Category Archives: Beer League Hero

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

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Check Out these Eerie Similarities between the ’94 Red Wings and This Year’s Oilers

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

Philip Broberg, Markus Niemelainen and the Edmonton Oilers young defencemen
  • Philip Broberg, William Lagesson and Markus Niemelainen all have been forced to play some fairly significant minutes for three players with minimal pro hockey experience.
  • Broberg, 20, has likely been the best of the trio.
    • He’s appeared in seven games and with him on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers have been doing well.
    • They control 53.13 percent of the shot attempts, and 46.12 percent of the expected goal share.
    • The Oilers have scored two goals with him on the ice, while giving up eight.
  • Niemelainen, 23, is the next on the list to talk about. At 6’6, he’s laid 16 hits in just three games played.
    • The Oilers defence has been soft to play against and Niemelainen is a player who forces opponents to have their head on a swivel. That’s a good thing.
    • Small sample size of just three games, but at 5×5 the Oilers have controlled 48.39 percent of the shot attempts and 51.18 percent of the expected goals.
    • Niemelainen has been on the ice for no Oilers goals, but on for two goals against.
  • Lagesson is an interesting case. At 25-years-old, the Oilers likely know what they have in him — a middle-of-the-road seventh defenceman who can fill in admirably in a pinch.
  • This year, things have been better but again, we’re looking at a five game sample size.
  • At 5×5, the Oilers have controlled 54.76 percent of the shot attempts, 66.67 percent of the goals, and 50.44 percent of the expected goals.
  • …the Oilers still have a number of good players in the system. Beyond the aforementioned trio, guys like Dmitri Samorukov, Michael Kesselring, Philip Kemp, and Filip Berglund will all be knocking on the door soon, too.

BLH’s Thoughts: Tell ya what, Broberg hasn’t been the best of the trio, it’s been Niemelainen. The challenges and rigors of the NHL are starting to hit Broberg hard and his game is falling off a cliff. Edmonton needs Duncan Keith and Cody Ceci to come back quickly to get this train back on the tracks. 

Neemo doesn’t move the puck or skate like Broberg, but Phil doesn’t bring the physicality like Niemelainen either. I reckon seeing as the Finn is three years older than the Swede, that plays a factor when it comes to on-ice maturity and decision making. 

The Athletic

Oilers may find inspiration from 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings
  • The 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings were an offensive dynamo who were a little below average defensively. The team was strong at centre, building a young and complete defence and boasting a young goalie who would play a depth role in the team’s championship in 1997.
  • What did Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch do in 1993 to bring the Cup closer?
    • Ilitch had determined removing Bryan Murray from his coaching position was the way forward…
    • Ilitch was impatient because the team was exiting the playoffs early each spring, a scenario that haunted Murray when he coached the Washington Capitals in the 1980s.
  • Who are the current candidates who have the reputations of Bowman and Arbour in 1993? They don’t really exist.
    • One former Red Wings player who gets plenty of play when discussions about prospective head coaches in waiting occur is Lane Lambert.
    • Another is Jay Woodcroft, coach of the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
  • Finding another Lidstrom is an impossible dream, but identifying players who can impact the game offensively and defensively while playing big minutes will be key.
    • Edmonton needs Broberg or similar to offer support for Nurse, replacing what Oscar Klefbom did before his injury.
    • The club also needs Bouchard to continue to develop as a useful player in all game states.
  • In 1985, Ilitch instructed Devellano to sign the seven biggest college names that year to contracts. It was an unheard-of strategy, but Detroit signed five of seven: Adam Oates, Ray Staszak, Dale Krentz, Chris Cichocki (currently an Oilers pro scout) and Tim Friday.
    • Edmonton won’t land that kind of haul in any college free-agent signing season… One player worth tracking is Omaha-Nebraska forward Taylor Ward, son of former NHL player Dixon Ward. His size and skill would make him an attractive target.

  • Holland is in his third season with the Oilers, and at 66 may be looking at candidates to replace him in a few years.
    • The top replacement candidate is assistant GM Keith Gretzky, himself a candidate for the role in 2019 when Holland took the job. 
    • Bill Scott would be another internal candidate, his role as an assistant general manager and cap specialist increasingly important with each passing year.
    • Brad Holland, the general manager’s son, worked for NHL hockey ops and the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Oilers as a pro scout in 2019.
  • Daryl Katz purchased the Edmonton Oilers on July 2, 2008. Next Canada Day, he will have been the owner of the club for 14 years minus one day.
    • Mile Ilitch purchased the Detroit Red Wings on June 22, 1982. His team won its first Stanley Cup under his watch on June 7, 1997. He had been owner for just shy of 15 years.

BLH’s Thoughts: After ten games in the ’93/’94 season, the Detroit Red Wings had a record of 3-7. After twenty games it was 8-10-2… They finished the year 46-30-8 (yup, 84 game season) and then they lost in seven games to the upstart San Jose Sharks who were lead by a couple of Russians named Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov. 

The previous season, Detroit had 103pts and even had a 10 game stretch in Nov/Dec where they couldn’t only muster two wins. In the playoffs, the Red Wings were beat out in the first round by Wendel Clark and his Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. 

So, if our Oilers are anything like the Red Wings, we should be about ready to see them hit their stride. Also, maybe we shouldn’t get too down in the dumps when the team has a tough stretch as we know, even the best teams go through some rocky weeks.

You know who brings the reputations of Bowman and Arbour? You’re not going to like this, but Joel Quenneville. It wouldn’t shock me if some whispers started to get out regarding when his unofficial suspension is set to end and they begin to get loud enough, maybe we’ll see him reinstated. 

Look, the NHL’s lack of morality goes back decades. Winning is winning and a whole lot of old rich white guys will do whatever it takes to get their organization to the top and the fans will go along with it. The NHL sending it’s best to China for the Olympics as a live advertisement to procure future investment opportunities should be proof enough… 

For what it’s worth, Scotty Bowman is the greatest coach in NHL history and he didn’t get that title because he was a “nice” guy who did everything by the book and I’m not talking about the rule book… 

The Daily Goal Horn

  • The Rangers are rolling lately with 10 wins in their last 11, so there’s absolutely no urgency to get something done soon. Drury will bide his time, especially when it comes to a middle six winger. Many speculate they are waiting for Vegas’ pending UFA Reilly Smith to be become available… As for a veteran third pair defenseman, I still feel that Mark Giordano is on their radar. However, Larry Brooks is speculating that Montreal’s Joel Edmundson could be a good fit.
  • With the firing of GM Jim Benning, it’s unlikely that interim GM Stan Smyl is going to make any rash trades. First off, the ownership believes that the talent is there and wants to give it room to show itself under Boudreau.
  • Unlike the Canucks, the Flyers are aging and looking worse by the game. Mike Yeo made his debut last night as well and Philadelphia continues to be a mess in their own zone as the Avs spanked them 7-5… At some point, moves will need to be made and pending UFA Claude Giroux is going to be a good place to start. Other veterans that will be unrestricted this summer are Keith Yandle, Rasmus Ristolainen, Justin Braun, and goalie Martin Jones.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: McLovin’ Not Getting Much Love

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

Get After It
  • The Oilers have started slowly and played from behind far too often this season. The five-on-five play hasn’t been what it needs to be. And, despite new personnel, Tippett isn’t getting the kind of production and contributions he needs from his bottom-six group of forwards.
  • With the record the Oilers have, they’ve built in some margin to lean on while waiting for Warren Foegele and Zack Kassian et al to provide Tippett’s top-six forwards the offensive bump and support they looked capable of providing early on.
  • Other than the top six, the rest of the forwards haven’t given Tippett enough to work with.
  • Foegele had a couple of goals in his first seven games. While he wasn’t going to score at that rate all season, he hasn’t been bringing the energy and physicality you need from your third line.

BLH’s Thoughts: 16 games without a goal now for Mr. Foegele. You’d think if the coach wanted to get him going, he’d throw him out with Connor and Leon for a spell. Then again. Yamamoto has 6pts all year I think and he’s spent 99% of his time with The Hart Foundation, so who knows what’s going through Tippett’s mind with regards to player deployment. 

Now, with all of that in mind, the third line had one helluva game against Minnesota. I was happy to see them start the game because I knew what they could bring to the start of a game and that’s speed, energy, power, and something to prove. When the pundits are talking about how good Edmonton looked, a lot of that is because of Foegele, McLeod, and as weird as it sounds, Kassian. They showed some desperation. 

Lowetide.ca

  • The Edmonton Oilers have to do something about their five-on-five goal differential. I know, I know, we’ve discussed it a time or two before, but the scene of the crime remains the old Moreau-Marchant-Grier stomping grounds.
  • How can Dave Tippett crawl from the wreckage? I think Derek Ryan needs a break, Ryan McLeod has earned the No. 3 line role and Nuge could run at times in the middle with Tyler Benson moving up the depth chart to third line, with Warren Foegele taking the skill minutes. Something like Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi, Foegele-Draisaitl-Yamamoto, Benson-Nuge-Kassian. 

BLH’s Thoughts: As I suggested yesterday and intimated above, Foegele should see some time in the top-six, if anything, just to get an idea of how he’d fit in case Nuge or Hyman go down. What do the Oilers have to lose by making that move? Pat Maroon, Zack Kassian, and I think Milan Lucic to an extent, all discovered some unrealized potential (and point production) playing alongside Connor McDavid. 

So when the team is enthralled in a three game losing streak and is 7-7-0 in it’s last 14 games, why not try something completely different? 

Spector’s Hockey

  • TVA SPORTS: Jonathan Bernier examined which Montreal Canadiens players with long-term contracts could be traded if executive VP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton decides a rebuild is in order.
    • Bernier believes Carey Price should be traded. While he has a no-movement clause, he might lift it for an opportunity to join a Stanley Cup contender.
    • Defenseman Jeff Petry likely won’t want to be part of a rebuild.
    • Bernier also suggests shopping wingers Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia and defenseman David Savard.
  • THE HOCKEY NEWS: Ryan Kennedy reports former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is said to be high on the Vancouver Canucks’ list of candidates to replace Jim Benning as general manager.
  • NBC SPORTS BOSTON: D.J. Bean observes it’s becoming increasingly likely the Bruins will sign goaltender Tuukka Rask once he’s ready to return to action next month. Doing so, however, would mean demoting Jeremy Swayman to the minors as Linus Ullmark has a no-movement clause.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: “…he’s having a ghastly season and it could mean the end of his NHL career.”

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
  • McDavid has drawn 10 penalties in his last eight games after five in the first 15, as former Hockey News columnist Ken Campbell pointed out. So, yes, the NHL predictably paid attention when there was a howl about the craziness of the early season blind-eye to calls.
  • McDavid had five minors before getting 15 PIMs Sunday. In his first six seasons he finished with 18, 26, 26, 20, 28 and 20 PIMs.
  • Tippett said Cody Ceci, in Covid protocol since Nov. 30, could be back skating Wednesday. He said the defenceman needs a couple of (negative) tests. When Ceci returns, they will have to send a defenceman back to Bakersfield.
  • Injured goalie Mike Smith, out since Oct. 20 (suspected sprained ankle), and defenceman Duncan Keith, hurt in Dallas Nov. 23, weren’t on the ice either before or during the optional skate with Sunday’s scratches Monday at noon.
  • Niemelainen had four more hits Sunday giving him 16 in his three games. Sending Dustin Brown flying Sunday was his best since he came up from Bakersfield. Brown is one of the NHL’s better hitters himself.
  • Defenceman Philip Broberg did not have a good game against LA, only getting 10:25. He’s run the gamut, playing 23:34 against Vegas to half that against the Kings.
  • Wild captain Jared Spurgeon, who got his one and only NHL hat-trick here Feb. 21, 2020, is back skating with the team but the defenceman won’t play Tuesday (lower body).

BLH’s Thoughts: Peaks and Valleys, right? Niemelainen is having an awesome start and now the NHL’s rigors are starting to settle in for Broberg. 

When Cody Ceci comes back this week, would you pair him with Niemelainen and give them the role of shutdown d-pairing? And when Duncan Keith comes back, would you have him on the third pairing if Neemo is still playing well?

Lowetide.ca

  • Man, I feel bad for Ryan, he’s having a ghastly season and it could mean the end of his NHL career. I don’t know if Tippett can play him again. He’s 3-16 at five-on-five goals and they go in from the moon as soon as he steps on the ice.
  • One thing we can’t answer is this: WHY does this keep happening with third- and fourth-line centers?
  • Is it because they don’t play enough, is it because the ice time is tailored to 97 and 29? I don’t know.
  • However, in the two seasons previous to this one, Ryan was 49-36, plus-13 at five-on-five.
  • My answer has been erosion, but he’s one season removed from 18-12 goals five-on-five.
  • It could be Ryan, but I think the role asked of these men going back to Mark Letestu is just too much. Too much sitting followed by too much ask. Has to be. Can’t prove it.

BLH’s Thoughts: “Too much sitting followed by too much ask.”… Makes sense to me. So what kind of player do you put in that role if it can’t be an older vet or a spry young rookie? Will the team be forced into trading above value for or over-signing somebody in their prime to play third line center?

Personally, I think Ryan McLeod’s future is 3C but he’ll need a couple of more competent and self-motivating wingers. For example, I know this probably is out of the question, but I’m talking about players like Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi. These two never take a night off and always bust their ass, the puck doesn’t always find them, but you’re never questioning their work ethic. Tyler Benson has been like that this year too as has Colton Sceviour. Problem with those two is that they’re probably better off on the 4th line considering the Oilers most likely need some wingers with more of a tendency to produce on the third line. 

Ya know, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying Hyman on the third line and Foegele on the 1st line for a short time to see what happens. Or what about Foegele, Nuge, Hyman for a period? Put Leon and Jesse with Connor, Yamo with McLeod and Sceviour, and Benson with Ryan (or Turris) and Kassian?

I’m just spitballin’ here. Trying to find a solution to this team’s lack of drive. 

What would you do with the roster sans making a trade?

The Daily Goal Horn

  • Luongo Next Canucks GM?: Stan Smyl is now the Interim General Manager with Ryan Johnson being named Interim Assistant GM… Several names have already been bandied about, including veteran executive Jeremy Rutherford…  as soon as Benning was let go one named leaped to the top of my list – Roberto Luongo.
  • Islanders Woes Continue: Two names that the team has been attached to are Sharks forward Evander Kane and Canadiens defenseman Ben Chariot. Lamoriello will need to move some salary out in the process and also get some help from a third party to fit these two in under the cap.
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Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

Edmonton Oilers Talk: The Belanger Triangle, Slow Starts, and Seravalli’s Latest Trade Targets List

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!

Cult of Hockey

Will the Edmonton Oilers ever escape the Belanger Triangle at checking centre?
  •  The Belanger Triangle was a snide nickname for former Edmonton Oilers checking line centre Eric Belanger and his two wingers on any given night, a reference to their abysmal record when it came to scoring goals, forechecking, backchecking and keeping pucks out of the Oilers net.
  • The biggest busts in terms of weak performance and acquisition cost? Here’s my Top Ten.
1. Eric Belanger, 2011-12. 2. Ryan Spooner, 2017-18. 
3. Boyd Gordon, 2013-14. 4. Kyle Turris, 2020-21.
5. Will Acton, 2013-14.6. Jerred Smithson, 2012-13.7. Kyle Brodziak, 2018-19.
8. Derek Ryan, 2021-22.9. Colin Fraser, 2010-11.10. David Desharnais, 2016-17, and Devin Shore, 2020-21 (tied).

BLH’s Thoughts: The fellas at The Cult of Hockey has a profile for each player listed above if you’re curious about why they’re on the list and what their history is with the Oilers. 

This whole thing where Edmonton goes out and picks up bottom-sixers who’ve performed fairly well before joining the Oilers but then shit the bed with the copper and blue, it’s quite the conundrum. It could be argued that finding a third line that is effective might be more of an accomplishment than developing a goaltender from within…

That said, Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway might be central pieces to Edmonton’s third line for the next couple of years and if I had my way, Kailer Yamamoto would be on that line too because I think he’s more suited for a role on that line than he is on one with Draisaitl and RNH. 

Oilersnation

Slow Starts are Exposing the Oilers
  • Everyone in Oilersnation knew this was coming. It has been discussed for weeks. I wrote about the Oilers’ poor starts in mid-November. It has been an issue since early November, and this weekend it cost them two games.
  • In the past five seasons, only five teams have finished the season with a points% above .500 when allowing the first goal.
  • The Oilers are 7-7 when allowing the first goal and they are 9-0 when they score first.
  • I don’t blame the head coach. He isn’t on the ice.
  • Losing two consecutive games for the first time this year will get their attention much more than finding ways to win despite a slow start, which has been the case for the past few weeks.
  • Zack Kassian, Warren Foegele, Derek Ryan, Kailer Yamamoto need to be more consistent 5×5.
  • …for many stretches this season they haven’t got enough contributions from complementary players. And not just points. But effort and commitment.
  • Their next four opponents are all top-13 in points% with Minnesota, Boston, Carolina and Toronto coming in the next nine days.

BLH’s Thoughts: Here’s a thought, why not start the game with a bang? Grab your best center (Draisaitl) and have him flanked by the two most physically aggressive forwards (could be any four of Benson, Sceviour, Kassian, Foegele, or Hyman) on the team with instructions to flatten two guys on the other team within the first minute of the game. 

Now, a penalty might occur, but a shift like that will get everybody into the game and if it’s at home, the crowd would definitely love it. I’m willing to risk a penalty to get my team going off the bat. 

I’d follow that shift up with McDavid, Puljujarvi, and Nuge, then go McDavid (double-shift), Draisaitl, Yamamoto, and after that, Foegele, McLeod, Sceviour. Benson, Ryan, Kassian could then have their turn. 

I’d want a hit and a shot on every shift if possible. No getting fancy with the playmaking, just a straight forward old-school game of hockey and wave after wave of physicality, forechecking, and attack until a goal has been scored or a TV timeout. Once one of those has happened, then we can go back to regular lines and the old game plan.

So, who makes the call as to who starts the game and how the lines are rolled? The coach… 

Dave Tippett might not be the one playing, but he certainly influences its flow. 

I just think that whatever the team is trying to do isn’t working anymore. They started the year 9-1-0 but have gone 8-6-0 since then, so there’s a malfunction at the junction. 

Spector’s Hockey

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumors: “I’d guess it happens closer to the trade deadline…”

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
  • McDavid’s game misconduct for the hit on Adrian Kempe in the third was his second misconduct in the NHL. He also got 10 minutes on Jan. 25, 2018, against Calgary for abuse of an official after a shoot-out goal …
  • Neither goalie Mike Smith nor defenceman Duncan Keith skated with the Oilers at their full practice Saturday, so they aren’t close to playing. Smith, out since Oct. 20, hasn’t taken shots with the main group …
  • Oilers first-round pick Xavier Bourgault has 22 goals and 42 points in 24 games in Shawinigan. “He can make the world junior team, maybe, if he’s willing to take on the same sort of role that Dawson Mercer (now in New Jersey) did last Christmas tournament,” said TSN’s scouting guru Craig Button …
  • Rare penalty call in the second period with Nurse and the Kings’ Brown both getting holding infractions on the same rush down the boards by Brown …
  • Carter Savoie now has 13 goals in 15 games and 23 points in his sophomore year at Denver University, but still didn’t get an invite to Canada’s world junior selection camp …
  • The Kings signed Russian winger Vladimir Tkachev, the one-time Oilers training camp whiz, to a one-year, two-way deal over the summer but after making the team to start the season, he’s spent the last 10 games in the AHL. They tried him on the power play all through camp but they felt he was always looking for the pass and wouldn’t shoot enough …

BLH’s Thoughts: Vladdy Hockey scored a massive softie against Edmonton’s farm team the other night. I’m actually surprised he’s agreed to spend any time in the AHL considering Russian players who’ve had some KHL success tend to simply return to the motherland instead of dominating the American league. 

Bob Stauffer brought up an interesting point during the radio cast and also on his radio show yesterday morning. If Kempe was hurt and that contributed to McDavid’s game misconduct, why wasn’t he forced into concussion protocol and made to miss the rest of the game? 

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag

Despite their winning record, the Oilers still seem to have a hard time getting a good start. What do you think is going on here?

  • “It’s up to the coaching staff to prepare line-ups and game plans, not get their players revved up.” – Brownlee
  • “They feel their way into games too often… To me it is on the players. They play the game.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: The coaches are the ones who come up with the game plan and deploy the players during the games. Let’s not sit here and pretend they don’t play a role in how a hockey game goes. 

If Tippett started five goons and a line brawl ensued from the drop of the puck, there’d be a million people pointing the finger at the coach. But, it’d up the game’s intensity, the adrenaline would be pumping, and the crowd would be right into it… 

So, if the Oilers coaching staff truly wants to start the games with a bit more emotion, put somebody on the ice who can create that emotion! Ask the players to get some shots on net and drive the blue paint hard. Create some emotion!!!

And if they’re not willing to do that, you’ve either got a head coach who has lost the room or you’ve got a group of hockey players who are way too comfortable and some changes will need to be made.

Would you rather the Oil jump on trade bait soon to help build chemistry OR hold off until post-Olympic break to further determine deficiencies?

  • “I’d guess it happens closer to the trade deadline. Cost is likely higher in December than in late Feb, early March.” – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: Holland could always set the market by getting jump on things too… Why wait for somebody to go out and grab the guy you wanted? If the GM believes in this team, he has to go get the guy(s) he thinks will take the Oilers to the next level and not worry about the timing of the trade. 

This past week, Pierre Lebrun speculated about Carey Price being available. Assuming all deals begin with the Canadiens retaining half of Price’s salary and that Koskinen will go back the other way, can you construct a reasonable trade that both sides might go for?

  • “I can’t imagine why the Oilers would want to bring in a goaltender who turns 35 in August for four more years at $5.25 million a season. Among other things, what does that say to Stuart Skinner? I also can’t see why Price would waive his NMC and uproot his family, his wife and three children, to move to Edmonton.” – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: You can’t see why CP would waive his NMC and uproot his family? What about being closer to his wife’s family or his family in BC? He certainly knew there was a chance the Kraken would’ve taken him in the expansion draft considering he waived his NMC prior to it… Plus, at 35yrs old and coming off a trip to the Cup final, don’t you think that he might want a better chance at winning a championship seeing as his team is going to go into a rebuild soon?

The Hockey Writers Rumors

  • On Sunday, the (Canucks) organization fired head coach Travis Green and replaced him with Bruce Boudreau and fired general manager Jim Benning. Top assistant coach Nolan Baumgartner was also let go.
  • Boudreau was given a two-year deal to be the team’s new coach, while longtime senior adviser Stan Smyl was named the interim general manager and minor-league GM/player-development director Ryan Johnson is the interim assistant GM.
  • Less than 24 hours after the Canucks cleaned house, the Flyers let go their two main coaches. Both Alain Vigneault and Michel Therrien were released and Mike Yeo will take over as an interim coach for the time being.
  • Frank Seravalli notes that while Yeo will serve as the coach for now, “We’ll see where this goes, but my sense is Rick Tocchet will be high on Philadelphia’s candidate list.” Reports are that David Quinn is also high on the list of potential coaching candidates.
  • Maple Leafs’ defenseman Justin Holl is fourth on Frank Seravalli’s list of potential trade candidates as the Leafs will need to shed some salary when sidelined goalie Petr Mrazek is ready to return to the lineup.
  • …according to Shawn Simpson of TSN, the team (Ottawa) isn’t looking to acquire more draft picks and won’t be looking to trade their pending UFA’s for picks. That puts the Senators in a tricky place and it must mean they want to add players with term who can grow with this new young core.
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