Tag Archives: Mitch Marner

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

The Oilers Are Open For Business! Plus the Mid-Season Thoughts

I don’t want to say that the season is over quite yet. Especially with so many games left (20-ish) versus the Pacific Division where they have the 3rd best record behind Anaheim and San Jose since Chiarelli, McLellan and McDavid came on board.

The Oilers have two games left before their bye week and they’re back-to-back Friday and Saturday. Luckily neither are afternoon games, amirite?

Listen, everybody is going to think that the Oilers will walk all over the Coyotes and that the Golden Knights are going to walk all over the Oilers but we know better, it’s going to be the opposite isn’t it?

Actually, I have tons of faith in the boys that they’ll come out with 3 or more points this weekend and those games could very well be the catalyst that sparks a serious 10 (or more) game streak of positive results.

Of course, I’m less a realist and more an optimist, so naturally, I’ll take that route of thinking. I just find that reading any sponsored Oilers blog (Oilersnation, Oil on Whyte, The Oilers Rig, Copper and Blue, etc) or their Twitter personalities to be a real pain in the ass. WAY too negative. I mean good god people. Let’s take a step back and realize that we’re getting upset at something that’s way out of our control. But I suppose it’s a bit easier for me not being in Edmonton or Alberta or Canada for that matter as I can go out in public with my Oilers swag on and nobody gives a flying fart.

Anyways, I’m not writing today to bitch and moan about other sites. I want to get into my thoughts on the team looking back and going forward into this summer. Talk about some roster speculation and what not.

IS THE TEAM A WRITE-OFF FOR 2017/18?

I don’t believe it is because anything can happen but it’s harder and harder to tow that line every week as the divide between the Oilers and the rest of the Pacific grows. That said, if Edmonton can outright win most of their remaining games vs. their division rivals, that’d go a long way to getting into a playoff position. Securing it is another story. Gotta have a good rest of January though.

WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS SEASON?

The parity is real. Take what the media says with a grain of salt at the beginning of the season. Never get too high on your team but never get too low on them either.

The failures of this team are on the players and the coaching staff. I refuse to blame Chiarelli for this even though he made a poor trade dealing Eberle for Strome (Even though Strome has more goals than Eberle in the last month… hehe). Even with that deal and the apparent lack of depth on the wing, the Oilers have shown the ability to keep up with the major NHL clubs.

You could say that the Oilers failed to replace Sekera but when people say this they never offer a solution. Sekera is a $5M player, right? So were the Oilers supposed to find another $5M dman? I thought Auvitu was supposed to be the critic’s choice anyhow?

Did Chiarelli fail to shore up the goaltending behind Talbot? Go take a look at Brossoit’s numbers last year and tell me you would’ve replaced him this year because you still felt nervous…

What Chiarelli did wrong, in my opinion, was that he put his faith in the Caggiulas, Bennings, Slepyshevs, and Yamamotos. I really feel that in today’s NHL you MUST have great veterans on your team when you have the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Nurse on your team. I love what Toronto did in signing Marleau and I loved what Calgary did in signing Jagr even though that’s not working out. But back to Toronto for a second, they’ve got a great group of older players insulating Matthews, Nylander, and Marner and I simply think that’s how you do it. If you go the route that Edmonton has, you risk having the highest of highs and the lowest of lows more often.

When you build a team you build from the spine out. That means centre depth, D depth, and goaltending depth. Then after that, you sort out the wings. This is the first time in probably a decade where the Oilers have had this kind of depth down the spine but that’s not good enough for the “diehards”.

Special teams, bad starts, injuries, and basically all the things that went right for the Oilers last season have gone wrong for them this year but I do believe that things happen for a reason and this year will be a great learning experience for the players, coaches, management, and ownership.

With those supposed failures are some successes as well.

Jesse Puljujarvi is going to be one of the best 21-and-under players in the NHL very soon. Darnell Nurse has turned a corner in his development. Kailer Yamamoto will most likely be in the NHL next season (possibly on McDavid’s line), Tyler Benson has found a way to stay healthy (knock on wood), Kirill Maksimov is ripping up the OHL, and in the minors, Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear are coming along very nicely!

One more thing on Puljujarvi, he’s looking like he’ll score most of his goals from in tight until he learns to be more creative with his shot and that’ll come with experience and more confidence. He’s already one of the team’s best defensive players due to that long stick/reach and quick forechecking. He’s an untouchable for me on this team.

The Oilers have a top-5 PK on the road… With the same players… The same coaches… The Same GM… Same puck, sticks, ice, and skates. Top 5 people. Let that sink in before calling for someone’s head. Or at least offer a tangible solution

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHIARELLI’S LATEST AVAILS?

I feel like he told us a lot without telling us anything. He’s a trained lawyer so he knows what he’s doing there. He pissed off a lot of people telling them he was going to stick with the grander plan and pissed off, even more, explaining the Eberle trade.

So, here’s the thing with him saying what he did about that trade. If what he said angered you that’s probably because you feel as if you deserve some sort of transparency on his part but you don’t. You’re a fan, why should Peter Chiarelli or any other GM give two shits about your feelings regarding a trade, how it got done, how long it took, or how many permutations of the deal there was before the final one was decided on.

Oh you’re a fan and you pay your money, well if it means that much to you, stop! Stop paying for things Oilers related. Stop buying products from companies that sponsor the Oilers (good luck with that) because your money doesn’t pay for access to the GM’s conversations and justifications for what he feels is the right move for the club.

Now, every year the Oilers hold an event where you have access to the brass and you can voice your concerns right to their faces and even use a buzz word like, “fireable offence” in their presence but only if you’re season ticket holder 🙂

Peter Chiarelli said he had a 5-yr plan when he got hired, we’re halfway into that plan. He said he was going to build a team that would compete in the Pacific and as I mentioned above, the Oilers are the 3rd best team vs. the Pacific since he took over. He said he wanted to get bigger, improve the defence, and upgrade the goaltending too. All three accomplished.

What he didn’t say was that he was going to keep the smaller skilled players around that weren’t helping them make the playoffs anyhow.

DEADLINE PRIORITIES

This really depends on where they are but let’s say nothing has changed and the Oilers are well out of the playoff picture. In that case, it’s time to get out the auction bell. Typically Chiarelli likes to get his business done early as most teams are doing now (because deadline day is about as anti-climatic as something can get nowadays) but I wonder if we’ll see him wait it out this year and try for the best deal possible.

Pat Maroon is as good as gone, I’d say the same for Letestu and Mike Cammalleri. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some of their RFAs get moved and other RFAs come in though.

My question is, do the Oilers move out Slepyshev, Caggiula or Benning or give them another year? Another thing on my mind is the future of Oscar Klefbom. His inconsistent health/performance must be giving the brass fits and the Oilers are in dire need of a RH’d PP dman.

We do have an idea that the salary cap will go up, but how far and will it go high enough to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the team or is HE the guy that will bring back that RH’d PP dman?

Back to the priorities at the deadline.

  • Acquiring draft picks in 2018
  • Moving out pricey/unneeded contracts
  • Take advantage of Cup contenders
  • Skill for the farm

I’m a huge proponent of adding picks in rounds 1-3 every year. It’s where the majority if NHLers are selected after all. If Pat Maroon can get you a 2nd and a 3rd in 2018, RAD! If you have to add a pick to upgrade that to a 1st, AWESOME! If Letestu can net the Oilers a 3rd rounder in 2018, that would be outstanding!

The Oilers have quite a few contracts in the minors and part of the black aces that could use new homes. Eric Gryba and Ryan Stanton, Mark Fayne and Ty Rattie come to mind. If the Oilers aren’t going to do anything with Joey Laleggia, let him have an opportunity somewhere else. I think I’d add Laurent Brossoit to that list too now that Al Montoya is an Oiler and signed for another year.

The Stanley Cup contenders like Nashville, Tampa, Columbus, Los Angeles, Winnipeg, or Vegas might be willing to give up on some tasty draft picks and/or prospects to solidify their playoff rosters and I’d like to see that opportunity used to stock up the farm.

Speaking of the farm, I do have a list of AHL/NHL fringe players that tickle my fancy a bit too.

  • Ivan Barbashev/Dmitri Jaskin (STL)
  • Hudson Fasching (BUF)
  • Ville Saarijarvi (DET)
  • Jared McCann (FLA)
  • Daniel Carr (MTL)
  • Josh Ho-Sang (NYI)
  • Josh Leivo/Nikita Soshnikov (TOR)
  • Jonny Brodzinski/Paul Ladue (LA)
  • Frederick Gaudreau (NSH)
  • Jeremy Roy (SJ)

I reckon that the big names in the trade market will get scooped up because the Oilers don’t have those kinds of assets. If I were to predict what we’ll really see at the deadline, I imagine it’ll be a few lateral moves and trades to set something up for this summer.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR?

I want to see this team compete night in and night out like they’re playing in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final with 2 minutes to go and a goal down. Balls to the wall compete. I want to see the coaches stop f*cking around (if they keep their jobs) and start making some changes. I want more ice time to the younger players who’ve been taking it in the chin since game 1. What better time to give them the experience they need?

I simply want to see a team that cares and plays with intensity. Score some goals along with that and I’ll be a happy fan 🙂

Fack! This is a long one mate! I’ll sign off here but before that, take a gander at the new December 2018 Top Ten NHL Draft Rankings from our Youtube channel!

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Jumping In Head First

I’m going to be touching on a few things here including the game tonight that I’ll miss due to work. GRRR! Also, I want to touch on the anti-Eberle fans and then on a more serious note I’ll be talking about a serious article from The Oilers Rig that has had me thinking and I hope you can help me with my thoughts a bit.

**WARNING! THIS POST HAS QUITE A BIT OF FOUL LANGUAGE IN IT. PLEASE GO ELSEWHERE IF YOU’RE OFFENDED BY SWEAR WORDS. IF YOU DO STAY AND READ AND THEN DECIDE TO EMAIL ME ABOUT SAID LANGUAGE, I WILL PROBABLY REPLY WITH THE SAME SORT OF LANGUAGE. THANK YOU!**

Oilers/Maple Leafs: McDavid vs. Kadri

I’m very interested in seeing how this is going to go down. Will Kadri try to go at McDavid like he did in TO? Will Lucic do something about it if Kadri does? How will McLellan work the last change?

I think that Connor is going to take this match-up very seriously and very personally. He looks like a man of immense pride and being embarrassed like that in TO has surely left a mark.

How will the Oilers combat Mitch Marner? What if Darnell Nurse was out there every time Marner was? Do what Arizona with OEL on McDavid and just have a single dman tasked withs shutting Marner down.

Will Auston Matthews and William Nylander have a better go this time around? They were pretty quiet in the previous game. Do you reckon that RNH will be given the job of taking care of the Maple Leafs’ kid line?

This should be a beauty of a game and in comparison to the last two versus Arizona, it should feel like 1987 all over again!

JORDAN EBERLE

Are you one of the fans that is yearning for the Oilers to sit Eberle in the press box for a night to “teach him a lesson”? Or are you the kind that wants the Oilers to deal him right now?

Ain’t happenin’ folks!

Eberle is the team’s best RW, period and he’s on pace to put up 25 goals and 60 points! You can’t even argue that Puljujarvi is one bit and he’s the closest one! WHY would you want to trade that?

Ebs scores, forechecks like a mutha fucker and he’s been backchecking like crazy this season. More than any other season that I can remember.

Do you think he’s lazy in the corners and too weak?

Remember how he and Hall and Nuge used to work that cycle in year’s past? Yeah, he had to go to the dirty areas to do that.

Look, I’m mad at him for missing that assignment in front of the net vs. Arizona too and I absolutely HATE how he has to dribble the puck 3 or 4 times before letting it fly but you win as a team and you lose as a team. The Oilers, and Eberle himself, had plenty of chances to score earlier and they didn’t. Boo hoo, we move on to the next team.

I mean if you’re going to pick on someone, be consistent. Get on Pouliot’s back.

ON A SERIOUS NOTE… This is Where I Jump in Head First.

As I laid in bed trying to get to sleep I had a Joe Rogan podcast playing in the background and today’s guest was a professor from the Univ. of Toronto and they were talking about social justice warriors and the likes and it got me thinking about an article I read from my old haunt, The Oilers Rig.

http://www.theoilersrig.com/2016/11/sports-email-abuse-2/

The article was from the site’s content manager Megan Fowler and she had an encounter with an unknown follower who happened to show a lack of appreciation for her fondness of Taylor Hall and proceeded to call her a cunt. Neh! A stupid cunt.

Now I’ve dealt with Ms.Fowler in the past and I’ll be honest, the interactions weren’t that pleasant. It was more business-like than I was used to and we didn’t see eye-to-eye because we’re on the opposite sides of the Hall debate and had no problems letting each other know. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t a stupid cunt or anything. But I left the Rig family soon after to concentrate on things here at BLH. Shows how smart of a guy I am…

I’m torn and a bit confused about my whole feelings on Ms.Fowler’s experience and that’s why I’m writing this. I’d like to know more about the situation and in the process, hopefully, learn more about myself by exposing my underbelly a bit on the topic and most likely open myself up to some public shaming due to my lack of empathy. Hooray! And a pre-emptive thank you for taking the time to read perhaps a different viewpoint.

Honestly, I just want to know if my wheels are aligned or if they’re in dire need of an adjustment.

I’m not female so I can’t say I know how Ms.Fowler feels nor have I been called any sort of cunt before. But a part of me says if she’s going to passionately write about her team and be combative and have the words “Salty AF” (AF = as fuck) in her Twitter handle, then she should be prepared to have some shit slung at her and when it does come her way; she can’t go crying on social media and through her site about it.

I don’t know why but there lingering questions for me.

  • Did the email only contain the sentence, “Hey you stupid cunt, why don’t you cry about Taylor Hall some more?” Because ironically, that is a pretty cunty email to send if that’s all it said.
  • How do we know it was a guy that sent it?
  • Was it a person from Great Britain where the term “cunt” is fairly widespread and common?

The ego takes a bit of a hit there when someone calls you a name (especially a cunt in North America) and nobody likes to be disrespected be they male or female but the reassurances needed by Ms.Fowler, a grown adult and teacher, are also a question for me. She claims that it’s not the first time and certainly won’t be the last but if it’s happening so often, is there something there that should be reflected upon? I mean, what’s the motivation in posting an entire article on being called a name and why does she care so much about this one person’s opinion?

She claims that it’s not the first time and certainly won’t be the last but if it’s happening so often, is there something there that should be reflected upon personally? I mean, what’s the motivation in posting an entire article on being called a name and why does she care so much about this one person’s opinion if this is a common occurrence?

  • Social justice?
  • To shed light on women in sport and the abuse they have to endure?
  • Needed attention?

In Ms.Fowler’s case, she kinda made her own bed with her pining of Taylor Hall but hey, we all have our favorite players and even I’ll say that trade was questionable. My favorite band was Blink-182 when I was younger and I can say from experience, I did not want to admit that amongst my more punk rock engrained friends and I never wore a Blink shirt to the Warped Tours I attended… Stayed safe and wore Anti-Flag shirts 🙂

I guess personally, I just don’t feel the need to bring to light the garbage that someone is trying to toss on my lawn so I can say “Hey! Look at what happened here! This is an unspeakable offense!” I suppose I’m more of the type that says, “Wow! Whoever sent that is obviously having a tough time in life, I hope things get better for them but a name only has the power you give it.” And honestly, there are worse things to be called than a stupid cunt, unless you feel that you might be a bit a cunt and are pissed someone has finally called you out.

I imagine I’ve done my own but of shit-disturbing by now and there will most definitely be someone who’ll ask me, “What if that happened to your daughter?”

Well, the answer to that is, don’t worry about my daughter because it’s none of your business. I appreciate the concern but we’ll handle it.

I figure in this instance there’s some person out there laughing his ass off feeling empowered by what has transpired. So has Ms.Fowler really done anything to combat this sort of offense?

All of That Being Said…

Megan has obviously gone and done something so well that it has irked someone enough into showing their own insecurities to you by taking the time to email her and call her a cunt. She’s obviously talented at what she does and since taking over at The Rig, the site has gone stratospheric!

One must give credit where credit is due and often times when one cannot find it in them to give said credit, they go the other way and try to tear down what that other person has done.

You see, that’s the thing about the keyboard warriors. So so so so insecure and they believe that their opinion of you or your works counts for something. The mindset of “If I’m wrong then you’re a dick” is the most fucked up and childish one I’ve come across but I find it rare in public settings because those people tend to be taken care of one way or another. Give a guy a keyboard and the safety net of knowing they may never have to meet the person their denigrating though and it’s on!

In the end, I really believe that the sex of a writer is unimportant. Good content comes from everyone and everywhere, male or female or transgender, but if you’re being a cunt, you’re fair game.

So don’t be a cunt.

The comments section is open for your thoughts. Thank you!

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2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup, Beer League Hero, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects, Zach Laing

2016 Mastercard Memorial Cup: Knights surge past the Rebels 6-2 in the tournament’s opening game

Multi-point efforts from Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak led the London Knights to a 6-2 win over the host Red Deer Rebels to open the 98th MasterCard Memorial Cup. Rob Wallator/CHL Images

The game started off strong for the Red Deer Rebels.

The first half of the first period was driven by the Rebels and they looked very much into the game. Banging, crashing and taking straight lines to the Knights, they certainly gave the London Knights a warm welcome to what playing WHL hockey is all about.

Both teams traded chances early in the game until Rebel Defender Hayden Fleury got into it after the whistle with Knights Winger Matthew Tkachuk. Despite the fact that the two had been pushing and shoving, the Knights got the last laugh as Fleury was penalized two minutes for roughing.

“We got a good start for the first ten minutes but penalties changed the momentum of our game,” said Rebels Head Coach during his post-game availability. “London was able to regroup and create some offense.”

It didn’t take long for the the Knights to capitalize, as on the powerplay drawn by Tkachuk, Mitch Marner and Tkachuk contributed assists on an Aaron Berisha goal.

From that point on, the Knights began to pour it on the Rebels. Christian Dvorak capitalized on two great set ups in front of the Rebels net in thanks to assists from Olli Juolevi and Mitch Marner on both goals.

Much like the second period, the first chunk of the second was quite even. However, Mitch Marner continued to shine and put the Knights up 4-0 seven minutes into the period.

Marner’s uses his speed and his ability to see the play before it happens gave him the chances to make the Rebels look silly. I always knew Marner was a player, but to have the chance to see him up close you begin to realize how special he is.

Hayden Fleury and Matthew Tkachuk exchange pleasantries during the first period. Fleury took a two minute roughing call on the play. Rob Wallator/CHL Images

“They’re talented and skilled,” said Suter when asked about the performance of the Tkachuk, Dvorak and Marner line.

“When you give them ice and allow them to do things and don’t play a hard game against them, they’re going to dominate you.”

Every time the trio were on the ice, the Knights spent almost all the time in the Rebel end. If teams can’t find a way to shut down this incredibly dominant line it is going to be very difficult to beat the Knights.

Tkachuk, who is the 2nd ranked North American skater by the NHL’s Central Scouting service, had a solid performance notching one assist alongside 10 shots on net and a +3 rating.

“To start off 1-0 is perfect,” said Tkachuk after the game.

“I hope the other team’s notice that we are here and we are here to win.”

Pair that alongside the stellar play of Knights G Tyler Parsons, and they could very well be the team to beat in this years Memorial Cup.

“Tyler Parsons made some amazing saves even when we had the lead, he kept us in the game,” said Knights head coach Dale Hunter.

“He gave us the momentum in the first ten minutes when Red Deer was putting a lot of pressure. It is a big win for our first game tonight.”

5’10, 174 lb 2016 Draft eligible Knights Defenceman Victor Mete scored a great goal in the second picking up a loose puck in the slot and firing it above Rebel G Rylan Toth.

His speed and offensive awareness could make him an interesting selection in this years draft. Mete led all OHL defencemen with a +53 +/- rating, and is currently rated .

The story behind the game wasn’t the fact that the Knights poured it on the Rebels, but simply the fact that Red Deer was unable to shut down the dynamic line of Matthew Tkachuk, Christian Dvorak and Mitchell Marner.

Every time the trio were on the ice, they spent almost all the time in the Rebel end. Simply put, if teams can’t find a way to shut down this line it is going to be very difficult to find a way to beat the Knights.

Pair that alongside the stellar play of Knights G Tyler Parsons, and they could very well be the team to beat in this years Memorial Cup.

“Tyler Parsons made some amazing saves even when we had the lead, he kept us in the game,” said Knights head coach Dale Hunter.

“He gave us the momentum in the first ten minutes when Red Deer was putting a lot of pressure. It is a big win for our first game tonight.”

I will be in Red Deer for the games over the next week covering the Memorial Cup live, so be sure to follow me on Twitter so you don’t miss a beat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8mIcgbSRHk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW6S216eoEE

Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

2015 Beer League Heroes NHL Mock Draft Pt.1

We’re under a week away until McDavid Day hockey fans! Well, I’ve thought long and hard and it’s time to release my Beer League Heroes NHL Mock Draft for 2015!

Continue reading 2015 Beer League Heroes NHL Mock Draft Pt.1 →