Tag Archives: Nail Yakupov

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

Edmonton Oilers Rumor Roundup: Will Taylor Hall Return to the Oilers?

Last night during the Coyotes/Oilers game, a tweet from @PunjabiOil came across my timeline that quoted Elliotte Friedman saying on a local podcast if he were GM of the Oilers and he knew that Taylor Hall was going to free agency, his plan would be to bring him back to Edmonton.

This was funny because Bob Stauffer and Mark Spector sort of brought Hall up during yesterday’s edition of Oilers Now and it’s not the first time we’ve heard Bob talk about Taylor Hall coming back to Edmonton, right?

I’ve talked to my sources about the possibility of Hall coming back and some of them have told me that “it’s doable” and some of them believe there’s no chance. Edmonton would have to do major surgery to the roster to fit him in long term.

Now, that does leave the possibility of him coming back for the final year of his current deal though. Which would be next season. Edmonton could definitely deal in that a lot easier than competing for his services on the open market if he were to go UFA status.

Combine that with murmurs of Jordan Eberle possibly being willing to go back to Edmonton on a deal that could pay him $4M/yr for three years…

How ridiculous would that be if both Hall and Eberle returned?

All they’d have to do is find some way to get Hall out of NJ via trade, deal Lucic and one of Russell or Sekera without retaining salary, and then sign Ebs… It’s THAT easy! Wing depth restored!

Personally, I can’t see it happening but every GM, agent, and player are watching Toronto to see what they do and if it is deemed successful, every other team will try to copy it, including the Oilers.

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NEWS ON PULJUJARVI

On the latest “Insider Trading”, Bob McKenzie wonders aloud if the relationship between the player and team is “fractured beyond repair”. He says there’s lots of speculation that Pulju would not look kindly on being sent down to the AHL and even goes as far as to question if Jesse would even go to the AHL.

It’s all bullshit.

From what I’ve gathered, Puljujarvi IS pissed. He’s angry because he’s watching teammates of his who are of lesser talent getting the push up the lineup instead of him. Players like Alex Chiasson and oddly enough, Ty Rattie.

Now we could all argue about how he hasn’t earned it, right? If “earning it” means not scoring, then wouldn’t Jesse be fitting right in with Rieder, Rattie, and Chiasson?

I feel for him. Two coaches in a row refuse to even give him a chance on the PP.

I mean if you want a direct example of how old-school Ken Hitchcock is, look no further than how Josh Currie was used last night. I don’t even want to go into how much of a bullshitter Hitch is based on how he said he was going to use the player in the pre-game media avail…

https://twitter.com/AdamsOnHockey/status/1098089308567687169

Even in the OT, a perfect time to use a player who has speed and a shot, as Ty Rattie does, Hitchcock throws Chiasson out?!

3v3 OT is the PERFECT scenario for a player like Rattie or Puljujarvi (if he’d been on the roster and not out with some “mystery” LBI) or Currie for that matter. Sam Gagner comes straight into the roster and he’s GIFTED with 2nd line TOI and 1st unit PP time…

Think about it for a second. This young man is one of the hardest working players on the team. He stays after practice to work on little things. A quote I got from a former teammate of his said, “He’s the hardest worker and so unselfish.”

How does it make any sense for the media to be portraying Puljujarvi in a selfish light when he’s literally the polar opposite? Well, it gets the eyes and ears directed to their websites and TV channels is what it does.

I’ve said this on Twitter before, but the media is going to try and paint Jesse into the same corner that Nail Yakupov once occupied. We might even start to hear things about how he’s not liked in the dressing room or he’s hard to get along with. Maybe more on the language barrier…

It’s already started with McKenzie saying things like, “the Oilers would LIKE to send him (Pulju) down to the American Hockey League…”

“Like” as in they’re being held hostage here?

Don’t believe it…

He is NOT going to refuse an assignment to the AHL. His camp might feel that Bakersfield isn’t the right move for him right now but he’d report.

As far as I’ve been told, Jesse loves Edmonton, he wants to stay and play. He’s young, he’s got certain expectations of himself and also the team I imagine. It’s just that he’s been told one thing and the opposite is happening. That’d enrage anybody.

I think it’s possible that there’s someone in the organization that is leaking things that simply aren’t true (that he wants out) and the media is running with it because if it bleeds it leads.

If the Oilers truly want to repair this, find the leak and plug it!

My Solution: Get Hitchcock off that bench and have Manny Viveiros run the show. He had a young Finn in Swift Current that ran the show there for some time. I think his name was Heponiemi.

My Solution 2: Let Jay Woodcroft work his magic with him. Winning is the cure to a lot of ailments.

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THE NEXT MOVE: BENNING/PETROVIC OUT?

I’m still hearing that Pittsburgh has interest in Alex Petrovic, but teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay are also looking for depth right-hand shots. Matt Benning also fits the description there and in all honesty is probably who the Oilers would prefer to move given he’s got an extra year left on his deal.

Keep an eye on Alex Chiasson. He’s getting a ton of media attention right now. I think Boston is looking at him AND Kassian.

https://twitter.com/NHLbyMatty/status/1098251428445876229

The name of the game is clearing cap space folks. If Edmonton can rid themselves of all those players AND possibly one of Sekera or Russell, I think they do it with a smile on their faces and I think they’d even retain salary to do it.

Whatever it takes to get Hallsy and Ebs back into the fold, right? :p

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Prospects

Has Stauffer Flip-Flopped on Puljujarvi and Lucic?

STAUFFER ON PULJUJARVI

Well it’s simple for Puljujarvi, if he doesn’t gain some traction at some point, he may be finding himself having a new address.

What happened to the Blake Wheeler comparison Bob? Is Puljujarvi not “popping” quick enough? I thought it was a “take it slow” approach with Jesse…

Are you going to tell me that the Oilers have done all they can to put Puljujarvi in a position to succeed? I mean just go look at all that time he’s spent on the PP, right?

Because I think the Oilers are going to have to make a decision with him. ’cause I think that Yamamoto, and you saw Yamamoto the other night in the dev. camp, I mean he dominated and he has the confidence of the other players and that was evident last year when he was up in the NHL as well. 

So Mr.Stauffer, are you simply parroting what you’ve heard from other players/staff within the organization. Do the players not want to play with Puljujarvi because he hasn’t developed as quickly as some of his draft class? You’re telling us that because Kailer has an outgoing and confident personality that the players would prefer to play with him even though he might not be ready to play at the NHL level?

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To me, IF this is true, it’s a crying shame. The Oilers have basically done nothing to help Pulju out. From his deployment on the ice to getting the team to embrace him as one of their own. It’s no wonder he’s accepting rides from fans. Reminds me a bit of what happened with Yakupov except Jesse can play without the puck and his shots hit the net.

I don’t really buy the language problem. I never have. Yes, any help is good help when it comes to acquiring new language but as someone who’s been in that industry and living overseas for over 10 years, I can tell you that one of the best things for his English development is 100% immersion in an English environment. He’s forced to use his communication skills be they verbal or physical or written or otherwise and in the end that’ll be great for him because on the ice/bench you don’t always use verbiage to communicate.

Check out this interview from back in January of 2016. It starts in Finnish but it’s conducted by an Englishman. It’s hard enough to try and understand English from a Canadian or an American but when you toss a Brit in there, that’s a whole new ball of yarn kids.

His English has never been that bad, it just hasn’t been at the level of Patrik Laine’s. Get off Jesse’s case and probably get off of the Oilers’ case (read: Chiarelli’s case). Shit, I still don’t understand what Esa Tikkanen is saying. Never affected his game. Kurri learnt English watching TV shows. Pulju is going to be fine.

I’ll be furious if the Oilers (read: Todd McLellan) fuck(s) this kid’s development up. I mean from all the people I’ve talked to who are close to Jesse, he’s working very hard this off-season. Not only on the physical aspects but also the mental ones. I guarantee you he will be much better equipped for a full season in the NHL in 2018/19 and we’re going to start to see him realize his potential.

Jesse Puljujarvi is a very bright hockey player but he’s shy until you get to know him. I wonder if his teammates are making an effort to get to know him…

ON LUCIC

“It’s a “what have you done for me lately” business and when you have that lack of production and those sort of challenges, you’re not being a leader in the dressing room. It’s just the way it is. You can’t because it’s about the production on the ice.”

So Milan simply mailed it in for the last 41 games? Is that it? This is bullshit from Stauffer. Of course you can be a leader in the dressing room if you’re not producing. You cannot sit there and tell me that Lucic just coasted for the rest of the schedule after Christmas. I mean this is coming from a guy employed by the Oilers who watched every game for the last 40 years.

Tell me, how many goals did Henrik Sedin have last year? Two? Three? Did anybody question his leadership because he wasn’t scoring? Hell no they didn’t!

How many goals did Matt Hendricks score while he was an Oiler? He doesn’t get any flack for not being a leader in the dressing room due to lack of production on the ice, does he?

So many people forget that Lucic was working his balls off to try and score or to help the team during that slump. The puck didn’t bounce his way a lot of times and other times he gave it away, sure. He was squeezing his stick too hard and for every game he didn’t score, he squeezed it that much tighter. Here are to clips from after Christmas that tell me there’s a player here that’s going to come back and show everyone how wrong they are about him

LANCE BOUMA?

Stauffer suggested the Oilers go out and get Lance Bouma because he had a good run with Lucic back in their days together with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.

Lance Bouma? Couldn’t stick with the playoff-less Chicago Blackhawks so they sent him to the AHL. His career high for points is 34 with the Flames back in 2014/15 and had 9pts last year in 53 games. Hockey Reference has him listed as a centre but his career FO% is 34%.

But he hits and offers grit, experience, leadership, all of which I like. His secret weapon must be an amazing shoulder to cry on though..

If you have to go get a player’s junior teammate to get him motivated to play better, you’ve got a far bigger problem on your hands than you think.

WILL THE YAK COME BACK?

Well too bad it didn’t work out for Nail. I really liked his personality and energy and had the Oilers done by him a bit better and had his agent not interfered like he did, I think he would’ve worked out. Good luck to him in the KHL, he’s going to a good team.

FREE AGENT ADDITIONS SO FAR

I Love what Peter Chiarelli has done so far. He’s had to go shopping under a self-inflicted budget but he’s done a fine job of adding players who will help in areas of need.

I still think there’s a trade coming down the pipe perhaps including Zack Kassian or Pontus Aberg or both. Kassian’s contract is holding back another move IMO and Aberg has zero credit with the team after last season’s antics. The have to sign Nurse and Strome too…

Tobias Rieder is a player I didn’t think would join the team but I’m really impressed that he forwent more money and term to link up with his countrymate and put what happened between him and the team earlier in his career behind him. His speed and technical skills are going to be a pleasure to watch next season.

Kyle Brodziak’s experience and veteran leadership is something this team desperately lacks. He’s not amazing on the dot nor is he a great fighter but he doesn’t care. I watched a ton of his fights on YouTube and they’re all basically him sticking up for teammates which I respect. His value will come on the PK and in the playoffs.

Kevin Gravel is someone who I don’t know very much about. As far as I can tell, he’ll be a tweener for the club. He’s not very physical but he’ll scrap if need be. He’s a lefty with a really nice shot. Check out this compilation video from another great Oilers YouTube account, Edmonton Future Watch.

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Get on Board or Get the Hell Out! Oilers Lead Pacific Division

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I’m not a huge fan of road trips when it comes to the Oilers. Not because they are usually a recipe for extended losing streaks but those games are right bloody early in the AM Taiwan time… Ranging from 3am to 7am. I’m sure there are other countries with worse time differences and I feel bad for you too.

The result is that I have to steer clear of all forms of media online because watching a game whilst knowing the result is just a waste of time. I’d much rather go to the trouble of meandering through the links online to get to my feed on NHL Gamecenter.

So, I’ve been having to catch up on the games this past 7 days or so. My thoughts:

Nov.1st vs. The Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs did a fine job of shutting down the Oilers’ top line. Was Kadri being a dick the whole night? Yes. Was that his job? Again, yes. Who wasn’t doing their job in that game? Perhaps Lucic, Maroon, or Zack Kassian. I agree with Don Cherry on this one, Nazem Kadri shouldn’t have been able to touch McDavid after that scrum behind the net that left McDavid chuckling.

It was a 3-2 OT loss, so going away with at least one point was a plus, not having Matthews, Marner or Nylander embarrass them, and seeing Klefbom, Puljujarvi, and Nurse walk away from the game with a combined 21 shots was tight.

Nov.3rd vs. The Rangers

The Rangers are making a mockery of some of the best teams in the league, so for the Oilers to hang in there until there was about 90 seconds left is a testament to the team they’ve become. Sure Benning took a lot of shit for that bobble that led to the go-ahead goal but Milan Lucic better have bought the team dinner after that failed assignment in front of the net.

Nov.5th and 6th vs. The Islanders and Red Wings

Back-to-backs on the road rarely end up with the away team picking up all four points unless you’ve been coming through Alberta the past few years. I will say this about these two match-ups, I left feeling less than impressed. Both games were pretty low scoring but both games also saw some dynamite saves from Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson.

The Islanders game saw the Oilers go down with mass casualties, so that didn’t help their cause but it made the win taste a bit sweeter. The Islanders are a mess right now, a hot tire fire of a mess. I couldn’t help but think it wasn’t an Oilers season if the star rookie didn’t go down with a blown out knee after Seidenberg decided to clip the Finn…

As for last night’s game against the Wings, Tyler Pitlick man. He looked facking beauty alongside Lucic and Draisaitl. His forechecking really played well with the heaviness of Lucic and the playmaking of Leon. I also thought Jordan Eberle had a fantastic game. That setup of Maroon in the slot was the things dreams are made of. I’m sure Patty is on for the next round of beers after that miss.

A question, why is Anton Slepyshev never in the conversation as a player that could spend some time on McDavid’s wing instead of automatically sticking Puljujarvi up there or talking about acquiring a winger? The Russian has got speed and size, he’s gritty, and he can shoot the puck… Just a thought.

But one player stood out for both games and he’s actually been standing out for some time, that player being Darnell Nurse.

Good lord has he taken the next step in his development. His skating is smooth and his stride is powerful. His shot is getting on the net. His hockey IQ is really coming along as he’s picking his spots much better this season. I think he’ll end up in the top 4 by the end of the year with maybe Kris Russell taking his spot on the bottom pairing.

PITLICK/HALL/YAKUPOV

Tyler Pitlick – 4 goals
Taylor Hall – 5 goals
Nail Yakupov – 2 goals

What universe are we in where a 4th liner, in Edmonton no less, is keeping pace with two former first overall picks?

Hall failed to put up a point in the Devils shellacking of Carolina yesterday and has now gone 5 games without scoring a goal. Was a solid -1 though.

Yakupov has been a healthy scratch two games in a row now for the Blues. This after their coach said he’d be back in on Sunday… I imagine Igor Larionov is getting ready to pay Blues GM Doug Armstrong a visit soon. I mean if you’re going to bring a guy along slowly, it doesn’t get any slower than having him sit in the pressbox while your team dismantles the Colorado Avalanche to the tune of 5-1.

BONES TO PICK

Where are all the fans who were crying about Lucic’s non-production now? Where are all the fans who wanted Jordan Eberle traded after last week? Are the ones who were convinced the Oilers would lose the “scheduled loss” last night with Jonas Gustavsson in net still around?

There’ve been some unsavory streaks broken this year as well. Wasn’t Ryan Miller undefeated in regular time vs Edmonton up until the Oilers beat Vancouver? That win versus the Islanders was their first on Islanders ice since 1999. Jimmy Howard  was 13-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a .926 sv% against the Oilers before last night and the Oilers hadn’t beat the Red Wings in Detroit since 2009.

Am I leaving anything out?

If you haven’t noticed, this season is not going to be like any other season the Oilers have had in the previous ten years. This year you need to expect the unexpected.

Did you expect Anton Lander to be playing as well as he has?
Did you expect Tyler Pitlick to still be healthy?
Did you think that the Oilers PK would be amongst the league’s best?
Were you expecting the Oilers to beat St.Louis and Washington?
I bet you didn’t think that Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov were going to be moved either…
Did you reckon Adam Larsson would be as good as he’s been?

The same “fans” that were chastising the Oilers for signing Kris Russell are the same guys who shit on them for playing Matt Benning. I’d say Kris Russell had a huge hand in the Oilers starting the season the way they did and Matt Benning has played very well since being recalled considering his rookie status. Like am I missing something, can I have my cake and eat it too or is the world still round? Oilers win two games w/o Russell and w/Benning, so what…

THE SKY IS FALLING!! SOME PLAYERS ARE PLAYING WELL AND THAT’S TAKING ME OUT OF MY COMFORT BUBBLE. THE NUMBERS TOLD ME THEY’D CRAP THE BED AND IF I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT THE PDO GODS ARE TELLING ME, WHAT AM I TO DO?…

Yet there are still people out there that don’t believe in this team and paid writers who continue to deny what’s going on. Now, I can’t be sure if those writers are genuine in their online musings because I know of writers past who made a pretty good living being contrarians. It’s a dishonest way to go about life but hey, who am I to judge. I’m not sure what it will take for the cynics to get on board but maybe they should stay where they are on Pessimistic Ave. The numbers tell me they’ll be happier there and watching McDavid tells me I’ll be happier where I am.

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Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL

Feeling It

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It’s a weird feeling for the Oilers to be on top of the league, isn’t it? Only two games in albeit but one should never turn down the opportunity to celebrate something, no matter the size of the victory. I’ll celebrate this no questions asked. I might pre-emptively celebrate a three-game winning streak because Buffalo is down their two main battleships.

Can anybody explain to me why the Oilers are winning despite getting their asses handed to them in the possession stats? I mean if you were to strictly read the game by the numbers you’d think the Oilers were lucky and I watched both those games, they were definitely NOT lucky. That being said, McDavid is more or less saving the Oilers’ butts whenever they get down.

NAIL-ING THE OILERS

Are you missing Taylor Hall right now? The chatter is all about Nail Yakupov and how he was so hard done by in Edmonton… I think that’s a load of bullshit too. I like Yakupov but boy-oh-boy is he playing the sympathy card right now…

I asked my source about this and I was told the Oilers did everything they could for Nail but he chose to be a “loner”. I don’t like that term but it captures the spirit pretty well.

A team or organization can only do so much to help their players/employees. Nail Yakupov wanted to come to the Canadian Hockey League and play. He played in Sarnia for two years and lived with the Galchenyuk’s if I’m not mistaken. Then he was drafted by the Oilers and did his family not come to Edmonton with him? So, what am I missing here? What is Yakupov going on about when he complains about a new country, new city, and new friends? Why is he using being away for a long time as an excuse when he went back to Russia almost every off-season? To my understanding, he’s always intimated that he wants to be in North America and would never flee to the KHL. And he’s been in St.Louis all of maybe 2 weeks and everyone in that organization is good people?

I get it if he wants to vent but he seems to be painting the Oilers organization as a whole in a bad manner whilst making people feel sorry for him and it’s a tad aggravating. Or maybe Nail has some mental issues and we should be sensitive to his situation… I’m not sure but I’m not reading that quote above in the way a lot of others are.

We live and die by the choices we make and don’t make in life…

THIS COULD BE IT!!

I need you to really think about what is happening right now in the Pacific Division and how the things I’m about to illuminate upon you could very well affect the Edmonton Oilers and their push for the playoffs in 2016/17.

  • Jonathan Quick, the LA Kings star goalie, is set to miss up to 4 months with a groin injury. Will LA be able to sustain a level of competition that would allow them to be in a position to make the playoffs without Quick? Paging the 2015/16 Montreal Canadiens!
  • Anaheim is having trouble signing their top defenseman, Hampus Lindholm, AND their goaltending is questionable as well. John Gibson is highly touted but unproven and we’ve seen enough of Jonathan Bernier to know what he brings to the table.The Ducks are going to have to make a trade in order to make room for Lindholm and his probably $5M plus contract. This means Cam Fowler, Jakub Silvferberg, and/or Andrew Cogliano could be on the outs in SoCal!Oh… And how could I forget about Randy Carlyle?
  • Calgary’s goaltending is still shaky. Did they really think they were getting an upgrade in Elliott?
  • Vancouver is shaping up to be a lottery team. I’m not sure if Ryan Miller has it in him anymore and it seems like every year we’re waiting with baited breath to see if Jakob Markstrom is going to pan out.
  • Arizona is WAY too young and again, questionable goaltending. Mike Smith goes through phases where he’s an all-star and when he’s an all-star… in the AHL. Arizona is going to have a great team someday but this year they will not be. Knowing the Oilers luck, they’ll probably give them a run for their money though.
  • San Jose… The Sharks will probably compete for the Western Conference title but Edmonton, in theory, will be able to keep up with them this year.

Those top two (LA and Anaheim) are the ones I will be keeping my eye on. Both LA and Anaheim are potentially in very compromising positions. With the easy schedule the Oilers have to start the year, they’d bloody well better take advantage of it because these points will be of the utmost importance come time when the schedule starts to get a bit tougher and the road trips get a bit longer…

All I’m saying is, don’t be surprised if we see the Oilers locked into a playoff position when the time comes due.

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Game 1: Oilers v. Flames – Roger That

 

“A New Era is Set to Begin For The Edmonton Oilers…”

Isn’t that how every year tends to start because we’ve got a shiny new first overall pick to show off or a new coaching staff, a big free agent signing or someone we acquired in a trade?

This year is no different. Peter Chiarelli has absolutely transformed this club since he’s been brought in. Gone are the days of being pushed around by Pacific Division powerhouses like Anaheim, Los Angeles, or San Jose. The Oilers have size, bite, and swagger!

These Oilers will not be pushed around!

Without checking (pun intended), the smallest player on the team has to be Jordan Eberle, right? Luckily that boy can dangle and regularly visits the top shelf. Oh, it’s Caggiula! He’d have to be the smallest guy but might be competing for biggest heart and most compete. Can’t wait to see him in action!

The point being, this is a BIG team that can skate and make plays. Gone are the whiners and locker room distractions as well. Connor’s team is taking shape in a beautiful way and we’re damned lucky to be able to witness it.

Milan Lucic and Adam Larsson are coming in with major expectations tied to them as they’re basically the return for Taylor Hall. My advice, expectations can often lead to disappointment and the term “cautious optimism” is just another way to say you don’t really believe in something, a major cop out if you will.

Last year Lucic pocketed 20 goals and Taylor Hall put up 26 goals. Not a huge difference there. Larsson shouldn’t be expected to be producing major points but if he could get up to 30 points, that would be something and not shocking either. He was on par for that in 2014 when he finished with 24 pts in 62 games for the Devils.

I know that this stat is poo-pooed a bit but Both Larsson and Lucic have been plus players every year they’ve played but 4 seasons combined and those seasons came within the first 3 years of their careers.

A safe expectation would be that Larsson and Lucic are going to go about their ways as they always have. Larsson, a quiet shut-down defender who can transition the puck with ease. Lucic, a brash power forward who doesn’t take shit from anybody but has silky mitts and can deposit both pucks and players in front of the net.

ROOKIES

We’re not quite out of the woods yet Ted. We’ve got some kids who’ll need mentoring.

Jesse Puljujarvi – Not happy he’s on the roster to start the year but give him 9 games and make a decision after that… Please.

What he might do is surprise us around that 9 game mark though. Look, the kid has the speed, size, smarts, work ethic, and his shot is ridiculous! He’s lining up with Leon Draisaitl and Pat Maroon right now but as soon as Drake Caggiula comes back, surely, that’ll be his pivot for the year.

Drake Caggiula – Oilers fans are in for a treat! This kid looks like he could be the next talented small-guy. Is be Brendan Gallagher or Brad Marchand? Could he be as good as Marty St.Louis? Or does he lean to the Theoren Fleury side?

I’m not sure I can answer those questions right now. Maybe he’ll just be Drake Caggiula. What I do know is that this rookie works his bag off, has skills to thrill, and speed to burn. Should be a beauty if everything goes to plan.

Matt Benning – Watched him in the preseason and was thoroughly impressed! Very hard working and didn’t take guff from anyone. Not big but not small. Has a dusting of Jason Smith to him, just a better skater.

Anton Slepyshev – The Russian is starting to find his feet it seems. I loved the way he’s looked in preseason as he has showed he can use his size and his skills to make things happen. I’m curious as to how he’ll do on Nuge’s wing tonight though. Will he show up and do what he did last year or is this a player that has truly turned the corner? If he has, maybe Henderson will scratch the Oilers lack of RW depth off of his never-ending list of things to complain about. Love to read his stuff but good lord does that guy complain a lot.

Tyler Pitlick should be a rookie but he’s played 27 games and the rule is a player cannot play over 25… Shitty for him. But here’s a ready-made replacement for Matt Hendricks. He’s fast, physical and he’s got quite the wrister! Lastly, we can’t forget what happened last time he played the Flames…

Game One: Calgary Flames

I guess Kris Versteeg was right, there was more opportunity in Calgary… What are the Flames doing with their D-pairings anyhow? Wideman is all of a sudden a first pairing guy? How Engelland is even in the starting roster is beyond me and is that Nic Grossman? The same Nic Grossman who skates like he’s got two pianos tied to his ankles? Are they spreading their D out to try and counter the Oilers Unicorns?

I’ll say this though about that line-up, it looks to be a very antagonizing set of players after that first line. Will it pan out for the good? I’m skeptical. I simply believe that the Oilers have a better set of players at this point in time.

GAME DAY PREDICTION

With massive alumni in attendence, the Oilers will open up Roger’s place in style and take the “W” resoundingly.

The Great One Returns?

I don’t really have an opinion on Gretzky coming back into the Oilers organization.

On one hand, I feel it’s Wayne and the boys trying to hold on to what was, perhaps even a bit afraid of people forgetting about what they did because Connor is here now and he’s running the show.

But on the other hand, you can’t say no to Gretzky and what he did whilst he was in Edmonton. Without Gretz and the boys on the bus, would there even be a team in Edmonton right now?

So do you hold onto the past or embrace the future?

Enjoy the game tonight folks! I hope that my prediction comes true and we can all go down to the Mercer and celebrate afterward! If you can find the Beer League Heroes stickers I planted down that street when I was home, take a pic and send them to me @beerleagueheroe on Twitter!

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Click the pic and grab a 16-bit McDavid tee for the summer!