Ryan Garner: Oilers' Huge Grenade Jumpers Line Keeps Taking One for the Team

You can't just give a line a terrible nickname. If anything they should just be called the Beast Line for being defensive zone beasts.

Haller, Nugers, Ebbers. Is that better?

Ryan Garner: Oilers' Huge Grenade Jumpers Line Keeps Taking One for the Team
- Ryan Garner

The top line gets some defensive assignments now. Not on par with these guys mind you.

Eakins will have to start easing at least 1 other line into defensive situations or they're going to burn out.

The top line gets some defensive assignments now. Not on par with these guys mind you.

Eakins will have to start easing at least 1 other line into defensive situations or they're going to burn out.
- Morris

This. I wonder how good this line will look at the 30 game mark, 50... I would still like to see a third line defensive centre brought in, move Drasaitl to the wing if you have to but give one more option for some defensive zone starts.

"Huge Grenade Jumpers Line" is not clever, at all.

The top line gets some defensive assignments now. Not on par with these guys mind you.

Eakins will have to start easing at least 1 other line into defensive situations or they're going to burn out.
- Morris

Wait a minute.....prior toGrabovski signing in New York there was plenty of talk of running 3 scoring lines and one checking line if we could snag him. I'm more of a traditionalist, and wanted 2 scoring lines and 2 checking lines like the Oilers teams of the late 90's. Things are clicking fairly well right now but I agree, it won't last forever with the workload the Wagon line have ( I ain't gonna start calling them the huge Grenade Jumpers, that's just lame).
Problem is that we have 3 RW that are not great defensively, perhaps if we end up moving one of them ( eberle?) they can reduce the sheltered zone starts to one line.

Hall Nuge Ebs/Purcell
Perron Draisaitl Yak /Purcell( sheltered)
Hendricks Gotdon Joensuu
Pouliot Arco Pitlick/ Gazdic ( barf)

"Huge Grenade Jumpers Line" is not clever, at all.
- SpoiledByOil

But the first letter of their last names are the first letters of each word...

The top line gets some defensive assignments now. Not on par with these guys mind you.

Eakins will have to start easing at least 1 other line into defensive situations or they're going to burn out.
- Morris

I may be jumping the gun but with arco being good at face offs and continual improvement in yaks d game, maybe they can take a some of these.

I may be jumping the gun but with arco being good at face offs and continual improvement in yaks d game, maybe they can take a some of these.
- ystoil

What about putting LD on the LW with Gordon at C in the d-zones for sheltered learning? Then again, this would be something great to do in TC/pre-season.

Whats wrong with the nick names? Never heard anyone complain before..

What about putting LD on the LW with Gordon at C in the d-zones for sheltered learning? Then again, this would be something great to do in TC/pre-season.
- ChetManly

Might cause too much confusion if Gordon has to immediately leave and leon has to switch positions mid shift. Or do you mean leon play LW all shift?

Haller, Nugers, Ebbers. Is that better?
- ChetManly

I sometimes call them Haller Nuger Ebsie

I sometimes call them Haller Nuger Ebsie
- Oilfan19

My favorite nickname for that little guy

Whats wrong with the nick names? Never heard anyone complain before..
- Oilfan19

That's a great question

Might cause too much confusion if Gordon has to immediately leave and leon has to switch positions mid shift. Or do you mean leon play LW all shift?
- ystoil

Have him play LW all shift. Just have him do it every once in a while, for some exposure.

That's a great question
- oilstone

All that jamaican kush is getting to Garner's thoughts.

My favorite nickname for that little guy
- ChetManly

How about Hopper, Hoppie, Hops, rather than Nuge

Give it up already man. You are a horrible blogger that writes pointless drivel. The only thing missing from this steaming pile of crap was one of your brutal back stories.

How about Hopper, Hoppie, Hops, rather than Nuge
- oilstone

I like Nugie. Although, that makes me sound girly when naming a hamster.

Wait a minute.....prior toGrabovski signing in New York there was plenty of talk of running 3 scoring lines and one checking line if we could snag him. I'm more of a traditionalist, and wanted 2 scoring lines and 2 checking lines like the Oilers teams of the late 90's. Things are clicking fairly well right now but I agree, it won't last forever with the workload the Wagon line have ( I ain't gonna start calling them the huge Grenade Jumpers, that's just lame).
Problem is that we have 3 RW that are not great defensively, perhaps if we end up moving one of them ( eberle?) they can reduce the sheltered zone starts to one line.

Hall Nuge Ebs/Purcell
Perron Draisaitl Yak /Purcell( sheltered)
Hendricks Gotdon Joensuu
Pouliot Arco Pitlick/ Gazdic ( barf)
- Jeropotato

Grabs is actually a pretty decent two-way prescence. At least as good as Arco and bigger.

I agree with what you say, other than the fact that some of those 90s teams had essentially an enforcer line and I don't see any room for that anymore.

Teddy Purcell has played LW before I believe. Perron can certainly play RW. What if you had

Purcell-Draisaitl-Yak as your sheltered line
Hendricks-Gordon-Joensuu as your primary shutdown line
Pouliot-Arco-Perron as a secondary shutdown option

I'm getting increasingly comfortable sending the top line out in most any situation

Have him play LW all shift. Just have him do it every once in a while, for some exposure.
- ChetManly

Might be an idea to do that with Yak too and shift Joensuu up to reward him every once and a while for his scoring.

Huge Grenade Jumpers Line...........................................

Might be an idea to do that with Yak too and shift Joensuu up to reward him every once and a while for his scoring.
- Morris

Yes. And it's not a knock against LD or Yakupov for "bad play" at all, it's to ease them into tough zone starts and responsibilities. Plus, Joensuu definitely deserves a reward for his play. If he stays steady like this all season and stays healthy, his signing last year will be worthwhile.