Category Archives: Beer League Hero

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Yamamoto to Save the Day (Again?), Goaltending Trade Targets, and the Latest NHL Rumors!

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!

The Athletic

Hard-target search for the Oilers’ next starting goaltender
  • A Marc-Andre Fleury deal would need to involve some retention by Chicago…
  • Jonathan Bernier was signed by Holland in 2018 to help shore up Detroit’s goaltending situation, and history suggests Edmonton’s general manager tends to reacquire talent.
  • Braden Holtby and James Reimer play for teams who anticipate being in the thick of the race, so the list may come down to Fleury and Jake Allen as strong options for Edmonton.
  • An example of a trade that could work for Edmonton: Koskinen ($4.5 million and on the last year of his deal) for Semyon Varlamov of the New York Islanders. 
  • (Jake) Allen might be included in a package with rugged defenceman Ben Chiarot (also in COVID-19 protocol) if Holland makes the 2022 first-round pick available.

BLH’s Thoughts: I like what LT is selling there, but I feel like Montreal and the Islanders will wait until closer to the trade deadline to make a deal like that. Rogers Place might get burnt down if Holland chooses to hold pat on his goaltending duo until then. 

If Edmonton didn’t want to include that 1st rounder to get Chiarot and Allen out of MTL, do you think a package of Rafa Lavoie, Dmitri Samorukov, Slater Koekkoek, Koskinen, and a 2023 2nd round pick would get it done? 

Don’t forget about Seattle. Chris Driedger and Carson Soucy to Edmonton might be a plan B to an Allen/Chiarot-like deal and Yamamoto’s heating up with 6pts in his last 6 games. Should the Oilers sell high for once?

Edmonton Sun

Edmonton Oilers have more to worry about than Koskinen
  • Almost the exact same thing happened just two years ago. Instead of a 9-1 start, they were 8-2-1. Instead of 16-5 heading into December, they were 16-7-3. Instead of a 2-8-2 slump, it was 4-10-1.
  • Same scenario, same time of the year. Then Yamamoto came up, brought life to their second line, and the Oilers went on a 15-6-3 run to finish second in the division, with Smith and Koskinen in net and no secondary scoring.

BLH’s Thoughts: The moral of this story, the Oilers like to play Santa in Decembers and give back what they’ve earned in the first few weeks of the season.

F*CK! I totally forgot about this… Maybe this is something that Tychkowski should’ve mentioned earlier?… It might’ve lifted some of the fanbase’s anxiety. 

Killer’s on a bit of a heater right now, is he going to come in and save the day again?… 

The Daily Goal Horn

NHL Rumors: Oilers goalie targets
  • Yesterday, we mentioned Dallas Stars’ Anton Khudobin as a possibility.
  • Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen suggested six others with the most interesting being Joonas Korpisalo (UFA, $2.8M), Marc-Andre Fleury (UFA, $7M), and Chris Driedger (2 years, $3.5M).
  • “Georgiev is out there. They are talking about him and there’s no way the Rangers are keeping him,” Kypreos said on his podcast.

BLH’s Thoughts: At this point anything is possible, but if Ken Holland wants to move Koskinen in that deal, the impossible would be him not getting bent over a barrel to do it. 

Georgiev’s on fire right now and the Rangers are tops in the league. Why would they move him?

I don’t know if MAF is going to waive any clauses to go to Deadmonton in the middle of the winter and a season-long slump. 

I would say the train has passed on Khudobin and Korpisalo, but that’s just my personal feeling. I suppose a lateral move could take place if Holland thought keeping Mikko around was a detriment to the team. 

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: “LeBrun wondered if the Oilers might take a chance on…”

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!

The Hockey Writers

Oilers Have 3 Good Options if They Want to Move Koskinen
  • The Arizona Coyotes are a team that is brought up a lot when it comes to teams that could be interested in trading. This is due to the ton of cap space they have, almost no chance in competing this season, and trade assets they hold and are willing to move by the deadline.
  • With all the COVID and injury-related problems that the Montreal Canadiens have had, they need to look towards a rebuild. That means selling off assets and getting picks and prospects that they can hopefully build around.
  • The San Jose Sharks are an interesting option. They may not be a team you’d think of when looking at a team to take on a contract at first glance. They have stuck around just out of the playoff race to this point but are an old team that has been known to get their fair share of injuries. They don’t have a real starting goalie despite James Reimer playing very well this season.

BLH’s Thoughts: I know he’s a polarizing figure but Evander Kane would check a couple of boxes for the Oilers but I bet, knowing Ken Holland, he’d probably trade for Marc-Edouard Vlasic. I mean, if you can make the money work, “Pickles” also checks a few boxes for Dave Tippett’s club. 

Bob Stauffer brought up the Buffalo Sabres with regards to Mikko Koskinen yesterday on his radio show… But they’ve been connected to the team for two years now as it pertains to a club that might be able to take a bad contract off of Edmonton’s hands. But I’ll say this, as soon as Mikko is dealt, he’s going to start playing well and then what?

https://twitter.com/mikedirsa/status/1478915193837027328

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Is it time for a coaching change?

A new year means a new round of New Year’s Resolutions and I’m wondering what everyone would like to see the Oilers improve upon in 2022?

  • “Score first.” – Brownlee
  • “Scoring first.” – Gregor
  • “Start games on time!” – Yaremchuk

Should Dave Tippett try playing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the third line centre?

  • “I’ve always wanted to see what the lineup would be like with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nuge at centre but I don’t think there are enough quality winger options to make it work.” – Baggedmilk

Is Dave Tippett the right voice for this team?

  • “I am starting to become more and more convinced that this team needs to make a coaching change. They have the pieces to be better than they currently are and this is far from a small cold streak. There are serious concerns with the way this team is playing and some of the decisions that Dave Tippett continues to make are very puzzling.” – Yaremchuk

BLH’s Thoughts: That’s the big thing here. Ken Holland did upgrade the roster over the summer and the quality of depth player hasn’t been higher in some time. Why is this team continuing to struggle with inconsistency and allowing the first goal of the game? Two problems that have been around since Kevin Lowe decided to plunge the team into the Decade of Darkness… 

My theory about the same struggles comes down to the fact that the guys running the team/bench are always trying to recreate the 80s Oilers and that’s simply not going to work. Plus the overemphasis on building around scoring and elite forwards instead of elite defense/goaltending has made them WAY too easy to play against. 

Spector’s Hockey

  • TSN: Darren Dreger reports Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland is looking at his goaltending as the club has stumbled through a 2-8-2 record in their last dozen games. Available trade options are being considered plus the club is also still searching for a third-line center. Dreger also cited a source claiming head coach Dave Tippett isn’t in immediate danger of losing his job.
  • SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports Holland has already dismissed rumors linking the Oilers to former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock. He wondered if Holland might pursue a rental player like Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury or Montreal Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot.
  • THE ATHLETIC: LeBrun wondered if the Oilers might take a chance on Khudobin even though he has another year remaining on his contract and they have zero salary-cap space.
  • Terry Jones believes goaltending is the Oilers’ Achilles heel right now and feels they have to be finished with struggling Mikko Koskinen while starter Mike Smith remains sidelined. He thinks Holland’s first move of the New Year is to find a new starting netminder.
  • Robert Tychkowski doesn’t put all the blame for the Oilers’ slump on Koskinen’s shoulders but acknowledges they need help between the pipes. He also cites a lack of goal production beyond superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

BLH’s Thoughts: A couple of things, the talks that Friedman was referring to between Holland and Babcock, they were way in November when the team was flying. Why in the world would the topic of coaching Edmonton come up at that point? I want to know if there’ve been any conversations with prospective coaches in the last 3 weeks and Friedman isn’t reporting on that. 

The other thing, any trade Edmonton makes, they’re going to be behind the 8-ball and that means premium prices or acquiring “hope” players. Meaning, “I hope this guy can make a positive impact in our system.” My feeling is that even a team like Arizona will be hard to get a good deal out of and best forget about Phil Kessel, he’s awaiting his trade to Vegas. 

Anytime a team is featured heavily in one of Lyle Richardson’s columns means that club is in trouble and the chance that they’ll be winning a trade soon is very low.

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Trade Talk: Friedman Says Edmonton Might Be Out of the Rental Market

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!

Daily Faceoff

What’s going on with the Edmonton Oilers?
  • Seravalli: “What’s your level of concern with the Oilers on a 1-10 scale this season?”
  • McKenna: “I’d say a strong seven right now… They haven’t had depth scoring, they basically have five forwards that are producing, and, beyond that, they’re non-existent up front… Defensively, they’re not hard on pucks and they’re not getting goaltending. The goalie who’s done the best for them is Stuart Skinner and he’s down in the AHL right now.
  • McKenna: “Maybe John Tortorella was more right than a lot of people thought when he said that McDavid would have to change the way he plays. Not offensively, but man he’s got to be harder defensively, he’s got to want the puck. He’s gotta be able to move his feet, close gaps in the defensive zone. Because right now, Edmonton isn’t defending the front of the net, they’re not getting to the front of the net at the other end. They’re just straight-up not playing hard enough.”
  • McKenna: “The person you always look to is your captain. He’s going to have to carry this team, not just on the offensive side of the puck, but the defensive as well.”

BLH’s Thoughts: So it’s not just Mark Spector and John Tortorella that thinks Connor’s got to pick up his overall game, but also a career AHL netminder.

If McDavid had Artemi Panarin or Patrick Kane on his wing, I’d say Connor could afford to relax offensively but when this team is struggling to score at all, he’s really the team’s only hope. 

So what do you do if you’re Dave Tippett? Do you load up the 1st line with Leon, Connor, and Pulju with Nuge hurt and take your chances with Ryan McLeod getting reps at 2C? Then McDavid could take on this new defensive role? I dunno, it sounds like something that he’ll adopt when he turns 31, doesn’t it?

The only way they’re going to get out of this slump is through hard work and by playing a team who underestimates them like Columbus did when Tippett was out with COVID. 

Maybe Ken Holland should bring up Seth Griffith and Cooper Marody again. It didn’t hurt them last time and there was a different feel to the roster when they were playing. 

Click below, I’ve got the video cued up to where Seravalli and McKenna start talking Oilers. 

The Athletic

Edmonton Oilers – Oilers fans, I need a panic level check.

  • The season isn’t lost, especially with all the points they banked in the first month, but it’s starting to wobble, and it’s happening with the two best offensive players in the world having borderline heroic seasons.
  • One interesting note from those only two recent wins is that neither game featured Dave Tippett behind the bench, as the Oilers head coach dealt with COVID-19 protocols. That hasn’t gone unnoticed by Oilers fans, most of whom seem to be either hoping for or dreading a coaching change. It’s been an open question for weeks now, but it seems like the murmurs are getting louder.
  • Tippett is a good coach. He isn’t the one who built a roster with questionable goaltending and virtually no bottom-six depth. And the Oilers have spent the last the last decade churning through coaches and GMs, so at some point you have to let somebody do the job long enough to actually get a foundation in place.
  • I mean, you’ve got Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the absolute height of their powers. Are you going to let yet another season of that fade away and then make an inevitable change in the offseason, all so that people like me won’t say you panicked?

BLH’s Thoughts: Quite the conundrum the Oilers have according to Down Goes Brown… Elliotte Friedman put it well when he said that the Oilers owe it to 97 and 29 to go all-in every year like Holland did with the Red Wings and Pittsburgh’s done with Crosby and Malkin. 

I think, and it’s not something I do a lot of or well for that matter, if Ken Holland can find himself a real goalie AND a new voice behind the bench, he could compound the bounce a team gets from the relief of a head coach.

Now, it’d have to be a decision that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Darnell Nurse are consulted on as I’m not sure if Mike Babcock or Joel Quenneville is high on their lists but Paul Maurice might be. 

Sportsnet

NHL Rumour Roundup: Is it almost time for the Oilers to make a move?
  • …it’s not out of the question that Edmonton could find itself out of a playoff spot by week’s end.
  • Allowing the team’s on-ice play and its position in the standings to dictate Holland’s moves would seem to indicate that if the team is on the playoff line he may only make subtle adjustments or even, possibly, nothing at all.
  • Perhaps it becomes less likely the Oilers enter the rental market that contenders traditionally do, but sitting out all of the action because they’re underperforming doesn’t appear to be the best way forward either.
  • “I just think at the end of the line Edmonton can’t afford to miss the playoffs. It’s just not an option,” Friedman said. “But I look at Holland and I just think this is a person who will decide what the right path is and he won’t be influenced by the noise. He will make the decision he thinks is right for his team and I think when you’re in that chair that’s the way you have to do it.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Thanks to the NHL not going to Beijing, the All-Star weekend, and the league re-scheduling some games, the Oilers are going to have some big breaks here in the near future to rest and reflect. If anything serious (aka coaching change) is going to happen, it’ll be during those lulls in the schedule. 

That said, we’re almost three months from the trade deadline (March 21s, 2022), so if nothing happens, don’t be surprised at that either. 

I mean, I could see Holland valuing that rest highly and then seeing how the team comes out of those breaks before making a judgement call because his goal is to make the playoffs as a top-8 team. If the Oilers are going to make the post-season but not as a top-8 club, how much will that impact his roster plans? Or worse yet, if they miss the playoffs, what happens then?… Yikes… 

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Lowetide Says a Coaching Change Could Come Soon

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!

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. 

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Holland Gave Tippett his Help in the Summer, Now There’s Only One Option Left…

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!

Sportsnet

Koskinen’s ‘brutal mistake’ moves Oilers closer to rock bottom
  • It is highly unlikely that Holland will fire Tippett without first making a move or two to jumpstart this lineup. But his team is showing every sign of a roster that needs some kind of a shakeup, and time is wasting.

BLH’s Thoughts: So much for all the help “resting” Connor did yesterday morning… Maybe McDavid and Draisaitl will take the All-Star weekend off if they’re that exhausted and serious about a Stanley Cup run this year…

Guys like Spector and Leavins and Matheson saying that Holland should shake up the roster to help Tippett out, are they forgetting Tippett’s job was being discussed after that playoff loss to Winnipeg and that Ken Holland did his head coach a solid this summer when he brought back Tyson Barrie and Mike Smith, signed Zach Hyman, Derek Ryan, and Cody Ceci, and traded for Warren Foegele and Duncan Keith?

Holland said before last off-season (I’m paraphrasing) that you can’t be changing over big chunks of the roster every year and that stability is required, but then went ahead and brought in five new players. Tipp wanted fewer kids and more vets and Holland obliged by keeping the coach’s goalie and giving him a handful of older players. So now what? 

Edmonton has won two games since the first of December, 2021 and both of them had the assistants running the bench, a renewed work ethic, and maybe the weakest roster in years considering how many regulars were out due to COVID… Riddle me THAT, brainiacs. 

https://twitter.com/ArchivistSports/status/1478288050639704065

Cult of Hockey

Player grades: Edmonton Oilers dig another deep hole, can’t climb their way out
  • #19 Mikko Koskinen, 2. The Oilers desperately needed their big stopper to stand tall in the early going but got precisely the opposite… Now has lost his last 6 starts after a promising 12-2 beginning — kind of like the Oilers’ season in microcosm — and has just an .866 save percentage in that span. 28 shots, 24 saves, .857 in this one.
  • #56 Kailer Yamamoto, 3. 0 shots and about that much impact on the game. 0-0-0, -1, 2 PiM.
  • #37 Warren Foegele, 3. A couple of shots on net, but zero hits on a night the Oilers needed a little more pushback. Took a penalty in garbage time.
  • #8 Kyle Turris, 6. Made a fine spinaround shot that went through Georgiev, landed on its edge and literally  curled away from the post.
  • #13 Jesse Puljujarvi, 5. Shafted early when his powerful one-timer beat Georgiev above the blocker but caught the shaft of his stick, knocking it right out of the stopper’s hand. 4 shots in all including a couple more dangerous ones.
  • #16 Tyler Benson, 7. His best game as an NHLer. Benson was dangerous all game long on an effective bottom six line with McLeod and Turris, who combined to score Edmonton’s lone goal of the night.
  • #71 Ryan McLeod, 6. Scored Edmonton’s lone goal by going to the **** net for the finishing touch on a pretty four-way passing play.

BLH’s Thoughts: I thought that Edmonton’s bottom-six had a better night. Derek Ryan’s line with Sceviour and Shore had New York hemmed in their own zone on a couple of occasions and I was a tad surprised that the McLeod line with Benson and Turris had as much luck as it did. 

My favorite highlight was when Connor said “f*ck it!” and simply drove the paint and knocked Georgiev on his ass when Ryan Lindgren hit the Oilers captain into the New York goalie. 

Wanna know how a coach has lost the trust of his players? I mean aside from the cratering work rate, Leon Draisaitl has been firing no luck behind the back passes unsuccessfully for an entire week knowing full well that they drive Dave Tippet nuts and he’s not going to lose any TOI for it. Leon simply can’t give two shits right now and I don’t reckon he’s the only one feeling that way. 

Spector’s Hockey

BLH’s Thoughts: Is there an opportunity there for Ken Holland? Could he send Koskinen to Long Island for Varlamov? Would the Oilers make an inter-divisional trade to pick up some forward depth?

The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!