Tag Archives: Bob McKenzie

Around the Oilogosphere, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects, Rumors

Around the Oilogosphere – April 13th Edition – Spector VS The Old Boys Club, Klefbom Trade Options, Oilers KHL Targets, and many NHL Rumors

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I feel bad for a lot of Oilers fans who frequent Twitter. There are so many that are incredibly jaded and/or entitled. Sometimes I have to sit back and ask myself, when will these folks get their break? When will the hockey gods look down on them and give them their due for being so patient and understanding?

I mean so much has been earned and then ripped from the hands of Oilers fan’s hands. It’s a wonder as to why so many stick with the team even though they sound like they hate the Oilers.

If there was just one reason. One reason at all that Oilers fans could be happy about, I wonder what it could be?

Moving on…

The KHL is going to be ripe for the picking this summer and I believe that the Oilers will be targeting some players from that league. My hope is that they bring Vladdy (Hockey) Tkachev back. I watched him, Leon, Yakimov, and Nurse take on the U of A in the Oilers/Golden Bears prospects game a few years back and he was on another level with regards to skill, patience, and hockey IQ.

There’s a Czech keeper named Pavel Francouz who’s been putting up some fairly decent stats over in Russia the past few seasons and I’ve heard he’s looking to come over to the NHL as well.

But here’s the rub… I’m not sure how good their English is and we all know that if they can’t speak English well that probably means they won’t get a lot of TOI if Todd McLellan is running the bench. Right, Jesse?

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OILERS NEWS

Sportsnet – Oilers being held hostage by voices of their past – There are voices in Edmonton. Voices who bear Stanley Cup rings from the Oilers glory years, many of them don’t believe McLellan should be the Oilers head coach. Others would have him remain as a coach, but want to install at least one of their own to help him out.

Edmonton Sun – Edmonton Oilers need to reduce number of starts by goalie Cam Talbot next season – The Oilers won’t say how many games they would like Talbot to play, but 60 should be the max if they don’t want to burn him out before the playoffs,

Cult of Hockey – Why I am OK with Peter Chiarelli returning as Edmonton Oilers GM – Mostly it’s because I saw all kinds of coaching issues with the team last year and believe that is the main issue in the team’s weak showing.

Oil on Whyte – Oilers to Sign Goalie Out of KHL – Will the Edmonton Oilers visit a non-traditional market to find themselves a goaltender to back up Cam Talbot in 2018/19?

The Oil Knight –  Say hello to your next Edmonton Oiler – Now if we assume the Oilers won’t be getting a Top 3 pick and don’t move down in the draft it is unlikely they will get an NHL ready winger at #9 so finding that puck moving Defenceman should be priority #1 even if he isn’t ready for 2-3 years down the road. Why? Well for one…

Oilersnation – Pick Bait – It may be poor asset management to move a pick that will become an exempt asset for a player that will need to be protected. While you contemplate that, I’m going to lay out the only three options I see making sense for the Oilers.

OILERS PODCASTS

Oilers YYC – Episode 42: Chiarelli/Nicholson Press Conferences

Cult of Hockey – The Cult’s “Chiarelli Hints at Coaching Changes” Podcast

 NHL RUMORS

NHL Rumors: Ottawa Senators – The Draft, Erik Karlsson, and the Coaching Staff

NHL Rumors: St. Louis Blues and the New York Rangers

NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings – Youth Injection, Mantha, and the Rebuild

NHL Rumors: Dallas Stars and Jason Spezza … Buffalo Sabres and Chad Johnson

NHL Rumors: Toronto Expansion, Senators, Blues, Sabres, Islanders, Stars, Hurricanes and Rangers

NHL Rumors: Bereglazov, Koskinen, Shestyorkin, Hutton, and the Panthers

Friedman | Summer will tell tale of rebuilding Rangers

McKenzie | O’Reilly would be absolute godsend to Canadiens

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Around the Oilogosphere, Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Rumors

Around the Oilogosphere – April 3rd Edition – Oilers Prospect Reports, Staying the Course, Top-10 Free Agents, Karlsson/Trouba Rumors, and More!

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Two more games until the end of this disastrous 2017/18 Oilers season that has been derailed by slumps, injuries (disclosed and not), bad coaching, and questionable GM-ing.

That special portion of the Oilers fanbase is looking for their sacrificial lamb. Some yearning for Todd McLellan to be fired or for Peter Chiarelli to get his pink slip but this is what I don’t understand.

Peter Chiarelli’s job was to get the Oilers into the playoffs ASAP when he was hired, right? Why in Sam’s Hell are you all concerned with how he does it?

We’ve got “smart” people complaining that he’s built this team around heavy hockey, well, has he?

He signed Milan Lucic and traded for Adam Larsson (who is +31 since joining the team). He got rid of a jaded goalie for Zack Kassian (nobody was complaining about that deal until this year) but you can’t even say Kassian plays a heavy hockey game if you take the time to watch him. Maroon was brought in and if you’re going to complain about his contributions to the team, then I suggest you head down the QE2 and shack up with the Shames because you’re just complaining to hear your own voice.

Are you going to shit on JJ Khaira’s performance this season? He plays a heavy game but I bet you’d take the time to criticize Chiarelli if he dealt JJ. Does Leon Draisaitl fall into this category as well?

So what I’m getting here is that special portion of the fanbase is so mad that Chiarelli traded their boys in Hall and Eberle (no mention of Yak ever which is unsurprising) for specifically targetted pieces that the team needed that they are blinded to the good things that Chiarelli has done for the team.

My advice: Be careful what you wish for.

The Gagner-Hall years were filled with skill. So much skill in that teams just bullied them into submission. Well, I’ll tell you this much, the bullying hasn’t stopped with those teams and yes, they’re still heavy teams. Those are veteran-laden teams who get the call more often than not.

So we go back to getting to the playoffs and not caring how Chiarelli builds the team to get there. To get out of the division and into the playoffs in the Pacific division, every team has to go through California and to do that they have to outmuscle Getzlaf, Perry, Burns, Thornton, Doughty, Lindholm, Carter, etc.

Many will point to Vegas and say, “SEE!” without taking the time to look at their roster closely. Yup, they’re a fast team and forecheck hard. You can’t deny they’ve also had above average goaltending and the coach has done a wonderful job but have you counted the number of expiring contracts on that team? We all know players playing on the last year of their deal play better (for the most part) and that’s exactly what the Golden Knights are doing and good on them for taking advantage. What will they look like next season?

I think you can look at an Oilers supporter on Twitter and immediately deduce if they are pro-Chiarelli or anti-Chiarelli quite easily and that’s what all of this is boiling down to.

Personally, whoever gets traded or loses their job this summer has it coming. I’m not so far up my own ass that I can’t say Chiarelli made some massive bets on his roster and they backfired. I supported Todd McLellan at the beginning of the year but have found myself frustrated as hell with his staff’s performances 80 games later.

I see the holes on the roster and it’d be nice to see upgrades.

This tweet kind of sums it up for me:

Speaking of Twitter, I’m going to start blocking people more liberally because it’s getting tiresome going around in circles for the sake of satiating another’s ego or my own for that matter. I’m not looking for people to always agree with my comments but I’m not looking for harassment either. It’s a drain.

OILERS NEWS

Sportsnet – Takeaways: Wild simply too much for nosediving Oilers to handle – It says here that the coaching staff is the least of this club’s problems right now, but tell me how you defend a staff whose special teams are this pathetic?

Sportsnet – Oilers Prospect Report: Kailer Yamamoto Offers Promise Up Front – Of the top four prospects in the Edmonton Oilers organization, none were drafted first overall. In fact, one is a deep first-rounder, another from Round 2, and then a fourth- and fifth-rounder — a sign the Oilers are perhaps figuring out how to find players below the No. 1 spot in the NHL Draft.

The Oil Knight – OHL Playoffs Round 2 – Niagara vs. Hamilton – Despite the success in the Regular Season vs. the Bulldogs, Niagara is going to be in tough in this matchup.

The Cult of Hockey – Fans should be wary about buying “stay the course” narrative from Edmonton Oilers – Heading into the season, most folks predicted the Oilers would be one of the top teams in the NHL. On paper, this looked like a good-to-great team. There is a serious gap between these expectations and how things turned out. I see a number of possible courses of action…

Oilersnation – Monday Mailbag – UFAs, trading the first round pick, and Al Montoya

Oilersnation – Let’s find some positives from this season

The Hockey Writers – Oilers Six Thoughts: Benson, Maksimov, Skinner; and Others – Here’s a quick recap of what’s transpired during the CHL’s first-round action, and how the Oiler prospects are doing.

NHL RUMORS

Dreger and Friedman ponder cap space usage for Canucks

Friedman | Surprise team could pursue Karlsson trade

Ranking the Top-10 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents at Season’s End

McKenzie | Trouba probably looking to drive real hard bargain

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Around the Oilogosphere, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors, Trades

Around the Oilogosphere – March 30th Edition – Button on Puljujarvi, Friday Fights, the McBlender, McKenzie on Tavares, and the RUMORS!

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A lot of talk about the Oilers and Milan Lucic tonight and rightfully so I imagine. The big $6M winger is having a poor back end to the season, no poorer than David Backes, Rick Nash, Brandon Saad, or Nick Foligno’s full year mind you but that’s beside the point for some Oilers fans.

Not a peep did we hear from this faction of the Oilers fanbase while Milan was playing well before Christmas. But since then I don’t know if I’ve heard one good thing said about Lucic from the folks who are feeling like this is “justified criticism”.

I will take this time to remind you to be careful about what you say online. You might believe that the players don’t read the socials or the blogs but you’re wrong. They do and the people around them do. These are humans and words affect them.

I mean this is a player on your favorite team (assumingly) and you want to talk trash about him? There’s a fine line that’s being walked when you take that route. And all of this for 3 months of slumping? Something tells me this kind of criticism has less to do with the player and more to do with the GM.

“Daddy, why won’t good players come play in Edmonton”

“Well son, it’s because there’s a portion of the fanbase that is a relentless tire fire if the team isn’t winning and even then you’re lucky to get a peep or positivity out of them. Oh and it’s cold in Edmonton and the team has to do a lot of traveling when they go out on the road compared to teams in the Eastern Conference.”

And one more thing, this is more specific to Lucic, take the time to think about what he’s gone through since choosing to come to the Oilers. Take the time to read about his father’s tragedy. 

Depression is no joke and about 40% of people who have it pass it down. The other 60% is dependent on other circumstances like the environment a person lives in and I can assure you the environment for a professional athlete can be a toxic one.

Lay off Lucic. He knows how his year has gone and you’re not being helpful or original for that matter by bringing it up constantly. Try being more helpful instead of kicking him when he’s down and putting your boots on his neck. Think about how you’d like to be treated if you were having a tough time doing the thing you loved.

OILERS NEWS

The Cult of Hockey – Craig Button blasts Edmonton Oilers for failure to properly develop Jesse Puljujarvi – This in from Craig Button, talking to Jason Gregor of TSN1260 radio about the Edmonton Oilers handling — or mishandling — of Jesse Puljujarvi.

The Cult of Hockey – It’s Worth it For the Edmonton Oilers Not to Tank, But There’s a High Price Attached – True fans want their team to win, but they also sometimes put on that general manager’s hat where they carefully assess the value of draft picks.

Oilersnation – The McBlender – I think most people who watch the Oilers this season have been frustrated or confused by the amount of line juggling we’ve seen from Head Coach Todd McLellan.

Lowetide – Union City Blue – As upset as one might be about last night’s game, and it was the 44th loss so you should be used to it by now, this club had their chances.

Beer League Heroes – It Was a Hockey Trade – In the end, though the simple fact was we needed a right-handed top pair defenceman very badly. The off-ice stuff might have made it easier to justify the supposed low return. Maybe other NHL GMs heard things from friends of friends of friends like we all have. Quite frankly it’s naive to think they didn’t. Even without the noise Hall wouldn’t fetch a Subban, Seth Jones, Karlsson, etc etc. That’s just dreaming.

NHL NEWS AND RUMORS

Fan Rag Sports – McKenzie Shares Gut Feeling on Tavares Free Agency Potential – The John Tavares free agency storyline has been unfolding for years now, but with only months to go until the franchise center can leave the only NHL team for which he’s played there is seemingly more and more momentum to that very notion.

Fan Rag Sports – Friedman explores dynamic between Islanders and Tavares – The John Tavares free agency storyline has been unfolding for years now, but with only months to go until the franchise center can leave the only NHL team for which he’s played there is seemingly more and more momentum to that very notion.

NHL Rumors: 2018 NHL Free Agents: Scraping The Barrel

NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers

NHL Rumors: Datsyuk, Peters, Holland, Brickley, Panthers and Blackhawks

NHL Rumors: Kings and Dergachyov … Where John Tavares Could End Up

NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs, Canucks and Hurricanes

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Around the Oilogosphere, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Rumors

Around the Oilogosphere – March 27th Edition – McDavid Hart Debates, 31 Thoughts, The Oilers Biggest Need, and Plenty of NHL Rumors!

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I think we could all use a night off from the Oilers after watching them sh*t the bed against the Blue Jackets last night. Good grief! What in Sam’s Hell was that? Can’t blame it on fatigue. Can we blame it on coaching? I mean I have no idea why McLellan was deploying his lines the way he was. Maybe he didn’t have a choice since the whole team was stinking up the joint, just let the lines roll baby…

But that shouldn’t have mattered anyhow. The Blue Jackets came to the rink prepared to outwork the Oilers and that they did. The Oilers could use a few more players like Boone Jenner on their roster in my opinion. Players who are willing to do what it takes night in and night out.

I did see that Jesse Puljujarvi has been in the conversations today though. I don’t get it with pundits and fans when they talk about Pulju. They all want him to be this 19-year-old Finnish Jari Kurri and right now too. Even when you listen to Stauffer, who says he loves the kid, talk about him, he stumbles over his words. Says things like Jesse comes from a “rural” part of Finland when defending him on his show. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I reckon there are a lot of folk who are concerned that if our Grinnin’ Finn doesn’t start to pick it up here that he’ll be moved. It’s stark reality too given Peter Chiarelli’s transaction background but there’s a player here. Let’s give him the time to properly marinate.

There was once a time when 1st round draft picks didn’t make their team in their first, second, or third camp even. Hell, most of the time they had to go to the AHL to earn their stripes and then they’d get the call and it wasn’t straight to the top 6 either, it was bottom 6 and earn your way to the top lines and PP.

Now I’m not saying JP hasn’t earned it or that is even a thing now but Jesse Puljujarvi is in the best spot for him at this time in his development. 3rd line TOI against 3rd line opposition with two players who have been in the league quite some time.

So there’s absolutely no need to rush him in the final 12 games (5 games now) of the season. All the team needs to ask him to do is relax and work on some specific instructions. Then in the offseason, maybe go home to Finland for half and then come back to North America for half and train with someone like Gary Roberts and/or Adam Oates.

We’re going to see a drastically different player, for the good, next season and by the time Puljujarvi is 21, we’re going to have an outstanding winger because the team was patient with him and brought him along slowly.

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OILERS NEWS

The Cult of Hockey – McDavid is Taking His Game to the Next Level – Remember when Connor McDavid was having trouble putting the biscuit in the basket? It was just a couple of months ago that the Edmonton Oilers phenom went through a drought, scoring just once in 13 games leading into the All-Star break.

The Cult of Hockey – Various Hockey Analysts on McDavid and the Hart Trophy –  A number of NHL hockey writers say they will downgrade or eliminate Connor McDavid from contention to win the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player because his Edmonton Oilers will fail to make the playoffs.

Oilersnation – Brownlee on the McDavid/Hart Trophy Debate – Whether an MVP candidate’s team makes the playoffs or not and how much weight that carries – is front and centre in the Hart Trophy debate right now. That’s understandable. What I don’t get is that some media people who have a vote don’t think McDavid even belongs in the top five on the PHWA ballot.

Oilersnation – The Oilers Biggest Need – The Edmonton Oilers have five games left and then the offseason begins. Roster moves don’t happen until June, but some coaches and general managers go, college free agents sign and the lottery balls are drawn to see who gets the first three picks in the draft. What is the Oilers’ biggest need going into the summer?

Oilersnation – The NHL Draft Lottery Odds Have Changed – The Edmonton Oilers are seasoned veterans of winning the draft lottery and they will be in consideration for the top pick yet again this year. Not a single person among us, media included (no matter how hard they try to revise history) believed that the team would be this bad this year.

Oilersnation – Cam Talbot’s Next Contract – How do you handle Talbot’s next contract? He’s signed for one more year before he can hit the open market. At this point last year, it seemed like a no-brainer he should be inked long-term. But is that still the case after this year’s showing?

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NHL NEWS AND RUMORS

Sportsnet – 31 Thoughts from Elliotte Friedman: Stan Bowman Believes More Cup Runs Possible for Blackhawks

Fan Rag Sports – McKenzie | Rangers open for business on trade front 

Fan Rag Sports – McKenzie | Capitals face cap crunch with Carlson

Fan Rag Sports – LeBrun on Futures of Tavares and Pacioretty

Fan Rag Sports – NHL GM offer sheet forecast timeline nears

NHL Rumors: Coyotes and Hickey … Blackhawks and Quenneville … Senators and Duchene

NHL Rumors: Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL Rumors: The Montreal Canadiens Are Facing A Crucial Off-Season

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Around the Oilogosphere, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Rumors, Trades

Around the Oilogosphere: March 22nd Edition – News on Puljujarvi, Replacing McLellan, Bob McKenzie’s Thoughts on the Oilers, and More NHL Trade Rumors

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So we’re switching things up with our “Around the Oilogosphere” segment. Instead of posting individual snippets and linking to them, we’re going to basically make a “Oilers blogs of the day” sort of post. Not sure if it’ll be daily or weekly but we’ll work that out. We’ll probably include some links from other NHL news as well like trade rumors or major happenings.

Either way, you can enjoy coming to one place to get all your Oilers links (minus the athletic ones because they’re behind a pay wall) and information.

Enjoy!

OILERS NEWS

Fanrag Sports: Bob McKenzie on Next Steps for Oilers – One question at the heart of the angst of a segment of Oilers fans, though, is whether or not Chiarelli should still be the one sitting at the general manager’s helm.

Cult of Hockey: Craig Simpson on Puljujarvi – Speaking on the Oil’s handling of Puljujarvi on Oilers Now — which sees Puljujarvi getting third line minutes and no first team power play time — Simpson supported the current approach: “I’m not worried about the way he’s being handled…

Oilersnation.ca: Dustin Nielson on Puljujarvi – With the exception of the power-play, penalty kill, goaltending, and overall coaching in general, nothing has frustrated Oilers fans this season as much as the usage of fourth overall pick Jesse Puljujarvi.

Oilersnation.ca: 3 NHL Replacements for Todd McLellan – Whichever side of the fence you’re on, it’s obvious that McLellan’s days in Edmonton may be coming to an abrupt end. Here’s a look at a few options with NHL pedigrees whom the Oilers brass could (and should) target pending the departure of their current HC.

The Hockey Writers: The Oilers’ Maniacal Mismanagement of Montoya – Montoya has played well for the Oilers. However, his continued presence within Edmonton’s roster has raised a handful of questions with respect to the organization’s general approach as well as its vision of both the immediate and long-term future.

NHL TRADE RUMORS

The New York Rangers Are Open To Trading A First-Round Pick – The Rangers have three first-round picks in the 2018 NHL draft – their own, the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning – two second-round picks and two third-round picks. GM Jeff Gorton says there are opening to moving one of their first-round picks.

Dreger on Melnyk billboards and Hoffman trade potential – What has already been a fairly disastrous season for the Ottawa Senators has the potential to get even uglier this summer, depending on what happens in key contract and trade-related areas.

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