I almost don’t want to talk about that Flames game because I feel like it’s been said 1000 times over. The Oilers are not winning a damn thing if Justin Schultz is playing the most minutes on the blueline. It’s not happening. Playoffs are a pipe dream if we keep down this path.
And, no, I don’t know who is going to play those minutes. All I can say is that without any doubt in my mind it is clear that number 19 cannot be the one doing it. Period.
Ok. So now that those words are out of my system we can just try to expand on yesterday’s news regarding Kassian. My thoughts about the player haven’t changed one bit. I’m not a fan of the move. The idea of him as an Oiler disgusts me personally but, that aside, there’s more to this player than being despised by me.
Let’s focus instead on what he has done and what he might do.
I’m going to focus on what he did in his 3 seasons exclusively with the Canucks, so the numbers I reference are from 2012-2015. I chose these three because they are his most recent and they arent mixed with his time in different organizations. Things can be so wildly different team to team in terms of usage and the club’s overall performance. It’s just more neat and clean to focus on that time in Kassian’s career.
Here are some basic stats for Kassian with the Canucks over that time and where he ranked on their club with a minimum of 500 minutes played. All numbers are from stats.hockeyanalysis.com
5v5 P/60 1.67 (7th) 5v5 G/60 0.88 (4th) 5v5 iCorsi/60 10.67 (14th) 5v5 CF% 50.1% (11th) 5v5 GF% 47.5% (13th)
Kassian played on various different lines. He notably bounced up and down playing with the likes of Brad Richardson and then at other times with the Sedins. He started a great number of his shifts in the defensive zone as well. Along with the fancy stats, Kassian was 3rd in hits on the Canucks during that time, 1st among forwards. That’s with considerably fewer games played than others near the top of the list.
If the player shows himself worthy of playing in the NHL again, he could earn his way into the top 9.
If the Oilers WERE to try something crazy like 3 scoring lines it is very possible that February they could be rolling:
Hall-Draisaitl-Purcell Kassian-RNH-Eberle Pouliot-McDavid-Yakupov Hendricks-Letestu-Korpikoski
I don’t want to suggest that’s something I would like to see because my gut is turning at the thought. However, there will be room for Kassian if he can get past his problems.
LINEUP
Hunt is playing instead of Nikitin. Talbot is in net. Davidson should be back for the next game. Klefbom might be another week. As per Jason Gregor it sounds like Yakupov is still weeks away.
Hall-Draisaitl-Purcell Pouliot-RNH-Eberle Hendricks-Letestu-Korpikoski Gazdic-Lander-Pakarinen
Nurse-Schultz Sekera-Fayne Hunt-Gryba
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Cranial Flatulence. The first period from Justin Schultz was alright. He made some defensive plays. He moved the puck pretty well. It was a solid period of play. Then…then things went off the rails. At the time I was angry at Justin Schultz, but that is like being angry at the Sun for coming up in the morning. It’s inevitable that he was going to self-destruct and take the team down with him. It was inevitable that he would pass the puck directly to the Flames’ most dangerous player while he’s standing alone in the slot. I know I’m asking for the Sun not to come up and the sky not to be blue, but Edmonton isn’t going anywhere with Justin Schultz melting down the way he can. That needs to stop.
2) Hunting For A Power Play. With Edmonton slotting Brad Hunt into the lineup it’s obvious that his role is going to be as the point man on the PP. If Hunt has 1 thing, it’s a booming shot from the point. If there’s one thing Edmonton has been missing it’s been a booming shot from the point. It makes sense to try him out. The problem with Hunt hasn’t been what he can do on the PP, it’s been what to do with him the rest of the game. There are deficiencies in his defensive ability he has to overcome.
3) Still The Best. As they have been for a long time, the Kings are still top dog in the NHL at controlling puck possession. They are yet again number 1 with a 56.5% CF as a team. The Oilers are 21st at 48.4% CF, as a point of reference. With a depleted defense this is going to be a huge test for the team. When the Kings flex their muscle, the Oilers will be leaning on people like Schultz, Hunt, and Gryba not to crumble. Teams are only as strong as their weakest link, as evidenced by the game vs the Flames. The Kings only have 3 players who are below 50% CF (min 50 minute played). The Oilers have 20 players below 50% CF. There’s a reason the Kings own the Pacific.
Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet Oilers. Get Better, Connor!
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