“…if that doesn’t happen, then I’ll be putting my seatbelt on and bracing for impact.” Says One Oilers Blogger

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Oilersnation (baggedmilk)

The Oilers Kool-Aid is going down smooth

I wanted to share my quick list of reasons why I think this year will be a fun one and why we should all be excited.

Connor McDavid is the greatest cheat code this league has seen in decades and I’m fired up for another year of magic that brings us from our seats and fills the city with hope.
I’ll be fascinated to watch how Zach Hyman’s first season with the Oilers plays after he signed a seven-year contract that carries a $5.5 million AAV on the first day of free agency.
I’m going to bet on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto (Kassian?) having better seasons in 2021-22 than they did in the 56-game all-Canadian campaign.
Chuck Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele into the chili and all of a sudden there are a few more spicy scoring options available that could truly make a difference.
Of course we want Duncan Keith to play well and anchor that second pairing — that’s truly what I’m hoping he can do — but if that doesn’t happen, then I’ll be putting my seatbelt on and bracing for impact.
I’ve written about Evan Bouchard a few times this offseason, but as we draw closer to the new season, I’m starting to get very excited to see what he’ll be able to do now that he’ll be in the lineup on a nightly basis.

BLH’s Thoughts: Five things I’m jacked for this season,

Jesse Puljujarvi taking another step in his development for the Oilers and becoming a legit threat every night.

Mikko Koskinen upping his game in a contract year. He’ll be looking to earn another contract after this one and for it to come even close to what he makes now, that save percentage is going to have to be up around .920.

The internal competition between Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to see who scores more goals.

Which of Edmonton’s blue chip prospects forces their way onto the roster out of training camp or early on in the season. Will it be Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Ilya Konovalov, Dmitri Samorukov or possibly a somebody out of left field (Xavier Bourgault?)…

When Evan Bouchard takes his spot in Edmonton’s top-four.

Cult of Hockey (Staples)

Over over ripe ripe? Top prospect on Edmonton Oilers repeats for fourth year in a row

Bouchard, who will be 22 in October, should likely have earned a job on the Edmonton Oilers last season, but Adam Larsson was killing it as a shut-down d-man, Ethan Bear was coming off an extremely promising rookie campaign and the Oilers had signed ace veteran attacker Tyson Barrie to run their power play with Oscar Klefbom expected out of the season.
With both Larsson and Bear now gone, the path is clear for Bouchard. Indeed, on Oilers Now in recent weeks both Oilers head coach Dave Tippett and asst. coach Jim Playfair haven’t just talked up Bouchard as a team member, they’ve indicated he’ll have every opportunity to move up into the Top 4 as the year goes along. He’s also expected to get regular penalty kill and second unit power play duty.
During the Decade of Darkness the Oilers struggled to find d-men who can move the puck, but that’s a strength of Bouchard and Barrie, with Darnell Nurse also a strong attacker. If Duncan Keith can still move the puck, if Cody Ceci delivers in that regard, and if Slater Koekkoek plays as well as he did last year, this will be Edmonton’s best group of puck movers since the 1980s.
Expectation for 2021-22: That Bouchard play every game, working his way into the Top 4 by the playoffs.

BLH’s Thoughts: With the way that Edmonton’s coaching staff is talking about him and how Bob Stauffer can’t hide his man crush for guys who come into camp in “good shape”, I’m willing to bet that Bouchard gets his shot in the top-four earlier than the playoffs…

What I’m thinking is that Tippett and Playfair are going to analyze his defensive game early on and if he’s staying afloat playing against the league’s best, they’ll move him permanently. Otherwise, he might just spot-fill from time to time during games or when Edmonton plays a weaker opposition.

Sportsnet (Friedman)

According to several sources, Toronto winger Ilya Mikheyev asked for a trade following the 2020-21 season. But, what is important to the story is that the Maple Leafs made it clear they do not want to accommodate this request.
There’s been a lot of talk about San Jose’s Tomas Hertl, headed into his final season before unrestricted free agency… I’d love to see the incoming-call log on Sharks GM Doug Wilson’s phone, but word is he’s told other teams that it is San Jose’s desire to make this work, and that message will be delivered once Hertl arrives.
I do think there will be a lot of eyes on Phil Kessel once the season begins. There were some conversations around the draft (the Sharks came up there, too, but that’s not going to happen). If he starts out hot, things are going to intensify in a hurry.
Finally, a couple clubs indicated they were expecting Tyler Bozak’s decision on where to play in the next few days. The 764-game veteran has a couple of options. Wonder if one is Pittsburgh, with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin injured to start the year.
Over the last little while, the word is the Senators and Tkachuk have been grinding away on a long-term deal — believed to be similar to Thomas Chabot’s 8×8 extension. If that can’t get done soon, it’s very possible the two sides will switch to something shorter. What that says to me is both sides agree getting Tkachuk in camp is a priority.
The Sabres had an “introductory meeting” with Jack Eichel’s new representatives… I do believe Buffalo re-engaged with interested teams to see where everyone stands. We will see where things go.