Category Archives: Beer League Hero

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Players Not Coming Back in 2022/23, Puljujarvi’s Future Contract Comps, 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!

Edmonton Sun

10 THINGS: Taking the Edmonton Oilers into the holiday season
  • 1. The world’s best player probably doesn’t need anybody telling him how to work his way through a hockey game but Connor McDavid relished shooting in the first 10 games with 46 shots and eight goals.
  • 3. Warren Foegele probably hadn’t played on the same line as McDavid since their peewee days when their Ontario team, coached by Connor’s dad, Brian, was in the Quebec International tournament. But he’s looked just fine there the past two games.
  • 4. Goalie Stuart Skinner seems on the same organizational road as Laurent Brossoit four years ago, but they would love a different destination… Skinner may be the kid who could play 30 games next season with another partner. Mike Smith or somebody else.
  • 5. Kailer Yamamoto gets high marks for even being in the NHL at 150 pounds, and his play away from the puck is exemplary, but while Draisaitl is right in pointing out there’s lots of his game to like as a linemate, doesn’t Yamamoto have to start working on things he is not good at?
  • 6… Tyson Barrie does very good work on the point on the power play, but Bouchard still should be playing more than 36 seconds a game there.
  • 9. Tyler Benson’s transformation from American Hockey League point-producer to NHL energy fourth-liner is coming along. He’s taken some cringe-worthy penalties, for sure, and hasn’t completely won the trust of the coaches but Benson seems to have had a moment like offensive college players Todd Marchant and Andrew Cogliano, who both realized they had to change their games to be NHL contributors.
  • 10… So, how much is The Bison King worth next season on a long-term deal? Not sure who Puljujarvi’s comparables are exactly, but if Drake Batherson, also 23, is close to $5 million on a new deal in Ottawa, Puljujarvi he has to be in that range. Doesn’t he?

BLH’s Thoughts: I would be in favor of a top six that looked thusly,

Foegele-McDavid-Puljujarvi
RNH-Draisaitl-Hyman

The issue that arises is that you’ve got Yamamoto, Kassian, and Sceviour fighting for two spots in the bottom-six unless you throw one over to their weak side to usurp Tyler Benson or Brendan Perlini. 

Stu Skinner has earned the backup job for the 2022/23 season, in my chesterfield scout’s opinion. So the real question is, who will he be sharing the net with? After two consecutive seasons of being left out to dry due to an early season Mike Smith injury, do you think that maybe there might be an appetite to bring in somebody who might be able to stay a bit healthier?

The Hockey Writers

4 Free Agents That Won’t Be Back With the Oilers Next Season
  • A pending UFA who is in the final year of a deal that pays him $4.5 million per season, Mikko Koskinen‘s time in Edmonton is coming to a close. All things considered, he’s not been a terrible goaltender, but bouts of bad goals and untimely gaffes have all but guaranteed he isn’t a reliable option for the team long-term.
  • Say what you will about Josh Archibald‘s decision to not get vaccinated or the fact that he’s drawn ill as a result of catching the virus, he’s a valuable depth forward on this Oilers’ roster and the team certainly misses him. That likely isn’t enough to warrant the team giving him another contract when his final year runs out at the end of this season.
  • The Kyle Turris experiment was a failure. Holland decided to sign the former Nashville Predators center to a two-year deal in the hopes that his pedigree as a high draft selection meant he had a lot more to offer and in the right environment could produce better results. Unfortunately, he’s been little more than a part-time roster member.
  • William Lagesson has been a handy asset to have around in a season that has been up and down with injuries and COVID illnesses. That said, in any other season, he’s not on this roster and not playing meaningful minutes. If and when the COVID situation calms itself a little, Lagesson probably isn’t on this team.

BLH’s Thoughts: File this post under “No Shit Sherlock”… All four probably can’t get get away fast enough, to be honest and the Oilers will most likely be happier with the cap space. 

Spector’s Hockey

  • THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment, Scott Powers said it’s too early to tell if goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will be interested in returning with the Chicago Blackhawks after this season. The club’s performance over the rest of the season will be a determining factor. He also indicated there haven’t been any contract talks with Fleury’s backup Kevin Lankinen.
  • SPORTSNET: Luke Fox is curious over why Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun has surfaced in recent trade speculation… he’s puzzled that the Coyotes aren’t trying to build around the blueliner. He wondered if it’s because of concern over his injury history or unhappiness with his play.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Depth Scoring and 5v5 Play Improving, the Rookie Crop, 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!

Oilersnation

Monday Musings: Schedule Maker’s Nightmare
  • Edmonton has actually improved its 5×5 play since December 7th, even though they lost the first four games before defeating Columbus and Seattle. They have outshot teams 167-130 (55.3%) at 5×5 in that span, which ranks seventh best in the NHL.
  • In their first 23 games they were outscored 54-48 at 5×5, and in their last six, despite carrying the play for long stretches, they’ve been outscored 14-8… They miss Mike Smith.
  • Edmonton’s depth forwards are finally starting to produce… They have produced 7-5-12 in three games. A massive improvement.
  • Unless the Oilers have many players who go three consecutive days with negative tests, it is difficult seeing them playing on the 27th. The Oilers officially closed their facility today. Remains to be seen when they will re-open.

BLH’s Thoughts: So when the club comes out of the protocols, which team are we going to see? The one that busted its ass to break out of a 6-game slump or the one that was expecting to win off of its special teams?

Personally, I don’t feel like Coach Tippett trusts his bottom-sixers and they know that, hence why they haven’t been producing. When third and fourth line skaters start a season well, that can be considered the honeymoon phase in my opinion. Then once the rest of the league has settled down, the production tends to tail off a bit and you sort of see what kind of tendencies the coaches go with in that scenario. 

Since Tippett was forced to stay home due to The ‘Vid, Glen Gulutzan and Jim Playfair seemed to have found a way to motivate some very slumpy forwards. Don’t ask me how, but your Perlinis, Kassians, Bensons, Sceviours, Ryans, they all stepped up their games in the head coach’s absence. 

Lowetide.ca

  • Let me ask you a question: Among the current Oilers forwards who are rookies (Ryan McLeod, Tyler Benson, Cooper Marody), which one do you see having the longest career? What can their respective rookie seasons tell us about them? How important is Ryan McLeod’s offense to his future? Does it matter if he scores .20 points-per-game instead of .35 points-per-game as a rookie?
  • Marody is a player I’ve believed in all down the line, but inexplicably he never got a shot after a fairly impressive first NHL audition.
  • For Benson, it’s imperative that he at least moves the needle a little.
  • I think (not making any major declaration here) that players who are shy of .5 points-per-game as rookies, even the teenagers, are a least a little vulnerable to the whims of management/coaching staffs of drafting teams.

BLH’s Thoughts: Marody’s never been given a shot because while his hands and vision is probably middle-six worthy, his feet are not. He’s not fast, quick, or strong enough to play in a role that would compliment his strongest assets in the NHL. Also, he’s never considered pivoting his playstyle to become somebody who could help in any role at the NHL level.

To me, Ryan McLeod has the potential to be a Jared McCann-like player. It took some time for McCann to find his way but once he did, he’s become a proper NHL player and I think the same will go down for Edmonton’s McLeod. Therefore, to answer LT’s question, the swift skating pivot will have the longest career out of the trio of names suggested. 

The Daily Goal Horn

  • The Buffalo Sabres finally ended all the drama by trading star forward Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-round draft pick to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday for forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, a top-10 protected 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick.
    • On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman revealed just what the Sabres wanted from Anaheim.
    • “I heard what the Sabres asked Anaheim for was Zegras, Drysdale, and two first rounders” he said. “Anaheim wasn’t willing to do that.”
  • The NHL roster freeze is in effect until December 28 – not that anyone was going to make a trade in the current environment.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Was Jesse Puljujarvi Born to be McDavid’s Perfect Linemate?

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!

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Getting more out of Kailer Yamamoto

What do you think the Oilers need to do with Yamamoto to try and get more offence out of him?

  • “I honestly don’t know what else they could do. They give him top-six minutes and he just doesn’t produce. He’s lucky there isn’t a better option to put next to Draisaitl. I like what he does away from the puck but his lack of ability to create scoring chances is concerning.” – Yaremchuk

BLH’s Thoughts: One thing the Oilers could do is get him out there against the other team’s 3rd pairing and bottom-six. But ultimately, he’s got to work himself out of that rut by doing the things that produce points. That means shots on net, driving the blue paint, cut out the cute shit, and just get back to basics. 

Do you think that Mcdavid just needs to shoot the puck? In the game against Columbus, you’re on a 6 game skid so shouldn’t McDavid be looking to score more than trying to help his teammate get a hatty? Are they trying to force passes too much?

  • ” In the first seven games of the season he had seven goals and 39 shots. His last seven games he has one goal and 26 shots. Look for him to start ripping the puck more after Christmas.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: That’s good. Reckon we can also get him to cut out the one-timers on the PP? His wrister is much more potent and deceptive. 

What’s your best guess on how the Olympic situation plays out?

  • “The NHL won’t be going. The lengthy quarantine and risk of players missing more NHL games after the Olympics are over is too big of a hurdle.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: I’m fine with this.

Not an Oilers question but it’s Christmas week and I need to know what is everyone’s favourite holiday movie? Christmas Vacation is a yearly staple in my house.

  • “There are a bunch of Christmas movies that I really like so I’ll just hit you up with a quick list: Christmas Vacation, The Night Before, Scrooged, 8 Crazy Nights, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas because it’s a classic.” – Baggedmilk

BLH’s Thoughts: Early on in the day, I usually go through my favs as a kid like the 1964 version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas from 1966, 1965’s Charlie Brown Christmas and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Then we move on to movies that were made after I was born, like A Nightmare before Christmas, Home Alone, Gremlins, Edward Scissorhands and Elf. After the kids are spent and we can have a stronger libation or two, we usually make a choice between A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, A Bad Mom’s Christmas, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, etc. 

The Athletic

How Jesse Puljujarvi has earned role as Oilers’ top right winger next to Connor McDavid
  • Here are Puljuarvi’s numbers with McDavid at five-on-five through the years:
YEAR GOALS-PER-60 POINTS-PER-60 EXPECTED GOALS
2016-17
0
2.86
61.3
2017-18
1.17
1.87
59.8
2018-19
0.9
1.8
44
2020-21
1.09
1.95
55.5
2021-22
0.7
1.58
60.1
  • All of Puljujarvi’s individual scoring numbers easily clear the hurdle of complementary winger for an impact centre and the expected goal totals are strong…
  • The key for McDavid-Puljujarvi as a pairing is McDavid’s scoring success and the combined five-on-five goal differential by the duo over time.
YEAR PTS/60 W JP GOAL % W/13 PTS/60 WO JP GOAL % W/O 13
2016-17
5.71
80
2.44
61.3
2017-18
2.57
61.9
3.31
55.7
2018-19
2.7
44
2.82
48.8
2020-21
4.02
54.9
2.96
60
2021-22
2.46
56.7
2.12
43.8
  • The two men have always played well together but in the last two seasons, the numbers when McDavid-Puljujarvi are on the ice have been superior to other right wingers on the team.
  • The added bonus: When 97, 29 and Puljujarvi are on the ice together over the last two seasons, the trio has outscored opponents 26-19 (57.8 percent) and delivers 4.91 goals per 60.

BLH’s Thoughts: The players that have excelled with McDavid have been big bodied muckers like Pat Maroon and Zack Kassian (to an extent). So, when you toss a 6’4″ 220lb Finn who has actual outstanding work ethic, skill and scoring potential, but also elite defensive IQ and board battle abilities; you’ve got the perfect complimentary winger for Connor. 

So did he earn it with his NHL work, was he simply born to be this player, or both? I’ll let you decide. 

NHLRumors.com

Coaches on the Hot Seat

  • It doesn’t seem like Tippett will be fired in the near future, however, it is something to keep an eye on if the Oilers continue to perform worse than their expectations.
  • Coupled with Radulov’s offensive disappearance and confusion in net, the Stars haven’t been reacting to their head coach in a positive way. Rick Bowness may soon find himself on the hot seat if the fortunes don’t turn around in Dallas.
  • The Kraken’s playoff chances before the season we’re low, now they have a 1.3% chance of qualifying for the playoffs, according to moneypuck.com. Dave Hakstol was a controversial hire from the get-go and the naysayers have a lot more ammunition now.

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ll be very curious how this Oilers team comes out of the COVID protocols with Tippett behind the bench… Gulutzan and Playfair have given the bottom-six a bit more trust and they’ve been repaid with a 2-1-0 record. What if Edmonton goes back to playing 97 and 29 over a period/game when things get back going and they go back to losing games? Ken Holland’s never fired a coach before, but he might have to let Tippett go if the post-season finds itself at risk for the Oilers. 

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Tullio’s Killer Weekend-io, Koskinen’s Future, Omicron, 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 Cult of Hockey

The Edmonton Oilers organizational depth shakes off some shallow criticism: 9 Things
  • a 7-point weekend for 2020 5 th Round draft pick Ty Tullio . He posted a hat trick Friday and then followed up that performance with a 1-3-4 evening Saturday.
  • The NHL’s terribly inconsistent job of calling hitting-from-behind infractions is sure frustrating. Colton Sceviour was drilled right in the numbers by Jeremy Lauzon Saturday. Filthy hit.
  • The emergence of Stuart Skinner as a real NHL option has some ready to move on from Mikko Koskinen . Not so fast. The Oilers’ NHL-quality organizational depth in goal is but 3.
  • Benson is being aggressive on the fore check, smart and reliable without the puck, and perhaps the most notable…a pain in the ass to play against.

BLH’s Thoughts: So, a few things here, 

  • TyTullio SHOULD be dominating the OHL in the season after being drafted. It doesn’t always work that way but for a little guy who plays with a ton of heart, has quick boots, and can skill, this shouldn’t be a surprise. The challenge for him will be how long it’ll take for him to transition to the pro game when he signs with Bakersfield at the end of Oshawa’s year. 
  • That hit from behind on Sceviour was textbook and the fact that it was video reviewed and still not called is a joke. What’s it going to take for the league to take these sorts of hits seriously? We all know the answer but is THAT even enough? Remember this hit on The Great One?

  • My feeling on the netminding is that Holland will find a way to swap Koskinen out with somebody else. He just doesn’t have the trust of his teammates I don’t think and going into the post-season, that’s definitely not the kind of distraction the Oilers need hanging over their heads. 
  • I’m happy for Benson. I don’t know how many times it was mentioned here that in order for him to become a FT NHLer he would have to pivot his playing style and he’s done just that. I wonder what would’ve happened if Cooper Marody would’ve done that?

Oilersnation

Off the Top of My Head
  • Players like Puljujarvi don’t grow on trees, and we haven’t seen the best of him yet. While he’s already a handful for opposing defencemen around the net, Puljujarvi isn’t done developing physically, which was been obvious as we’ve watched his confidence grow by the game. There’s more here. We’ll get back to that after this latest interruption.
  • If there’s another guy who has voluntarily stepped away from an NHL head coaching gig for the reasons Paul Maurice resigned from the Winnipeg Jets Friday – he felt the team needed a new voice — I can’t think of who it was. It certainly hasn’t been done with as much class as Maurice showed. Some might say it was Craig MacTavish with the Oilers in 2009, but not so. GM Steve Tambellini and MacT agreed it was time for him go. That’s a diplomatic way of saying he got fired.
  • Can the NHL avoid another league-wide shutdown or a drastic change in format/alignment and still get a handle on the Omicron variant, which, in many cases, is infecting people who have been double-vaxxed? I hope so. I fear not.

BLH’s Thoughts: You don’t have to wax poetically about Pulju around me. I was well aware of his potential when everybody was calling him a spoiled brat and a traitor. World Junior Championship MVPs don’t just flame out like that…

Add Paul Maurice’s name to the growing list of candidates to replace Dave Tippett if he’s not re-signed in the off-season.

It’s interesting to see GMs like Steve Yzerman lobbying the NHL through the media to have the league stop testing asymptomatic players for positive COVID cases.

I thought that the whole point of testing is to see who had the virus so that a potential spread could be contained? Because the players wouldn’t be the only ones who could get sick, right? I mean, unless they’re going back to the bubble, everybody they walk within 6ft of is at risk, are they not? That’s wives, girlfriends, kids, grandparents, parents, neighbors, restaurant/bar employees, gas station attendants, grocery store workers… 

I don’t know much about the Omicron variant aside from a couple of interviews with doctors out of South Africa and if I’m recalling correctly, they said at worst, the unvaccinated will be very uncomfortable with headaches and body soreness and the vaccinated will have very minor discomforts, if any. So it sounds like this variant’s death factor has lessened significantly and more so if you’ve been vax’d. So, that would lend itself to Yzerman’s point considering that the entire league save for Tyler Bertuzzi of Yzerman’s Red Wings, have been vaccinated. 

Now, as that all pertains to the Olympics, it sounds like the NHLers aren’t going and I support that decision but I’m disappointed it came because of COVID and not as a message to the country where the event is being hosted… 

The Hockey Writers Rumors

  • Hailey Salvian of The Athletic was asked about the odds the Calgary Flames make a big splash before the NHL Trade Deadline and she noted that the Flames would like to add a depth defenseman and a high-impact forward.
  • According to Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period, the Hurricanes have sniffed around defenseman John Klingberg from the Dallas Stars, but may also look to add in other areas.
  • Luke Fox of Sportsnet wondered why the Arizona Coyotes would be gauging trade interest for defenseman Jakob Chychrun when he’s exactly the type of player the team should be building around.
    • Fox brings up the idea that maybe Chychrun is unhappy or his injury history is a problem for the organization. He’s had two knee surgeries and is currently on the IR. Fox says, “something feels odd about this one.”
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: More McLovin’ in the Top Six and Coaches Players Hated

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!

Edmonton Sun

OILERS NOTES: Warren Foegele silences critics with big game in Seattle
  • …in his last two games, moved up in the line-up, he has scored three goals and shown why the Oilers wanted him. He still has to work on his goals for and against (minus-6) but he was all over it in Seattle.
  • Foegele had never scored a PP goal in his 200 NHL games in Carolina, not even a power-play assist. But he has two PP goals as an Oiler…
  • The 17 shots the Oilers allowed in Seattle was the fewest since April 9, 2017 against Vancouver …
  • Oilers winger Colton Sceviour has had eight NHL fights, usually one a season but the scrap with Seattle’s Jeremy Lauzon was his second in two months. The fight with Lauzon came after a dirty hit from behind that Wes McCauley, the consensus NHL top ref with eight Stanley Cup finals assignments, and partner Jon McIsaac somehow thought was clean.
  • Leon Draisaitl’s three-assist night in Seattle was the 58th time he’s had three or more points since the 2014-2015 season when he started his Oiler career.
  • Nine of McDavid’s 17 goals this season have come in the third period, when the game’s on the line.
  • Before Saturday’s tilt in Seattle, Oilers farmhand Seth Griffith had last played an NHL game March 7, 2017 in Calgary. 

BLH’s Thoughts: Shocking what happens when you put players in a position to feel valued and trusted, eh? Equally as surprising, Warren Foegele producing goals when he’s got a real NHL center to play with! 

No offense to Ryan McLeod, but Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid might be the key to Foegele’s offense (like Jordan Staal was in Carolina) and if I were Dave Tippett, I’d be moving Nuge to 3C and Foegele up to Leon’s LW because that second line’s offense has stunk to high heaven this year as a group. Draisaitl will get his points but if his wingers aren’t producing, the line might saw off the other team’s scoring at best. McLovin’ deserves the promotion, doesn’t he?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPIn4qtcjAQ

The Hockey Writers

Oilers and Mike Babcock a Terrible Fit If Tippett Gets Fired
  • There are a few reasons not to buy into the Babcock speculation.
    • The first is that there’s no reason to assume head coach Dave Tippett is at risk of losing his job. While GM Ken Holland isn’t going to love a six-game losing streak, that kind of run isn’t incredibly abnormal in today’s NHL. It happens.
  • The only way Tippett’s job becomes a talking point is if the Oilers continue to win under Glen Gulutzan and Jim Playfair while Tippett is out on COVID protocol. That would have to be followed by a Tippett return that sees the Oilers nosedive again.
  • A hallmark of Babcock’s run as Maple Leafs’ head coach was that his team offered underwhelming offense that couldn’t overcome the lackluster defense.
  • There is also the fact that Babcock was said to have issues with his top players. If there’s one thing the Oilers have, it’s incredible talent at the top end. Like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — both who reportedly had rumored issues — the last thing the Oilers need is a coach that might stir things up with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

BLH’s Thoughts: Am I off my head or something because I don’t recall six-game losing streaks being commonplace in today’s NHL. Maybe the bottom-dwellers going on those kind of slumps often, but not the good ones. Maybe once in a blue moon a team in the upper-echelon of the league will grow cold, but not all the time like Parsons is intimating. 

The thing that made the “Tippett on the hotseat” rumors as hot as they were was the firings in Vancouver and Philly. I don’t know if the fanbase would’ve gotten as irate as they did if they didn’t see other clubs doing it. 

As for Babcock, he knows how to win and not every coach is well-liked. Just look at the great Scotty Bowman and the legendary Vitkor Tikhonov.

Scotty Bowman was not well-liked by his players, to the point to when he was coaching in Pittsburgh, he was asked not to run the practices. But the greatest NHL coach in history won a lot of Stanley Cups and was bench boss to some of the greatest to have ever played the game and how many of those hall-of-famers went demanding trades after he was hired?… 

With Tikhonov, the quotes from a Yahoo Sports article on the Russian speak for themselves,

“He could be brutal. Not only did he make his players train, train, train, he didn’t allow them to speak to outsiders, let alone the media. They weren’t allowed to live in the Olympic Village.”

“We didn’t have any freedoms,” (Igor) Larionov once said. 

(LINK)

Spector’s Hockey

  • THE ATHLETIC: In a recent mailbag segment… Salvian believes they’d (Calgary Flames) like to add a depth defenseman and a high-impact forward. Regarding the latter, she observed there are several good potential rental options such as the San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl, Anaheim Ducks’ Rickard Rakell, Nashville Predators’ Filip Forsberg and the Seattle Kraken’s Jared McCann.
  • THE MERCURY NEWS: Curtis Pashelka recently shot down any hope San Jose Sharks fans might have had of seeing Joe Pavelski return as a free agent next summer. The still-productive 37-year-old winger said his No. 1 option is re-signing with the Dallas Stars. He indicated he and his family love it in Dallas and he really enjoys playing with the Stars.
The new NHL franchise in Seattle already has their AHL affiliate worked out! Click the pick and grab a Karen shirt today!