It’s been a lengthy break between games for the Oilers and the first back since the trade deadline. Edmonton’s General Manager was quiet, making really only the Davidson move at the NHL level. The addition of Desharnais is tested starting tonight.
Did the Oilers do enough to set themselves up for this final push? The Flames are surging right now. The Ducks won last night. The Sharks remain the class of the Pacific Division. Edmonton is finished with their last lengthy road trip and have a favorable schedule, but the rest of the field is nipping at their heels. In fact, Anaheim is tied with the Oil at 76 points and Calgary has 74. It’s going to be a tight race and if the Oilers don’t go on a run themselves then they might fall down to a Wild Card position.
Peter Chiarelli said he wanted to give this particular team a chance to show what they can do. As in, they took us here, so let them finish the year out. He also said he wasn’t in the market for a goaltender. With all due respect, that’s a crock. There is a zero percent chance that is fully accurate. There were too many people reporting that the Oilers were trying to do some interesting things to believe that.
Even if we only look at the noise surrounding the possible acquisition of Halak (at the price of Fayne, perhaps) and also the reports that the team tried to move Ference’s contract, we have more than enough reason to believe Edmonton tried to make a couple moves but ultimately couldn’t make it happen. They failed to do all the things they wanted, but I imagine so did a lot of other teams.
Now that the ability for Chiarelli to improve the club from outside has been removed, the focus is firmly on what McLellan can do with this group. Now we *have* to look at possible means of improvement like they were deadline additions. To that I mean we are now forced to look at Nurse’s return to the club like we would an acquisition. We need to see the potential return of the 2nd line’s established levels of production as a possible boost, not as something that we’ve had all along. We need to look at Puljujarvi’s eventual (and inevitable) return like the possible addition of a talented middle 6 winger.
Or, at least, that’s how the team is going to spin it. If you want to go along for that ride then one could hardly blame you. Me personally, I will always question why price for Vanek or Parenteau couldn’t have been paid. A 6th round pick is the equivalent of a Roll Up The Rim win for a free cup of coffee. Surely you can let someone else have it. Vanek was had for a 3rd round pick and an AHL defender with low mobility. Don’t give me that weak argument about the team not wanting to go so long without picks at the Draft. Who cares? The Draft is not going to be Edmonton’s savior any longer. Those days are over.
But while I will wonder about the price not paid to improve this team, I can still acknowledge that McLellan and company is capable of getting more from those players previously mentioned. The biggest and most obvious area of improvement will be the 2nd line. After that it will be from the 2nd pair. Edmonton’s best players are still capable of getting the job done. It’s the wave after them that concerns me. And should RNH, Lucic, and Eberle return to previous levels of production that would indeed be a huge boon to the club.
Well, there’s no going back on this plan now. This team is All-In on the players who are here today.
LINEUP
Maroon McDavid Draisaitl Lucic RNH Eberle Slepyshev Desharnais Kassian Hendricks Letestu Khaira
Klefbom Larsson Sekera Russell Nurse Benning
Talbot Brossoit
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Not Your Dad’s Red Wings. This game is between the Edmonton Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings. One team is almost certainly a lock for the playoffs and the other a lottery hopeful, but roles have switched. Edmonton has played the part of the punching bag for the best teams in the NHL for a very long time. This is the first time in 26 years that the Oilers will finish ahead of the Red Wings in points. It was the 1990-1991 season the last time this happened. There are 13 players on the Oilers roster who weren’t even born yet. These Red Wings are not the same we have grown very much accustomed to. This is a flawed, young club with underperforming vets. The script has been flipped.
2) Double D. Oiler forward David Desharnais has been given a vote of confidence from hi new General Manager. Chiarelli saw Desharnais most frequently several years ago, which just happens to have been when Desharnais was at his most effective in the NHL. When he looks at Desharnais he sees a player who was a possession leader for the Habs and who had 60 points in 2011-2012, 52 points in 2013-2014, and 48 points in 2014-2015. Is that player still there or is he just a memory? Desharnais will get an opportunity to show what he has, but with Slepyshev and Kassian as his linemates he isnt getting much offensive help. Instead, this line will likely be expected to grind its way around. Kassian has speed and more skill than he seems to be able to put to good use and the same can be said for Slepyshev. Still, that line only has 12 goals between them this season. What can Desharnais add to this team? We start to find out tonight.
3) And Boy Are My Wings Are Tired. The Red Wings played, and lost, last night in an overtime affair with the Calgary Flames (thanks for nothing, Detroit). Tatar, Mantha, Zetterberg, Green, and DeKeyser all played more than 20 minutes last night. The Oilers have to apply pressure to this in a way that they have struggles to all night. That killer instinct needs to be activated in this group. Whether it’s via speed or physicality or a combination of both, Edmonton needs to push this Red Wings club around. The Oilers are playing teams on the 2nd half of back to backs only 2 more times this season by my count. These are gifts from the schedule maker when you can get them.
Puck drops at 8 PM Mountain Time on Hockey Night in Canada. Game On!
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