Edmonton Oilers Talk: “There’s been a lot of rumors about some of the changes they may or may not make,”

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Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – What’s working for Jay Woodcroft?

How would you assess Woodcroft against the other main Pacific rivals in the playoffs?

“It will be interesting to see how Woodcroft manages his bench and if he looks for more specific matchups in the playoffs compared to what he’s done in the regular season. He’s shown he isn’t afraid to move players on and off lines for a shift or two in games and I expect that to continue.” – Gregor

How important are the scoring awards for players like McDavid and Draisaitl, meaning would you let them play out the regular season as a means of chasing the Art Ross as an example, or would you rest them over these last few games to be fresh for the playoffs?

“I can’t see them sitting out entirely tbh. I could see both Connor and Leon being in the lineup every night but maybe having their minutes reduced as we saw last year.” – Baggedmilk

Jay Woodcroft has been using the 11-7 configuration quite often in his tenure behind the bench and I’d like to know what everyone thinks about having the extra defenceman in the lineup?

“I look at Woodcroft’s record and say “11-7 looks fine to me.” That’s what I think.” – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: 11-7 gets more of Connor and Leon on the ice, so on one hand, that’s a plus. On the other hand, things can get a bit hairy if they lose another forward. Also, I think it depends on who the 7th defenseman is too. It’s not a bad way to integrate a young defender into a new system in my opinion.

FWIW, Woody was on Stauffer’s show yesterday and he said they’d be calling some guys up from Bakersfield to run out the year. I wonder if Broberg and Holloway are a couple of those players.

I would like to see the Oilers rest some of their banged up players or the skaters they will be leaning on to play a very physically assertive style. I agree with BM that McDavid and Leon will probably have their minutes cut down as we reach the end of the regular season because as much as they say they’re not playing for individual awards, they’d rather win them than be nominated and not take home the trophy. Also, if they do win an award but the club doesn’t go far, it’s nice to be rewarded some way for the hard work they put in this year.

I hope that Jay Woodcroft can shield this team from reading the headlines because in Edmonton’s last two playoff appearances they were pitted against inferior teams but couldn’t find a way to beat them. It’s time for the team to beat who they’re supposed to as well as who they’re not supposed to and establish themselves as one of the league’s elite.

The Athletic

Which Canadian team has the best shot at winning the Stanley Cup?

The Flames were easily the popular selection for Canada’s best shot at the Cup among these front-office executives. Markstrom’s goaltending is clearly a deciding factor there, as is the depth and balance up front, and Sutter’s coaching. And the path in front of them in the West.
…not even one single executive picked the Leafs…

What was said about the Oilers:

I think Edmonton has a lot of holes, and when it goes wrong, it can go really wrong. They obviously have some offensive wizards, but the forwards aren’t committed defensively.
Edmonton has been playing really well lately. They have the two superstars but I’m not high on their D and can the goaltending hold up for four rounds?
Edmonton has been impressive as of late certainly. Playing a more complete game. Can Mike Smith keep it going? That would be my biggest question. They, too, lack depth up at both positions however their elite players can light it up.
In the end, the inconsistent goaltending, lack of depth on defense and up front make it difficult to believe they can with the Cup.

BLH’s Thoughts: Is this the year that everybody bets against Connor McDavid and he makes them pay for doing so?

Well, if that’s the case, I’ll probably be one of those eating crow with all the rest of the folks not entirely convinced that Edmonton’s roster can go past the 2nd round. I think Ken Holland missed some real opportunities to shore up his defense and to add some much-needed beef in the event the Oilers are forced to play a heavy team like Calgary, Minnesota, or St. Louis.

As much as it pains me to say though, Calgary has 4-line two-way depth at forward, the defence is big, tough, and can move the puck, they’ve got one of the best goalies in the league, and on top of that they’ve got a coach who builds teams that excel in the post-season.

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey: A league source told Powers they wouldn’t be shocked if (Kyle) Davidson shopped Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat this summer.
- Davidson could attempt to move (Tyler) Johnson via trade or buy out the remainder of his contract.
- In a recent mailbag segment, Craig Morgan was asked about Jakob Chychrun’s future with the Arizona Coyotes… He doesn’t see Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong budging from his high asking price. If teams aren’t willing to pay it this summer (and Chychrun’s subpar season didn’t help), Armstrong won’t trade him.
The Daily Goal Horn: “There’s been a lot of rumors about some of the changes they may or may not make,” Friedman said. “I think one scenario that a lot of people will be watching is Pierre-Luc Dubois.
- The Golden Knights are on the brink of elimination which could mean a bunch of offseason changes. I would even say that the jobs of GM Kelly McCrimmon and head coach Peter DeBoer aren’t safe.
- Lehner has 3 years remaining at $5M AAV with a modified no-trade clause. It would not be a shock if he’s moved in the offseason.
The Hockey Writers: As per Scott Powers of The Athletic, rebuilding plans out of Chicago might be affected by the moves general manager Kyle Davidson can pull off in this year’s NHL Entry Draft… If Chicago doesn’t land in the top two, they might tear everything down…
- “So, if that is Davidson’s goal, you can expect him to further weaken his NHL roster. It’s possible Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome will be allowed to walk as free agents, and they wouldn’t likely be replaced by any top-six-caliber forwards.”

BLH’s Thoughts: So, Tank Hard for Bedard, Play Soft for Michkov is in full swing already eh?