.. and that is why they lose to the Coyotes and Wild most of the time. The youngins aren't used to playing against this defensive structure and are unable to penetrate the zone as well as they ought, create two on ones, or even get in the slot for a decent chance on net.
Oilers are young? Yes. Yes they are. Still. Forever young. Forever young.
McDavid, Puljujarvi, Draisaitl, Caggiula, Slepyshev, Pitlick, Klefbom, Benning, Talbot -- an average of less than 82 games under their belt. That's 9 of 23 players. But that's why everyone is pissed at Eberle. He's a veteran now and should know better.
Again, too many times over the weekend did we see wingers having to skate to the outside only to lob a softy toward Mike Smith, who will save shots like that 12 times out of 10.
I, like many of you, can't stand the trap, and it's killing the game. I wish there was an illegal defense rule like the NBA has in preventing zone defenses, which are generally quite boring in basketball (except for the attacking arrowhead).
As an aside, on Friday, that Klefbom to Larsson goal was probably the best Oilers defensive goal I have seen in years. That's what a playoff team should look like.
A smart discussion on the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and the NHL
Monday, November 28, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
Oilers now have four scoring lines
.#OilersNation
The game against Dallas saw Lander on waivers, injured Hendricks and Caggiula in, Pouliot and Letestu benched. This jumbled up the lines, but the result was a lot of chemistry.
Essentially, the Oilers now have four scoring lines that are well-balanced. Four. Every line has a skilled checker, a two-way centreman, and a skilled winger.
Firstly, let's just mention that having Lucic, Maroon, Kassian, and Hendricks is a fantastic slate of big, strong checkers but who can also play. This is what the Oilers have wanted forever.
Line 1:
This was also the first time we saw McDavid and rookie Puljujarvi on a line together and despite my misgivings on the idea, it worked really really well with McDavid's first hat trick and Puljujarvi getting two assists. He's able to keep up with the captain, something no one else on the team could do. Lucic is the Deputy here, but he needs to step up to protect his Captain. It's what he was hired to do.
Line 2:
This line held their own, despite no points. I've always thought Nuge and Ebs should stick together with their history. Eberle hadn't been working out as well for McDavid due to foot speed. Maroon can play on any line, score, fight, what have you.
Line 3:
Such a strange mix of players but it worked until Kassian took a dumb 4 minute penalty with the lead. Slepy and Drai were able to provide assists to Klefbom's goal. Many Russians prefer playing on their offside (Ovechkin, Yakupov) and while Slepy and Drai's forehand sticks don't match on passes skating forward, with a stop in the offensive zone and pass back to the defense, the puck is then protected on the outside with the boards, allowing you to even pass off the boards easier.
Line 4:
I love this line. It could easily be a 3rd line as well. I won't miss Lander, but we all missed Hendricks. He's the checker here and while he may not be able to keep up with The Drake and Pitty, those two showed excellent chemistry together.
All three lines can have a checker to get the puck and dish to a centre, who passes to a winger for a shot and rebound (Puljujarvi and McDavid) or pass and shot (Caggiula to Pitlick).
Pouliot hasn't scored in a very long time and Letestu has even registered a shot on net in forever. McLellan isn't playing favourites, even for veterans, that's for sure. I could see Pouliot slotting in for Kassian on the third line putting Slepyshev back on the right.
Despite the good mix, what the Oilers now lack are good penalty killers, which Lander and Letestu are. This will be the difficult part going forward, so the Oilers need to stay out of the box and not having Pouliot and Kassian take dumb penalties, is likely why McLellan keep one of them out of the lineup.
With Lander down in Bakersfield, is Letestu now the 13th forward?
The game against Dallas saw Lander on waivers, injured Hendricks and Caggiula in, Pouliot and Letestu benched. This jumbled up the lines, but the result was a lot of chemistry.
Essentially, the Oilers now have four scoring lines that are well-balanced. Four. Every line has a skilled checker, a two-way centreman, and a skilled winger.
 |
| Courtesy of DailyFaceoff.com |
Line 1:
This was also the first time we saw McDavid and rookie Puljujarvi on a line together and despite my misgivings on the idea, it worked really really well with McDavid's first hat trick and Puljujarvi getting two assists. He's able to keep up with the captain, something no one else on the team could do. Lucic is the Deputy here, but he needs to step up to protect his Captain. It's what he was hired to do.
Line 2:
This line held their own, despite no points. I've always thought Nuge and Ebs should stick together with their history. Eberle hadn't been working out as well for McDavid due to foot speed. Maroon can play on any line, score, fight, what have you.
Line 3:
Such a strange mix of players but it worked until Kassian took a dumb 4 minute penalty with the lead. Slepy and Drai were able to provide assists to Klefbom's goal. Many Russians prefer playing on their offside (Ovechkin, Yakupov) and while Slepy and Drai's forehand sticks don't match on passes skating forward, with a stop in the offensive zone and pass back to the defense, the puck is then protected on the outside with the boards, allowing you to even pass off the boards easier.
Line 4:
I love this line. It could easily be a 3rd line as well. I won't miss Lander, but we all missed Hendricks. He's the checker here and while he may not be able to keep up with The Drake and Pitty, those two showed excellent chemistry together.
All three lines can have a checker to get the puck and dish to a centre, who passes to a winger for a shot and rebound (Puljujarvi and McDavid) or pass and shot (Caggiula to Pitlick).
Pouliot hasn't scored in a very long time and Letestu has even registered a shot on net in forever. McLellan isn't playing favourites, even for veterans, that's for sure. I could see Pouliot slotting in for Kassian on the third line putting Slepyshev back on the right.
Despite the good mix, what the Oilers now lack are good penalty killers, which Lander and Letestu are. This will be the difficult part going forward, so the Oilers need to stay out of the box and not having Pouliot and Kassian take dumb penalties, is likely why McLellan keep one of them out of the lineup.
With Lander down in Bakersfield, is Letestu now the 13th forward?
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Everything I said would happen, happened
#Oilers #OilersNation
Do I know my Oilers or do I know my Oilers? In my last post on November 4, I said the Oilers looked like they were shooting for the sake of shooting and if they only won 1 of 4 games on the Eastern road trip, that was a fail. Here's what I said:
Why have the Oilers lost so many games lately?
It's complicated and simple. Let's look at the simple.
1. Injuries to defensemen -- Not having Kris Russell and Brandon Davidson has impacted the team the most and put more pressure on Klefbom to perform which he has been unable to do, which then creates a domino effect to Larsson and down the line. Sekera and Klefbom need to switch positions.
2. Save percentage -- Poorer defense causes better chances by the opponent.
3. Corsi -- The Oilers have been outshooting their opponents but losing. While some goalies have been hot, more shots than usual are lofters and the team is "shooting for the sake of shooting" to somehow drive up the odds on scoring.
4. Laziness -- I'm looking at Eberle, Lucic, and Pouliot who haven't been up to snuff lately. This causes McLellan to line juggle, kill the chemistry, and cause discontent throughout the lineup.
5. Right-wingers playing on lines above their level. It can be argued that Eberle is no longer a top line winger. Keeping Puljujarvi around was out of necessity since trading Yakupov and being unable to sign Kris Versteeg. Thankfully, Kassian and Pitlick have stepped up well to pick up the slack but neither are really top 6 guys at this time, maybe for a little while, but not consistently.
On a complicated note, looking at 1. above, the continued process of scouting, drafting, and developing good defensemen in the AHL so they hit the ground running in the NHL is vitally important to a team's overall long-term success. If Russell wasn't injured, Benning would be in Bakersfield, and if Davidson wasn't injured, Nurse would be there too, and Gryba would be the 7th defenseman. This has a further trickle-down effect:
1. Centres need to come back more to help the defense -- they expend more energy as a result
2. Wingers perform 1 on 3 solo-attacks because the centres aren't around (except McDavid). They don't get in the danger zone so all they can do is shoot a weak wrister.
3. Talbot has been getting better shot attempts on him because the inexperienced defense is out of position.
Injuries happen all the time. The other players need to step up even more and save Maroon, Kassian and Pitlick, it's not happening.
Do I know my Oilers or do I know my Oilers? In my last post on November 4, I said the Oilers looked like they were shooting for the sake of shooting and if they only won 1 of 4 games on the Eastern road trip, that was a fail. Here's what I said:
HypeOilers now sit 7-3-1 and are tied for first in the West. They need to plug up their defensive positioning (as always) and they could beat the Islanders, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, but I get the feeling they'll only win 1 of 3 and go 8-6-1 after this road trip, which would be a fail and not living up to the hype that the start of the season provided, but more of the reality that many of us would expect--a team that perhaps squeaks into the playoff picture.
For that, they will need to be better than 8 wins in 15 games (.533). Hopefully, a weak division can keep them in the top 3.They lost to the Rangers, beat the Islanders, lost to the Penguins and beat the Red Wings.
Why have the Oilers lost so many games lately?
It's complicated and simple. Let's look at the simple.
1. Injuries to defensemen -- Not having Kris Russell and Brandon Davidson has impacted the team the most and put more pressure on Klefbom to perform which he has been unable to do, which then creates a domino effect to Larsson and down the line. Sekera and Klefbom need to switch positions.
2. Save percentage -- Poorer defense causes better chances by the opponent.
3. Corsi -- The Oilers have been outshooting their opponents but losing. While some goalies have been hot, more shots than usual are lofters and the team is "shooting for the sake of shooting" to somehow drive up the odds on scoring.
4. Laziness -- I'm looking at Eberle, Lucic, and Pouliot who haven't been up to snuff lately. This causes McLellan to line juggle, kill the chemistry, and cause discontent throughout the lineup.
5. Right-wingers playing on lines above their level. It can be argued that Eberle is no longer a top line winger. Keeping Puljujarvi around was out of necessity since trading Yakupov and being unable to sign Kris Versteeg. Thankfully, Kassian and Pitlick have stepped up well to pick up the slack but neither are really top 6 guys at this time, maybe for a little while, but not consistently.
On a complicated note, looking at 1. above, the continued process of scouting, drafting, and developing good defensemen in the AHL so they hit the ground running in the NHL is vitally important to a team's overall long-term success. If Russell wasn't injured, Benning would be in Bakersfield, and if Davidson wasn't injured, Nurse would be there too, and Gryba would be the 7th defenseman. This has a further trickle-down effect:
1. Centres need to come back more to help the defense -- they expend more energy as a result
2. Wingers perform 1 on 3 solo-attacks because the centres aren't around (except McDavid). They don't get in the danger zone so all they can do is shoot a weak wrister.
3. Talbot has been getting better shot attempts on him because the inexperienced defense is out of position.
Injuries happen all the time. The other players need to step up even more and save Maroon, Kassian and Pitlick, it's not happening.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Great starts often cool
Wow, that was a hell of a start. Haven't seen that since .... 1986! Flashes of Gretzky+Kurri started happening and then at the Heritage Classic we saw them play together again with Smytty and Messier and Anderson and Semenko and Roloson and Cujo and MacDonald and Huddy and it was oh so glorious.
Before I continue let me give props to Matti Hagman--still one of the best Finns the Oilers have ever had and blessings to his family on his passing. I'll never forget how really good you were.
Luck
During the hype and hoopla of the new arena, McDavid killing Calgary, Talbot standing on his head, his wife having twins, Adam Larsson proving himself quite worthy, and Kris Russel showing he's got (wait... we'll see), I was very concerned about the team PDO% (goalie save % + team shooting %) being at 106%. The Habs were at 107%. That had to come down naturally at some point. (100% is the norm and average.)
During the win streak, they were shooting the lights out and Talbot was crazy good. And McLellan knew it wouldn't last, so he began emphasizing shooting... which for all you CorsiLovers and LA Kings fans is like the best thing ever.
So what do the players do? They shoot from everywhere. They, how did Eberle put it a year and a half ago after Eakins was let go, "Shooting for the sake of shooting."
After that win streak and three losses in a row, the Oilers PDO is down 4 points now to 0.922 + 0.101 = 1.020.
Powerplay
A big culprit in that has been the powerplay. We'd have beat Ottawa, the Leafs, and Rangers if the PP was better. It's been the absolute shits. I just don't understand Woodcroft's plays. I don't mind the drop pass to charge the blue line and gain it, but after that, like WTF?
A big part of that are the defensemen bringing up the puck and I'm sorry to say but Nurse and Russell are better than Klefbom and Sekera. And Lucic needs to plop himself in front of the net, cause havoc a la Ryan Smyth (who I am meeting on Thursday at his new Bar94 in Lux... eeeee!).
Anyway, here's how I'd deploy the PP units:
Puljujarvi -- Lucic -- McDavid
Eberle -- Maroon -- Pouliot or Pitlick
Then the key here is to pass and attack the net to look for a give and go and to pull defenders in. We used to do this and it worked often. There was so much movement happening, but the key was to ensure we still covered the points.
Pool Party
On Puljujarvi, I am surprised he wasn't sent down after 10 games. I thought the organization had learned from the past about player development. Perhaps singing Versteeg was to fill that hole, then trading Yakupov really opened it up and the #4 draft pick is here to stay. He needs to stay on the 3rd line though.
4th Line is Tops
The 4th line will be the difference-maker in a lot of games as they have. Lander is playing right where he should. Letestu plays better than a 4th liner but it's a 3rd liner, and
And whoever doesn't think Tyler Pitlick should stick should take a stick and shove it. "He's like a dog after a bone." -- Dave Lumley on 630CHED.
Hype
Oilers now sit 7-3-1 and are tied for first in the West. They need to plug up their defensive positioning (as always) and they could beat the Islanders, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, but I get the feeling they'll only win 1 of 3 and go 8-6-1 after this road trip, which would be a fail and not living up to the hype that the start of the season provided, but more of the reality that many of us would expect--a team that perhaps squeaks into the playoff picture.
For that, they will need to be better than 8 wins in 15 games (.533). Hopefully, a weak division can keep them in the top 3.
Go Oilers!
Before I continue let me give props to Matti Hagman--still one of the best Finns the Oilers have ever had and blessings to his family on his passing. I'll never forget how really good you were.
Luck
During the hype and hoopla of the new arena, McDavid killing Calgary, Talbot standing on his head, his wife having twins, Adam Larsson proving himself quite worthy, and Kris Russel showing he's got (wait... we'll see), I was very concerned about the team PDO% (goalie save % + team shooting %) being at 106%. The Habs were at 107%. That had to come down naturally at some point. (100% is the norm and average.)
During the win streak, they were shooting the lights out and Talbot was crazy good. And McLellan knew it wouldn't last, so he began emphasizing shooting... which for all you CorsiLovers and LA Kings fans is like the best thing ever.
So what do the players do? They shoot from everywhere. They, how did Eberle put it a year and a half ago after Eakins was let go, "Shooting for the sake of shooting."
After that win streak and three losses in a row, the Oilers PDO is down 4 points now to 0.922 + 0.101 = 1.020.
Powerplay
A big culprit in that has been the powerplay. We'd have beat Ottawa, the Leafs, and Rangers if the PP was better. It's been the absolute shits. I just don't understand Woodcroft's plays. I don't mind the drop pass to charge the blue line and gain it, but after that, like WTF?
A big part of that are the defensemen bringing up the puck and I'm sorry to say but Nurse and Russell are better than Klefbom and Sekera. And Lucic needs to plop himself in front of the net, cause havoc a la Ryan Smyth (who I am meeting on Thursday at his new Bar94 in Lux... eeeee!).
Anyway, here's how I'd deploy the PP units:
PP Unit #1
Nuge
[ n e t ]
Puljujarvi -- Lucic -- McDavid
Nurse
Or switch Nuge and McDavid.
PP Unit #2
Draisaitl
[ n e t ]
Eberle -- Maroon -- Pouliot or Pitlick
Russell
Then the key here is to pass and attack the net to look for a give and go and to pull defenders in. We used to do this and it worked often. There was so much movement happening, but the key was to ensure we still covered the points.
Pool Party
On Puljujarvi, I am surprised he wasn't sent down after 10 games. I thought the organization had learned from the past about player development. Perhaps singing Versteeg was to fill that hole, then trading Yakupov really opened it up and the #4 draft pick is here to stay. He needs to stay on the 3rd line though.
4th Line is Tops
The 4th line will be the difference-maker in a lot of games as they have. Lander is playing right where he should. Letestu plays better than a 4th liner but it's a 3rd liner, and
And whoever doesn't think Tyler Pitlick should stick should take a stick and shove it. "He's like a dog after a bone." -- Dave Lumley on 630CHED.
Hype
Oilers now sit 7-3-1 and are tied for first in the West. They need to plug up their defensive positioning (as always) and they could beat the Islanders, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, but I get the feeling they'll only win 1 of 3 and go 8-6-1 after this road trip, which would be a fail and not living up to the hype that the start of the season provided, but more of the reality that many of us would expect--a team that perhaps squeaks into the playoff picture.
For that, they will need to be better than 8 wins in 15 games (.533). Hopefully, a weak division can keep them in the top 3.
Go Oilers!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Oilers opening day lineup at 91% of ideal
For those of you who think this line up is ideal and will get the Oilers to playoffs, you are dreaming. With Versteeg not signing, not having a top 4 RHD quarterback, as well as rookies on the 3rd line, Oilers will have to have some puck luck and Talbot standing on his head for them to get to 93 points or better.
How do I know?
4 x (Lucic (3) + McDavid (5) + Eberle (4)) = 48 = 100%
Lucic is not a top line forward and is ideal as a second line winger. McDavid is better than a top line.
3 x (Pouliot (3) + Nuge (4) + Draisaitl (2)) = 27 = 100%
3 x (Pouliot (3) + Nuge (4) + Draisaitl (2)) = 27 = 100%
Nuge can play top line minutes. Draisaitl is better as a centre and is also playing his off-wing.
2 x (Maroon (2) + Caggulia (1) + Puljujarvi (1)) = 67%
2 x (Maroon (2) + Caggulia (1) + Puljujarvi (1)) = 67%
Caggulia and Puljujarvi are rookies. Look for low minutes here. My guess is Charelli is going to hunt for a veteran right-winger before the 10 game mark to send Puljujarvi down to Bakersfield. Ideally, that's what would happen.
Oh but where's Versteeg, you ask? Well, he wanted to play with McDavid, Nuge, or Draisaitl, not a rookie centre in Caggulia, although their chemistry seemed pretty good, he decided to sign in Calgary. Bummer.
1 x (Pitlick (0) + Letestu (1) + Kassian (1)) = 67%
1 x (Pitlick (0) + Letestu (1) + Kassian (1)) = 67%
Pitlick on his off-wing although it usually doesn't matter much on a 4th line yet he didn't play in big league last year.
Forwards: 94%
4 x (Klefbom (3) + Larsson (4)) = 88%
Forwards: 94%
4 x (Klefbom (3) + Larsson (4)) = 88%
Klefbom needs more years to be considered a true top d-man.
3 x (Sekera (3) + Russell (2)) = 83%
3 x (Sekera (3) + Russell (2)) = 83%
Russell is playing his off-handed side.
2 x (Nurse (1) + Davidson (1)) = 75%
2 x (Nurse (1) + Davidson (1)) = 75%
Nurse should be in AHL. Davidson is playing off-handed side.
Defense: 84%
5 x Talbot (4.6) = 92%
Talbot's SSV% is around 92%.
Team: 91%
Defense: 84%
5 x Talbot (4.6) = 92%
Talbot's SSV% is around 92%.
Team: 91%
A ways to go yet. Again, 2-3 more better players needed. And we haven't even talked about the dark road of injuries and depth. Why Chiraelli didn't pounce on Parenteau or Pulkukainen on the waiver wire is beyond many of us. He could have had Puljujarvi develop and adjust more in Bakersfield.
In contrast, the lineup on the last game last season was:
97% forwards
57% defense
90% goalie
79% team
In contrast, the lineup on the last game last season was:
97% forwards
57% defense
90% goalie
79% team
Regardless, it's going to be another Oilersdrama-filled year folks.
At least it's entertaining, right?
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Oilers latest at World Cup of Hockey, Centres, Young Stars, PTOs, and Rogers Place
Yay! Hockey season is back! Yaaaayyyyyy!!!!!! I love the Fall. Beautiful weather. New big huge bad ass building near the office and ten minute Uber from home.
Oilers in the World Cup of Hockey Tournament:
G+A=P (+/-)
1+2=3 (+1) Nugent-Hopkins (North America)
0+3=3 (+1) McDavid (North America)
2+0=2 (+3) Draisaitl (Europe)
0+0=0 (+1) Sekera (Europe)
In the prelim round, Draisaitl got a hat-trick. In a two game span, he was scoring at a rate of about 1 goal per 5 minutes. That's absolute insanity.
Centres
There was some talk this Summer of trading Nuge or Draisaitl to free up cap space for another right-shot d-man then bringing in a 3rd line centreman like David Backes. Didn't happen. Whatever. So are you as excited as I am with having three highly-skilled and very smart two way players like McD, Nuge, and Drai?
Here's the thing. I think Drai needs to be on the 3rd line. Why? Unless he's dramatically improved his conditioning to last longer, being on the 3rd line will cut his minutes.
Generally, it goes like this, and often it's based on salary. Duh. That's called value, man.
1st line: 20-22 minutes per game
2nd line: 16-19 minutes per game
3rd line: 11-15 minutes per game
4th line: 5-10 minutes per game
But with the Oilers, you could almost even the 2nd and 3rd line minutes depending on who's having the better game. That's called competition, man.
Young Stars
There's no doubt Jesse Puljujarvi was lighting it up as he should. So let's mention some of the other notable players like forwards Drake Caggulia, Patrick Russell, defenseman Ethan Bear, and goalies Nick Ellis and Keven Bouchard who all played very well. Oilers swept the tourney which indicates to me that, initially, the Oilers depth and development system is looking better than the Flames and Canucks. That's called better management, man.
PTOs
Oilers true depth on right-wing has been a contentious issue with the Yakupov banner-wavers claiming no such thing exists or that Eberle isn't good enough so trade him for defense. Well, unless you have a solution to fill in for Ebs, like Lucic is doing for Hall's departure, then shut. your. trap.
Every Yakupov package trade scenario has been contemplated but the fact of the matter from Chiarelli's mouth is Yak's trade value is a 4th round draft pick, while the #2 pick right after Yak, defenseman Ryan Murray, is playing on Team North America. Damn Katz. Do you just play out Yak's contract and see if his value increases to dump him for pucks or better? Seems so. That said, they may put Yak with McDavid to up his value although Drai on the 3rd line isn't bad either.
Solution? A Personal Try Out was offered to and accepted by middle-6 right-winger Kris Versteeg, who was playing in the Swiss League, and with some confusion over his health insurance from years ago, and management being on the ball, he "popped loose". Versteeg is the near the exact type of player the Oilers need on the right wing. Already heavy on the left side, having Versteeg's possession numbers are 1st line quality and better than Teddy Purcell--meaning, he wins puck battles to pop loose (saying that a lot, aren't I?) and pass to Nuge or Drai.
What this also allows the Oilers to do is keep Jesse Puljujarvi in the AHL to develop to the rink size--although at the Young Stars tourney, it didn't seem to phase him. This would be the smart move. Have placeholder players. There's no rush with Jesse. Finally the Oilers can do what they've needed to do for a long time and that is to stop rushing players and exposing them to young-bone injuries, but have them hit the ground running when they're a little older, stronger, and wiser. That's called better development, man.
As it's now obvious Chiarelli couldn't find another right-shot d-man over the summer, a last-minute PTO was offered to previous Oilers huge right-handed d-man Eric Gryba. This is a good move as the Oilers still don't have ANYONE to fill that spot other than moving a lefty to the right side. I'm done with all of you who think a lefty there makes sense. Stop it. That's called a better ideal scenario, man. Would someone better than Fayne on 2nd pair be ideal. Yes it would. Gryba will be a stop gap.
The other potential PTO is for former Flames lefty d-man, Kris Russell. Wow, what are the odds of two Kris' being offered a PTO? Zero. Russell would be the fill-in 7th man while Nurse, Reinhart, and Oesterle develop for another year. Nurse needs to be a dominating d-man in the AHL in order to be impact in the NHL and he's not quite there yet.
The Lineup
This leaves the potential lineup as follows:
 |
| Oilers / Team Europe centre Leon Draisaitl scores on Czech Republic in the World Cup of Hockey Tournament. Image courtesy of Yahoo.com. |
Oilers in the World Cup of Hockey Tournament:
G+A=P (+/-)
1+2=3 (+1) Nugent-Hopkins (North America)
0+3=3 (+1) McDavid (North America)
2+0=2 (+3) Draisaitl (Europe)
0+0=0 (+1) Sekera (Europe)
In the prelim round, Draisaitl got a hat-trick. In a two game span, he was scoring at a rate of about 1 goal per 5 minutes. That's absolute insanity.
Centres
There was some talk this Summer of trading Nuge or Draisaitl to free up cap space for another right-shot d-man then bringing in a 3rd line centreman like David Backes. Didn't happen. Whatever. So are you as excited as I am with having three highly-skilled and very smart two way players like McD, Nuge, and Drai?
Here's the thing. I think Drai needs to be on the 3rd line. Why? Unless he's dramatically improved his conditioning to last longer, being on the 3rd line will cut his minutes.
Generally, it goes like this, and often it's based on salary. Duh. That's called value, man.
1st line: 20-22 minutes per game
2nd line: 16-19 minutes per game
3rd line: 11-15 minutes per game
4th line: 5-10 minutes per game
But with the Oilers, you could almost even the 2nd and 3rd line minutes depending on who's having the better game. That's called competition, man.
Young Stars
There's no doubt Jesse Puljujarvi was lighting it up as he should. So let's mention some of the other notable players like forwards Drake Caggulia, Patrick Russell, defenseman Ethan Bear, and goalies Nick Ellis and Keven Bouchard who all played very well. Oilers swept the tourney which indicates to me that, initially, the Oilers depth and development system is looking better than the Flames and Canucks. That's called better management, man.
PTOs
Oilers true depth on right-wing has been a contentious issue with the Yakupov banner-wavers claiming no such thing exists or that Eberle isn't good enough so trade him for defense. Well, unless you have a solution to fill in for Ebs, like Lucic is doing for Hall's departure, then shut. your. trap.
Every Yakupov package trade scenario has been contemplated but the fact of the matter from Chiarelli's mouth is Yak's trade value is a 4th round draft pick, while the #2 pick right after Yak, defenseman Ryan Murray, is playing on Team North America. Damn Katz. Do you just play out Yak's contract and see if his value increases to dump him for pucks or better? Seems so. That said, they may put Yak with McDavid to up his value although Drai on the 3rd line isn't bad either.
Solution? A Personal Try Out was offered to and accepted by middle-6 right-winger Kris Versteeg, who was playing in the Swiss League, and with some confusion over his health insurance from years ago, and management being on the ball, he "popped loose". Versteeg is the near the exact type of player the Oilers need on the right wing. Already heavy on the left side, having Versteeg's possession numbers are 1st line quality and better than Teddy Purcell--meaning, he wins puck battles to pop loose (saying that a lot, aren't I?) and pass to Nuge or Drai.
What this also allows the Oilers to do is keep Jesse Puljujarvi in the AHL to develop to the rink size--although at the Young Stars tourney, it didn't seem to phase him. This would be the smart move. Have placeholder players. There's no rush with Jesse. Finally the Oilers can do what they've needed to do for a long time and that is to stop rushing players and exposing them to young-bone injuries, but have them hit the ground running when they're a little older, stronger, and wiser. That's called better development, man.
As it's now obvious Chiarelli couldn't find another right-shot d-man over the summer, a last-minute PTO was offered to previous Oilers huge right-handed d-man Eric Gryba. This is a good move as the Oilers still don't have ANYONE to fill that spot other than moving a lefty to the right side. I'm done with all of you who think a lefty there makes sense. Stop it. That's called a better ideal scenario, man. Would someone better than Fayne on 2nd pair be ideal. Yes it would. Gryba will be a stop gap.
The other potential PTO is for former Flames lefty d-man, Kris Russell. Wow, what are the odds of two Kris' being offered a PTO? Zero. Russell would be the fill-in 7th man while Nurse, Reinhart, and Oesterle develop for another year. Nurse needs to be a dominating d-man in the AHL in order to be impact in the NHL and he's not quite there yet.
The Lineup
This leaves the potential lineup as follows:
Lucic - McDavid - Eberle
Pouliot - Nuge - Versteeg
Maroon - Draisaitl - Yakupov
Hendricks - Letestu - Kassian
(Lander - Pakarainen)
Klefbom - Larsson
Sekera - Fayne
Davidson - Gryba
(Russell, Oesterle)
You know, save a couple spots, this is a solid hockey team. The best one the Oilers have had since...
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Place
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| Ford Hall at Rogers Place. Image courtesy of the Edmonton Journal. |
I took the tour on the Sunday. It's big. The "bridge" called "Ford Hall" over 104th Avenue is just pure awesome and the artwork spectacular. It really will bridge the downtown core with the arena without having billions of fans cross the road by foot. It feels like an airport coming in and certainly takes a while for one to get to their seats.
When you get in, there are so many lounges. So many kinds of seats. The casino I hear isn't as big as everyone thought it would be. We didn't pop in but I like roulette. Maybe I'll only play after a game if the Oilers lose (so hopefully rarely).
Lots of up escalators but didn't see any down ones (maybe one). It also felt like they really want you to stay on your level as it's difficult to get up and down once you find the back stairs.
The seats themselves were disappointing. Seems all the upper level seats weren't any wider than Rexall although there was about one more inch for my knees to the seat in front. Only the lower bowl had cup holders and a smattering of wider seats. I'm loving Commonwealth Stadium with the wider seats and cup holders--was hoping it would be the same for all seats at Rogers Place. The sight lines are what stand out.
No more gambit for the fans to watch and howl at the players as they come to and from the dressing room. Like in Pittsburgh, there is a glassed lounge. But access to underneath the stands is Forbodden!
The dressing room is what it should be--a semi-circle so all are equal. The theatre room to go over video is big and roomy. The physical and training rooms are massive. All good things for the players to have the best.
Parking? Just don't do it. Take the nearest LRT in your area to a downtown station and if you're on the Capital Line, switch to the Metro Line. I bet you many folks will be parking in Kingsway Garden Mall and LRTing it over one station.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Lots of exciting Oilerama going on. I've moved to a new house and have setup my man cave with Oiler stuff, goal lite, and more. I figure if I don't attend a few home games, I'll be able to pay for the house in no time!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The Oilers should do the smart thing
Ever since Rebuild 1.0, the Oilers have had to use rookies in top positions to fill the void left from management unable to find the right free agents, the right draft choices, and not even having a sole farm team to plop those drafted players into for development until they were fully ready to hit the ground running to play in the big league.
That scenario put new coach Tom Renney in a difficult position to find that balance between "protecting the kids" to winning, knowing they were the better players on the team. Then injuries ensued and the Oilers had to call up almost half of the Oklahoma City Barons roster to fill in. Renney knew the real reason he was fired was because he knew the management was terrible in not providing him developed NHL-ready players. What was he supposed to do?
Two coaches later, nothing really changed much. When you look at the drafted and developed players who went from the AHL to the NHL, the Oilers cupboard is pretty bare. Not only that, there were many first round top draft picks, including #1s that didn't even play in the NHL. Look here to see the carnage.
Since 2007, out of the 76 players drafted, about 1/3 have played NHL minutes and 1/4 regular minutes. Since 2010, about 12 players.
Here's a list of the players since 2007 who at least had some regular minutes and where they are now:
By Kevin Lowe:
#6 Sam Gagner - Oilers regular then traded by MacT
#22 Jordan Eberle - 11 games in AHL before Oilers regular
By Steve Tambellini:
#40 Anton Lander - AHL, then Oilers fill-in
#10 Magnus Paajarvi - Oilers regular then traded by MacT
#1 Taylor Hall - Oilers regular then traded by Chiarelli
#31 Tyler Pitlick - AHL, some NHL time
#46 Martin Marincin - AHL, Oilers regular, then traded by MacT
#162 Brandon Davidson - AHL, then Oilers regular
#1 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Oilers regular
#19 Oscar Klefbom - AHL, then Oilers regular
#1 Nail Yakupov - Oilers regular
#63 Jujhar Khaira - AHL, some NHL time
By Craig MacTavish:
#7 Darnell Nurse - AHL, Oilers regular?
#3 Leon Draisaitl - short AHL stint, Oilers regular
By Peter Chiarelli:
#1 Connor McDavid - Oilers regular
9/16 players with 7 traded.
Of those non-#1 draft picks only Kevin Lowe's picks of Sam Gagner did not start in the AHL. (Of course, many drafted had to complete their years of junior hockey.) Everybody else had a shorter or longer stint in the AHL.
I would argue that if the Oilers had a deeper organization from better drafting, then there wouldn't be a need to rush these other picks onto the team.
So, what to do with this years' #4 draft pick 18 year old right winger Jesse Puljujarvi?
Many would say he will make the NHL this year, but the history shows that he will have to play more junior/other league. He's only 18 and only if you are from the CHL do you have to be 20 to play in the AHL, so he can be sent down. He needs to get used to the smaller rink and the heavier style of play here. There's no doubt that he will be impactful NHL player.
The question is, for how long should Puljujarvi play in the minors?
In looking at the right side of the forward lineup as far as experience and where they should be playing:
So essentially the Oilers are not really deep on the right wing of overly impactful players.
What to do? What to do?
If Yakupov does get traded, Chiarelli himself told a friend of mine that he's only been offered a 4th round pick. If that's the case, then it leaves a hole on that 2nd line to be filled by a veteran free agent. Names like Vrbata pop up.
Ideally, Puljujarvi would play a season or two in the minors in North America. Then he would easily slide in on a middle six role.
Let's hope the newerish management sticks to their guns and doesn't rush this player.
That scenario put new coach Tom Renney in a difficult position to find that balance between "protecting the kids" to winning, knowing they were the better players on the team. Then injuries ensued and the Oilers had to call up almost half of the Oklahoma City Barons roster to fill in. Renney knew the real reason he was fired was because he knew the management was terrible in not providing him developed NHL-ready players. What was he supposed to do?
Two coaches later, nothing really changed much. When you look at the drafted and developed players who went from the AHL to the NHL, the Oilers cupboard is pretty bare. Not only that, there were many first round top draft picks, including #1s that didn't even play in the NHL. Look here to see the carnage.
Since 2007, out of the 76 players drafted, about 1/3 have played NHL minutes and 1/4 regular minutes. Since 2010, about 12 players.
Here's a list of the players since 2007 who at least had some regular minutes and where they are now:
By Kevin Lowe:
#6 Sam Gagner - Oilers regular then traded by MacT
#22 Jordan Eberle - 11 games in AHL before Oilers regular
By Steve Tambellini:
#40 Anton Lander - AHL, then Oilers fill-in
#10 Magnus Paajarvi - Oilers regular then traded by MacT
#1 Taylor Hall - Oilers regular then traded by Chiarelli
#31 Tyler Pitlick - AHL, some NHL time
#46 Martin Marincin - AHL, Oilers regular, then traded by MacT
#162 Brandon Davidson - AHL, then Oilers regular
#1 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Oilers regular
#19 Oscar Klefbom - AHL, then Oilers regular
#1 Nail Yakupov - Oilers regular
#63 Jujhar Khaira - AHL, some NHL time
By Craig MacTavish:
#7 Darnell Nurse - AHL, Oilers regular?
#3 Leon Draisaitl - short AHL stint, Oilers regular
By Peter Chiarelli:
#1 Connor McDavid - Oilers regular
9/16 players with 7 traded.
Of those non-#1 draft picks only Kevin Lowe's picks of Sam Gagner did not start in the AHL. (Of course, many drafted had to complete their years of junior hockey.) Everybody else had a shorter or longer stint in the AHL.
I would argue that if the Oilers had a deeper organization from better drafting, then there wouldn't be a need to rush these other picks onto the team.
So, what to do with this years' #4 draft pick 18 year old right winger Jesse Puljujarvi?
 |
| Jesse Puljujarvi image courtesy of gettyimages and the NHL |
Many would say he will make the NHL this year, but the history shows that he will have to play more junior/other league. He's only 18 and only if you are from the CHL do you have to be 20 to play in the AHL, so he can be sent down. He needs to get used to the smaller rink and the heavier style of play here. There's no doubt that he will be impactful NHL player.
The question is, for how long should Puljujarvi play in the minors?
In looking at the right side of the forward lineup as far as experience and where they should be playing:
- Jordan Eberle is most certainly a top line scoring winger.
- Nail Yakupov is not a top line guy, nor is he a 3rd line checker, but more of a 2nd line scoring/power play guy. Trade rumours abound.
- Zack Kassian may be deemed a 3rd line checking forward but he's better positioned as a 4th line two-way winger.
- Iiro Pakarainen is a lesser version of Kassian.
- Tyler Pitlick has a chance to make his case again.
So essentially the Oilers are not really deep on the right wing of overly impactful players.
What to do? What to do?
If Yakupov does get traded, Chiarelli himself told a friend of mine that he's only been offered a 4th round pick. If that's the case, then it leaves a hole on that 2nd line to be filled by a veteran free agent. Names like Vrbata pop up.
Ideally, Puljujarvi would play a season or two in the minors in North America. Then he would easily slide in on a middle six role.
Let's hope the newerish management sticks to their guns and doesn't rush this player.
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