Tag Archives: Connor McDavid

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

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Talk: “Jay Woodcroft’s decisions in this series have people questioning him…”

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

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Lowetide

  • It’s clear the Avalanche are the better team, but for me the Oilers have contributed to the 3-0 status with dozens of poor plays around the puck, inconsistent goaltending and several miles of penalties. Woodcroft mentioned the penalty totals were out of balance in this series, suspect the organization will need to reflect on that over the summer. Sometimes not retaliating and not running a guy into the boards is the best tactic.
  • Jay Woodcroft’s decisions in this series have people questioning him for the first time since he arrived from Bakersfield. Several things he’s tried, or not tried, have the look of stubborn this morning. You’ll have to look long and hard to find a more zealous Nurse defender than this blog’s author, but placing Kulak with Ceci was the play here after Game One, and Woodcroft didn’t pull the trigger.
  • Ken Holland should take a little time this summer to hire an analytics department. The team could use help in pro scouting, this team will need an edge in the years to come when making trades. I’m not anti-Holland, the amateur scouts are rocking and credit to him for Kane, Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman and deadline acquisition Brett Kulak.
  • What the Oilers really need is someone to build a list of possible targets in free agency, trade and minor league acquisitions. Not every useful player costs two picks and $6 million. This team needs to get smart in the subtle pro procurements. Edmonton used to do that kind of thing, grab Steve Staios in free agency and plug him in for five years.

BLH’s Thoughts: Would you blame the Mahe brothers if they just up and said, “f*ck this place, we’re out!”? 

See, the Oilers do have an analytics department and it consists of those two gentlemen, yet, they’re the Rodney Dangerfields of the organization… No respect, I tell ya. 

Should the the organization EXPAND their analytics department? Sure! The more minds, the better, no? And there are about 50 guys in Edmonton alone that could do it too, but I feel that OEG undervalues their talents. Meaning, they lowball them so badly, it turns them off of being a fan of the team. 

Now, that being said, this team is at the point in its development where the core is in place but smart money/assets need to be utilized to cover the complimentary pieces. I’m talking bottom six forwards and bottom four dmen and so my question is, do the Oilers need to double or triple the amount of people working with the Mahe brothers to accomplish that? 

I don’t believe the lack of a larger analytics department is the reason the Oilers are down three games to none in this series, but I’d be willing to bet there are some loud voices on line that do share that sentiment… 

So what do the Oilers do tonight? In games one to three, I didn’t have a good feeling about them getting the win, but I like their odds tonight. I think Kadri being out hurts the Avs more than Kane being out hurts the Oilers. I remember seeing Josh Manson getting dinged up last time out and Colorado is already without Burakovsky and Kuemper. Also, didn’t Bouchard kill another Av with his shot in game three?

My point is, MacKinnon’s boys are hurting and they’re under a lot of pressure to get this series over and done with so that they can rest and be ready for the Lightning or the Rangers. Colorado can’t let their grip on this series loosen while at the same time Connor McDavid can flip the script at any point here. Relative to the Calgary series, he’s been quiet so far and usually that lasts no more than a two games before be breaks out and wrecks a team on his own. 

Let’s be clear though, I don’t think Edmonton has the soldiers to take four in a row off of the Avalanche, but could they find a way to get one more game in Edmonton before it’s all done and dusted? I think there’s a chance they could do that.

Oilersnation

Edmonton Oilers to terminate contract of goaltender Ilya Konovalov
  • Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ilya Konovalov will have his contract terminated by the team so he can sign a deal in the KHL…
  • Konovalov is set to sign a deal with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, club general manager Alexi Sopin told championat.com.
  • With the Condors, he posted a 5-7-5 record, a 2.73 GAA and a .893 save percentage.

BLH’s Thoughts: So much for that little experiment. I remember wondering what the Oilers were going to do with their goaltending at the AHL level seeing as all the goalies there were pretty young, right? Then you tack on the fact that Mikko Koskinen is heading to Switzerland next season and there’s some uncertainty as to who Stu Skinner will be sharing the pipes with next season. I was, and still am, of the opinion that Ken Holland would need to sign a good AHL tweener to mentor Fanti and Rodrigues in addition to being able to be a capable backup in case one of Edmonton’s NHL netminders gets banged up. 

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Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Elliotte Friedman reports the Chicago Blackhawks could be a team to watch over the next few weeks in the trade market.
  • Kevin Kurz recently mused over what it might cost the New York Islanders to make a pitch for Kevin Fiala.
    • Kurz believes any potential trade for Fiala would have to start with the Isles’ first-round pick in either this year’s draft or next year’s.
    • …suggested Oliver Wahlstrom as an alternative.
    • If the Islanders don’t want to part with their first-round pick, perhaps a prospect such as Aatu Raty might push the deal over the finish line.
  • Jimmy Murphy recently reported Joel Armia’s performance for Finland in the World Championships has generated some trade buzz about the Canadiens winger.
    • Murphy also wondered if Ethan Bear might be a fit with the Canadiens. The 24-year-old Carolina Hurricanes defenseman is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
    • Murphy’s source cited Bear’s conditioning as an issue, which could hurt his trade value.

BLH’s Thoughts: Interesting… So that’s TWO clubs now where rumors of Bear’s lack of attention to his conditioning have cost him… Will a third team take a chance? He did have surgery on his foot I believe right after the Hurricanes were knocked out of the playoffs but he was out of Carolina’s lineup since the end of April. So why didn’t he have the surgery earlier if his injury required going under the knife? That would’ve explained being out of lineup for so long… 

It doesn’t matter. That trade is a wash to a degree (although I would still give Edmonton the nod considering Foegele actually got to play in the post-season). The Canes saw all they wanted of Bear and Foegele disappeared down the stretch never to be seen again. The feeling I get is that he’ll be moved this summer too as there was interest in him leading up to the deadline. 

Watch, McLovin’ will score a brace tonight and help stave off elimination for the Oilers… 

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

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Talk: It’s Time to Swing for the Fences

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, and The Daily Goal Horn 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!

Lowetide

  • If Yamamoto is hurt, one would think Dylan Holloway makes his NHL debut. If the Oilers go 7D, one of Russell or Broberg will draw in. I could also see Yamamoto out and a D added being the only move, but Holloway is available and has the kind of speed that will set the Avalanche back on their heels. Great passer too.

BLH’s Thoughts: Bob Stauffer has been on the Holloway train for a while now and yesterday former Edmonton Oilers dman Jason Strudwick hopped on. Strudwick made the point that if you’re going to adjust the roster, you’re not making it slower and therefore the likes of Dylan Holloway and Philly Broberg should be inserted. 

My feeling is that this is the game to take the big swing on the kids. At worst, it doesn’t work out and the coaches can go back to what’s worked for them in the past. At best, the kids save the day and inject some life and excitement into an organization that seems defeated. 

In previous series’ I think there might’ve been a hesitancy to play Holloway and Broberg partly because of the physical intensity that LA and Calgary brought. I mean Milan Lucic ate Broberg for lunch a few times this year, right? But against Colorado, I am confident in saying the Avs won’t be taking the series to the trenches and in my opinion, that works to Edmonton’s advantage now that we’ve realized going after Joe Sakic’s boys through intimidation is a futile effort. 

If there’s space to move, you’d think Broberg and Holloway might be a tad better than Shore or Russell. Worried about blocking shots? Broberg and Holloway are high character players, they’ll do what’s necessary to get the job done. 

Like I said, it’s best to take a gamble right now and hope to high hell it’s enough to get Edmonton back into this series. 

Sportsnet

Oilers need a healthy, in-form Darnell Nurse to salvage series vs. Avalanche
  • The most important caveat here is that let’s be honest, the man is hurt. When asked about him after Game 2, Jay Woodcroft basically shrugged and said “He’s giving us all he can. He’s a warrior.”
  • I often just see him a few inches on the wrong side of guys I feel like he’d normally be able to snuff out. He’s chasing.
  • Nurse has been handed a brutal assignment, spending most of his time on the ice against Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, approaching nearly 20 minutes of ice against each guy. You would expect his stats to take some abuse with that.
  • So the point here isn’t that Nurse has let his team down, it’s looking for a way for Edmonton to get back in this series, and finding that the D-man that’s the Oilers time-on-ice leader at even strength is getting pummeled in his minutes.
  • …there’s three things can happen now for the Oilers:
    • Nurse finds a way to play better and they have a chance.
    • The Oilers find a way to ease the workload/competition level for him, others step up, and they have a chance.
    • Nothing changes and they lose.

BLH’s Thoughts: As I was saying above, if you’re going to take a chance with a big roster move, tonight’s the night. Win and there’s a chance the Oilers can tie up the series. Lose and nobody’s going to be surprised, but something has to be done. Loading up the to line didn’t work in game one and having 29 and 97 center their own lines in game two didn’t have the desired impact either. 

So It’s time to swap Darnell with Kulak and muck around with the forwards a bit. 

Kane-McDavid-Draisaitl
Hyman-RNH-Pulju
Foegele-McLeod-Ryan
Archibald-Holloway

Kulak-Ceci
Keith-Bouchard
Nurse-Barrie
Broberg

With a number of players Woodcroft could adjust his lines based on who’s skating well, right? If the kids are having a positive impact they could be moved up the lineup. Who knows? You could have Broberg paired up with Bouchard or Ceci and Holloway playing with Connor or Leon by the 3rd. 

I don’t feel good about Edmonton’s chances without Nurse and Leon at 100% and this evening’s game is no different even if Woodcroft does put Holloway and Broberg in and plays them regularly. Colorado has stopped the offensive juggernaut that is the Oilers right in its track with no response from Edmonton… 

I hope for the best, but honestly, I’m expecting the worst. 

Trade Rumors

Spector’s Hockey
  • Mike Zeisberger reports Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff expects Mark Scheifele will return with the club next season.
  • In his latest “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported re-signing with the Carolina Hurricanes remains an option for Vincent Trocheck.
  • Sammi Silber observed the Capitals could get some cap relief for next season by placing Backstrom and Wilson on long-term injury reserve… If Backstrom were to miss significant time, Silber pondered whether Colorado’s Nazem Kadri would be a good fit if he becomes available on the free-agent market.
The Daily Goal Horn
  • According to TFP’s David Pagnotta, two former NHL head coaches that Vegas is believed to have interest in, at least internally, is former Winnipeg Jets bench boss Paul Maurice and former Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who is currently an Analyst for TNT.
  • There’s been a lot of talk that Carey Price may be unable to go for next season, but until the Canadiens can get that clarification it will be hard to make any big moves.
NHLRumors.com
  • There was a report (in Russian) on Sportexpress by reporter Ivan Bogun that the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers have decided to not select any Russian players in the 2022 NHL Draft.
  • GM Armstrong on if forward Vladimir Tarasenko will be back with the team next season: “I’m not concerned about Vladi for next year at all.”
  • The Calgary Flames have said they will do all they can to re-sign pending UFA Johnny Gaudreau but if they can’t, could the New York Islanders have a chance? Slim, but not impossible.
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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Big Laughs at McDavid’s Expense (A True Story)

Have you ever heard the story of when Joe Thornton made everyone on the ice laugh when he called out Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid for not settling his scores by himself?

Recently over at The Athletic, a piece was penned by Joshua Kloke about Joe Thornton’s time in the NHL to date. The scribe interviewed former teammates and others who worked closely with Jumbo in an attempt to let the reader know what makes Joe Thornton so “Jumbo”.

The following story is one that should interest Oilers fans,

Mike Aldrich, head equipment manager, San Jose Sharks, 2005-20: In 2019, there was a collision at centre ice between Connor McDavid and Tommy Hertl. Neither one of them had the puck. Zack Kassian pushed Tommy near the glass. So Tommy gets the penalty, and a couple of shifts later, we’re back at full strength. And there just so happens to be a faceoff in the neutral zone, right in front of our bench. Kassian is lined up with his back to our bench and Jumbo is right in front of him. Jumbo is literally leaning over Kassian’s shoulder and he’s yelling “Hey, Connor.” Connor was not acknowledging him, so Jumbo keeps yelling, “Hey, Connor.” Finally, the puck’s ready to get dropped and Connor kind of looked over at him. Jumbo says to him, “When I was the best player in the world, I used to take care of that shit on my own. I didn’t need this middleweight to come in and take care of me.” And then he’s listing a couple of players that he fought when he was a kid, like Mark Tinordi. “The best player in the world” is how he referred to himself. I’m not kidding: Kassian and everybody who was on the ice and on our bench were laughing. He wasn’t being mean to Connor.

I don’t imagine the legendary chirps and epic laughs are going to stop now that Thornton will be seeing the Oilers NINE times this year.

I can’t wait for this year to get going and reading these kinds of stories just gets me even more pumped!

Do you know any hilarious stories that involve two of the league’s biggest names? Throw them up in the comments and share them with the world!

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Watch BLH’s Hockey Game of the Night: McDavid and Nurse Bring Home Gold at 2015 World Juniors (Jan.5, 2015)

In 2015, future Edmonton Oilers Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid guided a star-studded Team Canada to the Gold Medal Final in Toronto where they faced Ivan Provorov, Pavel Buchnevich, and the rest of Team Russia.

The last time the Canadians had won the Gold was back in 2009…

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

It’s funny. You don’t really notice how influential the fans are to a hockey game until you watch a gold medal final from a Canadian-based city that features Team Canada and one of Team Russia or Team USA. Speaking from experience, my best friend Nick and I went to the 2012 tournament but could only afford to watch one Canadian game, the opening game of the tournament where they played Finland. When Canada scored the first goal… F*ck me…  I thought I was going to go deaf. The bloody roof nearly lifted off that place! And that was against the Finns! I can only imagine what it would sound like in Montreal or Toronto during a gold medal final…

Not having fans in the seats at these home games will be very interesting to see how that plays out for Team Canada…

I hope you enjoy BLH’s Game of the Night!

The following write-up on the game is courtesy of CHL.ca,

After a wild game of momentum swings and intense competition, Canada clinched gold for the first time since 2009, defeating Russia 5-4 at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadians posted a quick 2-0 lead and were up 5-1 at one point on the relentless Russians, who battled back to make for a tense finish in a sold out building.

Russian goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s night lasted just 2:32 as he was beaten on two of the three shots he faced out of the gate. Anthony Duclair (New York Rangers/Quebec Remparts) snapped a high wrister under the crossbar 23 seconds into play as he and Max Domi (London Knights) combined to register a quick chance off the forecheck. A shift later, Nick Paul (North Bay Battalion) used his long reach to get a stick on a centering pass from Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors) to deflect the puck past Shesterkin and make it 2-0.

Russian coach Valeri Bragin made a move that has worked for him in the past, swapping goaltenders as he did in Buffalo during the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game as his squad overcame a 3-0 deficit to claim gold over Canada. Hopeful for a similar result, Ilya Sorokin took over in the crease and the Russians quickly turned things around. Defenceman Dmitri Yudin found the back of the net at 9:20 from Anatoli Golyshev and Alexander Dergachev, stepping into a slapshot that beat goaltender Zachary Fucale (Quebec Remparts) through a screen inside the far post.

Canada came out of the gate fast in the second, with Connor McDavid (Erie Otters) making the score 3-1 5:08 into the period on an assist from Josh Morrissey (Kelowna Rockets). Morrissey caught the Russian defence making a line change to find McDavid busting through the middle, sending him in alone to beat Sorokin through the legs.

Max Domi would snap a wrister under the arm of Sorokin at 7:22 before setting up linemate Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice) for a tip on a long shot from inside the point that snuck through the legs of the Russian netminder at 12:30. Canada led 5-1 and was in full control just beyond the midway point of the second.

A Bragin timeout seemed to get the attention of his players following Reinhart’s goal to make it 5-1 for Canada. Three of his top shooters, Ivan Barbashev (Moncton Wildcats), Sergey Tolchinsky (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) and former Sarnia Sting forward Nikolay Goldobin would respond by scoring three goals in a span of 3:16, shocking the capacity crowd at the Air Canada Centre to bring Russia within a goal down 5-4. Russia outshot Canada 10-5 in the second and would embark on the third period with a powerplay.

Head Coach Benoit Groulx and his club came out for the third and calmly killed off Russia’s early powerplay, wrestling back some momentum before effectively neutralizing their dangerous offensive attack. Darnell Nurse (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds) and the Canadian defensive corps played a sound third period game to limit Russian opportunities and hold on for a 5-4 victory as the ACC erupted.

Nurse was named Canada’s Player of the Game, being credited for his rugged play inside the defensive zone as he and defensive partner Shea Theodore (Seattle Thunderbirds) played the entire tournament without surrendering an even strength goal against.

Canada’s 16th gold medal in tournament history was certainly one to remember, overcoming a worthy Russian adversary that didn’t back down until the final buzzer sounded.

If you’re enjoying the series, check out this week’s previous games below!

Monday: The Punch-up in Piestany
Tuesday: 16yr old Wayne Gretzky Destroys Czechs in ’78
Wednesday: The 2005 Canadian Juggernaut That Took Out the Russians for Gold

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Edmonton Oilers Talk: What Kind of Sick Joke is This?

The betting outlets in Las Vegas are already hard at work getting the latest odds out there on the 2021 Hart Trophy candidates and leading the way is Cole Harbour’s second-most famous hockey player, Nathan MacKinnon, NOT Connor McDavid…

Which Alberta team is closest to the Stanley Cup? You’ll find out here!

Jesse Puljujarvi is pissed! Read all about it here.

Are the Oilers a bubble team in 2020-21? These two insiders seem to think so.

Can the NHL cancel the season due to COVID? Read about that here!

One NHL Insider is “super excited” to see Jesse Puljujarvi this year. Read about it here!

Click the pic and find the NHL94 player from your team!

The Sick Joke

Player Odds
Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche) +650
Connor McDavid (Oilers) +700
Artemi Panarin (Rangers) +1000
Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) +1100
Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) +1150
Jack Eichel (Sabres) +1400
Auston Matthews (Leafs) +1600
David Pastrnak (Bruins) +1700
Brayden Point (Lightning) +1700
Taylor Hall (Sabres) +2000

Now, obviously, I’m being a tad facetious. Nathan MacKinnon is definitely in my top-3 with Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. From a pure power/skill perspective, I don’t know if there’s a stronger, more dangerous player in the league.

That said, along with his team, MacKinnon is already kind of there. All they’ve left to prove is that they can get over the hump. I don’t think the hunger is as strong in MacKinnon as it is for McDavid following last season.

The Oilers losing to a lottery team in the play-ins will go down as one of the most embarrassing lowlights of Connor McDavid’s career and I’m one million percent sure that that experience will power him to one of the greatest single seasons from an individual player in the modern era.

The Avs are stacked. MacKinnon has Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog on his wings. He’s got Cale Makar and Eric Johnson defending while he’s on the ice… He’d have to have an epic year to win the Hart in 2021, in my humble opinion.

With all of that said, if this 2020-21 season gets going, it’s going to be a shortened one and anything can happen in half-a-year. So, if neither of them wins it, and let’s say Miro Heiskanen does. I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

Maybe the joke is that last year’s MVP isn’t even close to the top-2?… The disrespect to Draisaitl these days… I tell ya.

I’ll make a farmer’s bet that he outscores everyone on that list aside from McDavid…

What do you think about these odds? Who would be in your top-five? Let us know in the comments below!

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