Follow @SMaloughney The Oilers vs Flames rookie game marked the beginning of the 2018/2019 season. Speculation and Armchair GMing managed to get us through the summer months but the beginning of September marhks te start of real hockey discussions to renew.
Plenty to discuss right now and without any particular order I'll get to it.
1. The Oilers rookies lost 7-3 to the Flames rookies Sunday afternoon. Season is over! I kid. The game was a sloppy affair of missed passes and bungled opportunities on both sides and the play only marginally improved as the game went on. For many of these youths, this was the first time they put on their respective teams jerseys in a game atmosphere. Nerves were clearly a factor and no one should make any permanent statements on any player based on one scrimmage.
2. Having said that it is still possible to watch these games and make some observations. On defense Bouchard came as the most hyped but overall I was the most impressed with Caleb Jones game. He skated very well and was strong on the puck. I noticed a couple plays where he was under pressure and took the extra second to make a clean pass to his partner or a forward. He finished the game with a goal as well as an assist.
3. Bouchard gave fans a taste of what they hope to see from him in an NHL jersey one day. He put the Oilers on the board with a slapshot from the point. What I appreciated the most from his goal was how quickly he unloaded the shot and didn't hesitate with his windup. Bouchard made a play earlier in the game up to a forward (I believe Vesel) where he made a sharp pass up to Vesel behind the defenders for a quality shot on net. A few times I thought Bouchard was too slow with his decision making but again I'm going to chalk that up to nerves.
4. Tyler Benson did not disappoint. It's crazy to think that this is the first rookie camp for the Oilers that Benson is participating in. Injuries has been the story of the young man's career and hopefully he is able to put that behind him. Benson showed against the Flames why up until his injury he was looked at as a middle first round pick. He was the Oilers most dangerous forward, producing by my eye at least 3 good scoring chances. Fans should definitely be keeping an eye on Benson as rookie camp and then training camp progress.
5. Do not ask me why but when I look at Cooper Marody I think he is going to be another Anton Lander. Marody played a good defensive game and showed good chemistry with Kailer Yamamoto. This is based purely off my own hunch but I think Marody is going to be one of those players who could lead the team in scoring in pre-season and then completely disappear when the season starts.
6. Speaking of the season starting, we are starting to enter concerning territory with Darnell Nurse. This deal should have been a no brainer; a two year bridge deal in the 3 million dollar range. A likely scenario that has been raised is the idea that Nurse and his agent may be aiming for a one year deal while Oilers are looking at a two year. Nurse or his agent Anton Thun may believe Nurse will be able to cash in after playing one season in the Oilers top 4; something he is even more likely to do with Andrej Sekera out long term. It does not make sense for the conversation right now to be a long term deal due to the Oilers strapped cap.
7. Vegas acquiring Pacioretty certainly moves the team up from where I would have placed them in the Pacific Division. Despite a down year last season Pacioretty has consistently put up strong numbers on a team with very little offensive ability. Pairing Pacioretty with the likes of Karlsson or Stastny should merit results. Vegas has clearly changed their development plan and are in full blown playoff contention mode.
8. Looking around the Pacific, both the Ducks and the Oilers have done the least to improve their respective teams... the difference being the Ducks finished with 101 points while the Oilers did not crack 80. Chiarelli is banking on internal development and the new coaching staff improving the special teams being good enough to put this team back in the playoffs.
9. The defense of the inactive off-season is that the team did not have enough cap space or assets to make larger changes... in turn we need to remember why that is the case. The Oilers management group lead by Bob Nicholson spent the summer in damage control by stating they had faith in "The Plan." If The Plan results in the Oilers out of playoff contention in January I hope Chiarelli is shown the door.
10. Our next taste of hockey is Tuesday when the Oilers rookies play against the NAIT/MacEwan All-Star team. Personally I enjoyed this game more when it was the Golden Bears but either way it should be an enjoyable affair.