertl if he scores as performances like the one he put on Tuesday evening are only going to raise his value ahead of this year’s trade deadline. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and he’s paused talks with the Sharks about a possible extension. That has opened up speculation he could be on the move.
• The Maple Leafs got positive news on Tuesday as Ilya Mikheyev was on the ice for some solo practice… Mikheyev was expected to be out eight weeks after he underwent surgery last month on a broken thumb.

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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Lowetide.ca

• The addition of Zach Hyman to the Edmonton Oilers roster was obvious early, and his boxcars (6-2-8 in eight games) early in 2021-22 are outstanding. Hyman’s five on five totals are less impressive (1.17pts/60), but it’s a small sample size and things change.
• There’s no reason to be concerned and there’s no reason to believe Hyman will score about 10 goals per hour on the power play. An increase in five on five points-60, and a little better shot share might be expected. 

BLH’s Thoughts: So this is why we don’t take too many stats seriously this early in the year. One or two good games can skew them in a massive way and send the wrong message. 

I’m curious what his net drives/60 are or successful stick checks/60 are. It’d be nice to see somebody post the metrics surrounding how well he does in puck battles along the wall. Lets dig into the guts of what makes this player as good as he is and just how special a talent the Oilers have here. 

The Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: Even Calgary Flames appreciated what Kevin Lowe brought to table

• “It’s very important to recognize accomplishments, but it’s also important to measure character and integrity and longevity. I would have loved to have had Kevin on my team,” said the tough customer Jim Peplinski, part of the Battle of Alberta for 10 years and 80 games as one of the Calgary Flames forwards.
• Oilers goalie Mike Smith hasn’t yet come off injured reserve, two weeks after hurting his leg in a goalmouth scrum against Anaheim. “He’s skating, he’s really close. I’d say he is in the day-to-day mode. He felt like he needed a couple more practices and we’re hoping he’s an option for Friday,” said Tippett
• The Oilers fourth line remains very much in flux. Tyler Benson who got a two-game audition on left-wing, was scratched for Brendan Perlini. Benson, who worked hard but hasn’t clearly hasn’t won over Tippett, has played two games, same as forward Colton Sceviour.

BLH’s Thoughts: From the eye, I don’t think Perlini or Benson are costing the Oilers goals when they’re on the ice but the fancies are telling us the opposite. The problem is we have to consider how much ice time these players get on Edmonton’s fourth line because the stats look ridiculous and Perlini/Benson haven’t played enough to take the metrics seriously.

Benson’s GF% rel: -10.00
Perlini’s GF% rel: -3.26

The preseason concerns with each player (Benson’s skating and Perlini’s hockey IQ) haven’t really improved from game one to now. Add to that neither player is going to the right areas on the ice to score. It’s as simple as that. They’re getting involved in the muck to an extent but I don’t see them getting to the soft areas for a shot on goal nor are they making their presence known net front. Maybe having Derek Ryan center them for a game or two will help if coach Tippett decides to move him down a line for a spell.

That said, they’re both in Nygard/Haas territory since they don’t contribute to special teams and I’m betting that one or both will be playing on a different hockey club sooner than later, be that an AHL squad or otherwise. 

The Daily Goal Horn

• According to Kevin Weekes’ the Flames offer for Jack Eichel consists of Matthew Tkachuk, an upcoming first round selection, a former first, and two prospects.
• Flames head coach, Darryl Sutter was asked about the Jack Eichel trade rumors involving Calgary today. “I wasn’t aware of that,” he said. “That’s just a media thing, to be quite honest. He’s an inactive, active player.”
• Regarding the trade, there’s been more talk surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights being close to making a deal than anyone else. Per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he says Vegas has made an offer and that it’s up to the Sabres to either accept it or counter.

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!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Daily Faceoff

Explaining why Connor McDavid rarely draws penalties

Frank Seravalli and Steve Greeley asked former NHL referee Tim Peel to break down some clips (noting multiple missed calls) and offer his thoughts on what’s happening:

• Greeley: “When you look at these (penalty statistics), does it add up that Connor McDavid isn’t drawing more calls?”
• Peel: “No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t make any sense at all. I don’t understand how he’s 135th in the league in penalties drawn when he’s the best player in the league and has the puck on his stick more than probably most players in the league… I remember when I refereed him — Connor McDavid isn’t one to embellish plays. The penalties that are against him should stick out because he’s such a talented player.”
• Seravalli: “So Tim, why don’t we see more calls?”
• Peel: “I think the first step would be for Kenny Holland to have a discussion with (NHL director of officiating) Stephen (Walkom). As the GM of the team, it’s not really the coaches place and get Stephen to explain why these calls aren’t being made. Then, if Kenny can bring Stephen clips like this that show Connor not getting calls, then it’s Stephen’s job to talk to the officials and pass it down by email or by sending clips like this out to make them aware of what’s going on in the league, and also keeping our guys on standard with tripping.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Is Tim Peel the guy Oilers fans should be listening to with regards to calls on McDavid? If I recall correctly, Peel didn’t exactly call his greatest games when he was officiating a game involving Edmonton… I mean his answer to Seravalli’s question wasn’t all that helpful.

“Take it up with the boss and hopefully we’ll fix it for the next game!”

Right…

See, I don’t buy that McDavid is too fast for the refs that Bob Stauffer likes to toss out there because they’re not watching 97 for the call, they’re watching the other guy who’s breaking the rules to slow Connor down and I can 100% guarantee you that guy is WAY slower than the Oilers’ captain.

Connor’s got to talk to the refs on the ice a bit more. That’s the solution. The refs nowadays are a bit anti-social in that manner, but McDavid should force the issue a bit. I don’t think you’ll find him embarrassing any officials these days and it takes a ton to get him riled up, so why not just get in a word during a commercial break. Then he can take what the ref said to him to Holland and from there do what Peel said. 

If things get too bad, there’s always a post-game rant from the GM ala Wayne Gretzky at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The Cult of Hockey

Guess who? Edmonton Oilers centre finding his MVP form once again

• He’s a two-way force at even strength like no other on his team right now. He’s bossing the game both in the d-zone and the face-off circle, where he’s got a 56 per cent winning percentage.
• One other signal of Drai’s re-emergence as an early favourite for the Hart Trophy this season is his plus-minus on Grade A shots at even strength… When he won the Hart in 2019, he was +1.6 Grade A shots per game at even strength (15 min. es playing time). He’s at +1.6 again this year.
• This year he’s bumped up his offence a bit from last year to 2.3 major contributions to Grade A shots per game, but he’s really clamped down in the d-zone. That’s the big difference. He has cut his major mistakes on Grade A shots against from 1.1 per game last season to just 0.7 per game this year, a great number for a centre who faces tough competition
• It seems that having him centre his own line — as opposed to playing musical chairs at centre in the d-zone on a line with McDavid — could be bringing a focus and clarity to Draisaitl’s mission and lifting his defensive efficiency.

BLH’s Thoughts: When’s the last time you can remember a team having two league MVPs on their club? For me, it’s the Penguins of the 1990s when they had Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr and those two were as unstoppable as Leon and Connor are today. An argument might be made for Yzerman and Fedorov around that time as well.

Crazy thing is, Draisaitl is doing it as a two-way center where as Lemieux and Jagr were 100% offense only.

We’re living in special times folks… 

Spector’s Hockey

ESPN: Emily Kaplan reports sources claim the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights are the sole finalists in the bidding for Jack Eichel.

CALGARY HOCKEY NOW: Steve Macfarland noted the Sabres asking price was set months ago consisting of at least four assets not including those that would have to go the other way for salary-cap purposes. He believes the Flames would have to part with a first-round pick, a top prospect and two young roster players, preferably a forward and defenseman under 25.

CALGARY SUN: Kristen Anderson also weighed in on the cost for the Flames to acquire Eichel. She pointed out the Flames have just over $1 million in cap space, meaning they must shed salary in addition to perhaps parting with younger players like Valimaki, speedy winger Dillon Dube and promising prospect Jakob Pelletier as part of the deal.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Jimmy Murphy reports the Boston Bruins likely won’t be involved in any Eichel trade. He cites a well-placed source saying the Bruins are trying to improve their roster but haven’t been involved in the Eichel trade sweepstakes for a while.

**UPDATE: Jack Eichel has been traded with a third rounder in 2023 to the Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, Vegas’ first round pick in 2022 and their 3rd round pick in 2023. **UPDATE**