Category Archives: Sunday Night Pint

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Lindsay Ryall, NHL, Rob Cooke, Sunday Night Pint

BLH Sunday Night Pint #4

Welcome back to another edition of Sunday Night Pint!

This week we’ll have Rob Cooke (@cooke_rob), a hungover Lindsay Ryall (@lindsman77), and myself, BLH (@beerleagueheroe) rattling off some value bombs for you fine folks!

The Topics:

  • Pacific Division predictions!
  • Oilers enforcers!
  • Raising the dead!
Let’s Get This Party Started!

 

1. Pacific Division Predictions

BLH- I think it’ll go down like this: Anaheim, Los Angeles, Edmonton, San Jose, Calgary, Vancouver, Arizona.

I’m not sold on San Jose as a functioning squad this year. Their goaltending is unproven, the lack scoring from the wings and their new coach has done nothing to prove that he’ll take the Sharks any further that where they stand now, out of the playoffs. I’m also convinced that Calgary is going to hit the wall this season. Too many years now of lucking out. Either their young guys, their goaltending, or the coaching dries up this year. Vancouver and Arizona will be in competition for Auston Matthews, Jakub Chychrun, and Jesse Puljujarvi so who cares about them.

L.A. should be good for 2nd place but then again looked what happened to Boston last year…

Edmonton on the other hand is trending up. They’ve improved their roster immensely since last season. I’d say they’re on the opposite end of the spectrum as San Jose. Their top 6 has the potential to be the deadliest in the league and Talbot is entering the prime of his career after putting up some deadly numbers last year in New York. The secret weapon won’t be a player but an aura called The McDavid Effect.

LR – Ducks: The Ducks core is in their prime and they keep getting reinforcements on a maturing D and in goal. Getzlaf, Perry and crew easily have the talent and experience to easily push for another final four appearance and maybe even another cup as Chicago suffers under cap restraints. Finish 1st, 108 pts.

Kings: Many would see the Kings problems as a sign of potential implosion, but the bulk of their core remains intact and the addition of Milan Lucic means they are tougher and heavier in their top six. They could use more depth on D but finishing out of the playoffs will provide tons of motivation for this veteran-laden team only two years removed from a cup. Finish 2nd, 102 pts.

Flames: I hate the Flames, but I have to admit they have the best D in the Pacific and defense gets you wins and points in the NHL today. Look for highly touted rookie Sam Bennett to suffer a severe upper-body injury by mid-season but the rest of the forward group are serviceable if unspectacular and play very well within Bob Hartley’s system. Finish 3rd, 98 pts

Sharks: I predicted this team’s erosion a couple of years ago but they have stubbornly remained relevant… Until last year when they missed the playoffs. Not even Logan Couture’s daunting overbite can save them now. Unproven in goal and leaderless they will continue to drift. Finish 4th, 88 pts.

Oilers: After the draft I took a sip of the Kool-Aid and I liked the taste. Nonetheless, I’m not ready to label this team as playoff bound just yet, still too inexperienced on D and it’s not certain what impact Nurse and Reinhart will have. Nevertheless, they will take a huge step forward and position themselves to challenge the following year. Look for a 75 point season from the Nuge to go with 65 – 70 points from McDavid as he becomes the Oilers’ first Calder Trophy winner. Finish 5th, 84 pts.

Canucks: The Canucks have done nothing to help themselves and continue to drop in talent even further. The Sedins are well into their 30’s and aren’t magicians, so no playoffs for Vancouver. Finish 6th, 82 pts.

Coyotes: The Coyotes have the makings of a very exciting team… In about 3-4 years. Besides OEL they don’t have an impact player and it’s unsure Mike Smith can bounce back from a disastrous season. Missing the playoffs by a lot and being in the thick of the Auston Mathews sweepstakes. Finish 7th, 62 pts.

RC – Anaheim, Los Angeles, Calgary, Edmonton, San Jose, Vancouver, Arizona

2. Who’s Your Favorite Oilers Tough Guy?

McDavid SMASH!

BLH – My favorite Oilers tough guy is the team’s all-time leader in penalty minutes (1747) Kelly Buchberger. He lost more fights than he won but there was no backing down when push came to shove. The list of guys he fought is legendary: Probert, Pronger, Neely, McSorley, Kordic, Grimson, McCarty, Tim Hunter, Brashear, Kocur, and Odjick just to name a few. #BraveMan

LR – Dave Brown: This is a close call as I’m also a big Georges Laraque fan, and who could forget Semenko, but Brown was just so devastating. He didn’t just beat people up, he destroyed them.

RC – Dave Semenko without question. I grew up watching Cement Head take on all comers and I loved the epic battles of Alberta even more when Semenko and Hunter would go at it!

3. If You Could Bring Back Any Hockey Player From The Dead To Play For The Oilers, Who Would It Be?

BLH – I’d bring back Maurice “The Rocket” Richard. I remember reading a children’s illustrated book when I was small boy that featured The Rocket and I can’t remember what the name was but the message was about tenacity. I didn’t know what that word meant but by the end of that short story I knew all I needed to know about the word and the player! This man played the game with as much honesty as you could ask for and never asked for anything in return. Not only that but he managed to get an entire city to riot after he was suspended.

LR – Eddie Shore: Shore was much more than a footnote in the movie Slapshot, he was the original two way defenceman. Shore could beat you with toughness and scoring from the blueline, both of which the Oilers could use on their team today.

RC – This is a really tough one for me because the vast majority of the players that I grew up watching are still alive today. I decided that rather than select a former all star from another organization that I would select a player that left us way to young and had a ton of potential. Kristians Pelss was an Oilers prospect when he tragically died in a swimming accident in 2013 in his home country of Latvia. I have always wondered what he could have become had we not lost him.

Well that wraps it up for us here. Let us know in the comments below your Pacific Division predictions, who your favorite tough guy was or who you’d bring back from the dead to play on the Oilers.

As always you can catch up with us on Twitter @beerleagueheroe or on Facebook!

And if you have it in your heart, please share this post and tweet it out! Thanks guys and gals!

Take Care!

-BLH

 

Beer League Hero, Brennen York, Corey Mitchell, NHL, Sunday Night Pint, Zach Laing

BLH Sunday Night Pint #3

Welcome ladies and Gents to another Beer League Heroes Sunday Night Pint! If this is your first time frequenting the weekly SNP let me tell you what you’re in for. Hard hitting questions regarding the Edmonton Oilers! It’s not all serious though, we toss in a bit of fun at the end to lighten the mood.

This week we’ve got the wonderful Corey Mitchell (@corn-cwm) joining us, Zach Laing (@loweded) is driving this beast and riding shotgun is our Draft Guru, Brennen York (@draftgeekdotca)! We’re going to be touching on Leon Draisaitl, the Calgary Flames, and the playoffs! Also, what does the perfect hockey player look like?

 

Is Leon Draisaitl Part of the Team in 5 Years?

CM – McDavid has changed everything with this team, including Draisaitl’s place on the roster. I’m strongly of the opinion that Drats should be playing this whole upcoming season in the AHL. He benefits more playing a 1C or 2C role in the AHL than he would playing third line winger with the Oilers. That being said, the top two spots in the middle are locked up long term, as I can’t see McDavid or Nuge going anywhere. So where does that leave Drats? As much flak as I might get for this, it leaves him as trade bait. If it comes down to him and Lander competing for the 3C slot, I think Lander is much more suited to the role, and will cost less to lock up long term than Drats will. So in five years, is Drats an Oiler? I’m guessing unless he becomes world class like McDavid and Nuge, he’ll have become the centre piece, pardon the pun, in a trade that makes the Oilers a serious contender.

ZL – Definitely. I foresee him moving to the wing and being a dominant top 6 player for the Oilers for years to come.

BY – With the lack of sizeable forwards in the organization I would say yes. He was unfairly rushed into the NHL last season, and we didn’t get to see the dominant game he possesses. Five years from now he’s going to be too good to be a third line center, so it’s a question of whether or not Ryan Nugent Hopkins is traded. If he is (in a package for a defenceman), then LD takes over that spot quite easily, if not then he fills in the second line left wing spot.

BLH – In 5 years the Oilers are going to be contending with some mad contracts. Every notable player on the team will have been extended and not cheaply. I think we’ll see Leon playing for the Oilers at the expense of maybe Nail Yakupov and/or Jordan Eberle. His size, his ability to protect the puck and his vision are all things I believe the Oilers would be better off having.

What Will it Take to Make This Team a Legitimate Playoff Contender?

CM – There’s work to be done, that’s for sure. But the easiest answer to this question is experience. This team needs to learn what it takes to win together. And then they need to learn what it means to lose together. Yes, they have already experienced losing. Too much, in fact. But they haven’t lost in the playoffs yet. I look back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007. After losing to the Senators in the first round that year, I didn’t see disappointment on the Pens bench. I saw determination. I saw Crosby talking to Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, asking what it would take to reach the next level. The following year, they made it to the Cup Finals, and won the Cup the year after that. Much like those Penguins, and even the Oilers in the 80’s, this team needs to learn what losing in the playoffs means, so they can learn what winning in the playoffs gains.

ZL – A little bit of luck, and a lot of hard work. I don’t believe the Oilers are very far out of being a playoff team. However, I think this team needs a few years (2-3) to gel and for a lot of the players to get their legs underneath themselves. I do think the team needs another solid top 4 defender to help round things out.

BY – Defence. Plain and simple. If you look back at the previous Stanley Cup Champions (Chicago, LA), their top two or three defenders have all been homegrown draft picks. That being said I think the most critical thing the Oilers have to do to become a contender is develop Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom. Along with the development of the defence, I still feel the right side is something that’s been forgotten about. Grabbing a guy like Dougie Hamilton would’ve meant playoffs sooner than later, so if they go out and grab a top flight right defenceman, I believe the process of making playoffs will be much quicker.

BLH – Brent Seabrook and David Backes. I’m of the belief that the team is STILL too young and is lacking players that play in an assertive manner. The experience that Seabrook and Backes would bring to the team would be felt instantly in the squad and in the standings.

Are the Flames still the Oilers biggest rivals?

CM – After the moves both teams made this summer, the Battle of Alberta should be alive and well. But to say the Flames are the Oilers biggest rivals? I’m not sure about that. Not yet. The Flames have been running the Oilers show the last few years, much like every other team in the NHL. Hard to say it’s a rivalry when it’s been so one sided. From a fans point of few, and mine, it’s got to be the Canucks. Whenever the Oilers and Canucks play, twitter blows up with absolute resentment for Vancouver. But as for an official rivalry? We need to get some deep seeded hatred through playoff series, much like when Edmonton would face Dallas yearly. The new format should help with that, and with teams in the Pacific Division all improving, we should be treated to some of that soon

ZL – Living in Calgary, let me tell you that whenever I wear my Oilers gear around town I have people giving me slack. The rivalry is still there.

BY – Not right now, but they will be. I believe the Canucks are the Oilers biggest rivals given the Kassian incident, the Nuge – Hamhuis fight, and the fact there always seems to be some tension in the air when they come together. That will change quickly given the additions to both the Oilers and Flames roster and it will be exciting to watch.

BLH – Oh yeah! Both teams are young and are on the up swing. I love the idea of McDavid going head to head with Sam Bennett. Nuge going up against Monahan. Hall vs. Gaudreau, Nurse vs. Hamilton… It’s on like Donkey Kong but I don’t know if we’ll ever see the viciousness that was displayed in the 80s.

Using Attributes From Players Past and Present, How Would You Build the Perfect Hockey Player?

CM – Gretzky’s vision, Coffey’s skating, Lemieux’s size, Smytty’s character, Weber’s shot, Pronger’s nastiness, and Pat Kane’s skill

ZL – Someone (on Oilers Now) was quoted as saying Connor McDavid has the speed of Bure, skill of Lemieux and the head of Gretzky. I think that sounds like a pretty good hockey player to me.

BY – Can I just clone Connor McDavid and give him Pronger’s size and nastiness? That would be fun to watch. If I were to pick apart different players best assets I couldn’t pass up on P.K. Subban’s mindset. He’s such a smart player and brings this excitement factor not every player has. I’d mix in some of RNH’s skills (he’s going to have a big year), and I’d also throw in Brendan Gallagher’s give-a-shit levels. Throw all that into Jaromir Jagr’s body and you’ll have one hell of a player.

BLH – The perfect player would have Gretzky’s vision and passing, Lemieux’s hands, Paul Coffey’s skating, Bobby Hull’s shot and Brett Hull’s release. Said player would have Mark Messier’s character and Wendel Clark’s fearlessness. All of this would be packaged in the body of Gordie Howe.

Thank you for reading everyone and let us know in the comments below what your feelings are on the topics discussed today!

If you’re feeling chilly or nostalgic about the good ol’ days of NHL ’94! Head on over to the Beer League Heroes T-Shirt Shop and check out your favorite players in 16-bit! You won’t find a better price online!

You can always catch up with is on Twitter (@beerleagueheroe) and Facebook as well.

Take Care!

-BLH

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Jack Gruninger, Rob Cooke, Sunday Night Pint, Zach Laing

BLH Sunday Night Pint #2

We’re back for another edition of the BLH Sunday Night Pint! Coincidentally this is the anniversary of the Chris Pronger trade! So Happy Pronger Day everyone!!

This week we have Zach “The Ladies Man” Laing (@loweded), Grapplin’ Jack Gruninger (@jackgruninger), and Rob “Don’t Call Me Cookie” Cooke (@cooke_rob) to tackle the hard-hitting Oilers topics of the week!

We’re going to start things off with an easy question:

1.Have the Oilers Done Enough to Make the Playoffs in 2015/16?

Jack – Not yet, no. They could be close, but unless some younger guys can have a surprise impact at the NHL level, the Oilers aren’t playoff bound yet. I think there are still question marks at forward. Lauri Korpikoski was brought in in the Boyd Gordon trade, how will he do? In the right situation he could excel, but there are likely better options. Will Yakupov finally turn his game around and start producing like a first overall pick? He hasn’t been trending upwards. Matt Hendricks is aging, how much longer can he have an impact? Also, not much needs to be said about the team’s defensive woes. Sekera and Klefbom are good defencemen, but what about the rest? Schultz can produce offense, but the defensive side of his game is clearly lacking. Fayne had a poor first season in Edmonton, they need more from him. Can Darnell Nurse take on a top 4 role like we desperately need him to? If Ference and Nikitin are both in the lineup at any point this season I might lose my mind. Finally, this team isn’t getting out of the bottom 5 unless they can get a save.

Rob – The answer to this is no. Not necessarily for the reason that most people might think though. The Western Conference is a killer to begin with and unfortunately for the Oilers most of the teams that made the playoffs last season improved this summer. The obvious exceptions being the Canucks and the Blackhawks. No clue what Jim Benning is planning for the fall but it does appear that the Canucks are headed for a rebuild in the near future. The Blackhawks are worse than last season but that has been due to cap issues that required some really good players to be moved for less than full value. So out of eight teams that made it last year six either improved or at least remained at the same level. Add to that Los Angeles and San Jose were outside the playoffs last season and definitely will challenge for the post-season again.

2.Who Will Lead the Oilers in Scoring This Season?

Zach – Taylor Hall! He’s going to have a monster year. I can’t feel it in my bones.

Jack – If Hall could stay healthy, he would lead the team in scoring easily, but since coming into the league, and not counting the lockout year, he has only averaged 64 games a season. A lot of people might say Nugent-Hopkins, but with Gordon no longer on the team, they will need him to start taking some tougher defensive assignments, so I’m not expecting a huge increase offensively. Jordan Eberle can always be relied upon to put up 60-70 points. We can’t forget about McDavid, of course. It will be really interesting to see what he puts up. It could be a tight scoring race, but I’m going to say that Hall leads the team in points.

Rob – Taylor Hall. He is the only bona fide point per game player on the team right now. McDavid will get there in short order I believe but until he has done it the only guarantee is Hall when healthy. Hall is going to have a bounce back season after losing 29 games to injury last season. He will not only lead the team in scoring this year but he will also be back in the league top ten in scoring.

3.Who Will McDavid Benefit Most From Playing With?

Zach – Whoever he’s on the ice with. Connor is one of those players that will presumably be playing a good amount of time even-strength and will likely see power play minutes as well. His skill will raise the level of play of the teammates around him, and I look forward to seeing him build chemistry with different guys. If I had to pick one specific player, I would say Nail Yakupov as I see him being a winger for McDavid.

Jack – There have been a lot of line combinations thrown around, and a lot of suggestions regarding who McDavid should be played with. Hall is the choice of many people, but some think that McDavid should be put with two veterans to start the season, such as Pouliot and Purcell. From an offensive standpoint, Hall would obviously help McDavid the most, but it’s the third player on that line that could be key. I think Teddy Purcell could be a good fit, and he could really help McDavid out in his adjustment to the pro ranks. After all, Purcell does have a resume of playing with a certain young phenom in Tampa Bay.

Rob – To me this question is backwards and it should be who is going to benefit from 82 games of awesomeness the most. But either way my answer is still going to be the same. The player that will benefit McDavid and get the most benefit from having him on their line is Taylor Hall. Hallsy is a solid point per game guy and an absolute terror flying down the port side. Imagine Hall and McDavid going full tilt towards the opposition nets on a nightly basis. Probably going to be more than a few goalies that need to change their shorts during the intermission. This is not a knock against Nuge or Ebs as they are both fantastic players and hopefully Oilers for many years to come but Hall has never had the opportunity to play with a guy of this caliber. Hall to McDavid back to Hall. He shoots! He scores!!!! Sounds beautiful already doesn’t it?

We asked some of our biggest fans and friends of the blog for their opinions on the topics on Facebook and Twitter and these are some of the responses:

Dave Gordon (@rustyknuckler):
1 – No
2 – McDavid if he stays healthy
3 – Good question, depends on who McLennan puts him with, there aren’t any real skilled vets to play with him. Maybe Pouliot, the better question might be who benefits most playing with McDavid.

Shawn Kelemen (@sharkyzeee):
1) No. But by only a few points. It will be a year we are actually in the hunt towards the end of the year. But we need a few tweaks to put us over the hump. Plus another year of experience under a computing coach will help a lot.
2) Nugent-Hopkins/Hall will both tie for the lead this year. Hall will win goals and Nuge will win assists. Eberle will be a close third to them and McDavid will finish fourth with a strong second half after he figures things out and wins our teams first rookie award.
3) I have to go with a few guys. For his two way development I’d say letestu is going to help him. A guy with skill who adapted his game to be a great bottom six guy with all the little things he does. Plus help McDavid with his face offs and positioning(if he needs it). Hendricks and his balls to the wall is going to show him sacrifice/hard work aspects. And Hall will be the perfect line mate for him. Both with blazing speed, will be able to push back defenders so less guys try and come across at McDavid, trying to hurt him. Plus defenders and slower venters will go bananas trying to check two speed demons. While Nuge/Ebs cycle the puck and attack with skill to wear down top defenders.

Rob Soria (@Oil_Drop):
1. Not a chance
2. McDavid
3. Probably Hall

The player who could possibly benefit most from No. 97’s presence may very well end up being Mr. Justin Schultz.

For a nice little change up I asked the guys who their Edmonton Oilers All-Time Starting 6 were but none of my guys are original and they more or less picked the same 6… Lol. Just kidding guys! I’ll flip the switch a bit with mine though…

Zach
G – Grant Fuhr, D – Coffey/Pronger, LW – Ryan Smyth, C – Wayne Gretzky, RW – Jari Kurri
Jack
G – Grant Fuhr, D – Coffey/Pronger, LW – Mark Messier, C – Wayne Gretzky, RW – Jari Kurri
Rob
G – Grant Fuhr, D – Coffey/Pronger, LW – Mark Messier, C – Wayne Gretzky, RW – Jari Kurri
BLH
G – Curtis Joseph, D – Coffey/Lowe, LW – Glenn Anderson, C – Wayne Gretzky, RW – Jari Kurri

Well that’s a wrap for another BLH Sunday Night Pint! Thanks for joining us and a HUGE thanks to all of those who participated online! Let us know your thoughts below in the comments section!

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Take Care!

– BLH

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