This is the final game day blog of the season. There are a couple of scenarios that could play out tonight leaving the Oilers in 30th place, guaranteeing them at least the 4th overall pick in the upcoming draft. However, if they win the game against the Canucks then they will finish 29th and be guaranteed of only the 5th overall pick. We’ll have a better idea of what could happen when the Leafs game is over.
The Leafs are in full “TankNation… right now, and I don’t begrudge them, but this isn’t where the Oilers want to be. And, honestly, the Oilers aren’t worried about going from the 20% odds down to 13.5% odds in the lottery. We all know Edmonton is winning it no matter what regardless of where they finish.
This season has been difficult to cover for me, personally. The injuries to McDavid and Klefbom wiped out any real chance to climb in the standings. We’ve been forced to applaud the fact that replacements haven’t been terrible, instead of cheering for someone who is actually good. And even mentioning the mountain of injuries to key players just sends fans into a rage.
People want answers. Fans want someone to pay for the Oilers missing the playoffs for a 10th straight season. It will happen. There are more changes coming to the organization on and off the ice this summer. There’s just too much fail for one organization to bear without firing people and changing the mix of the roster. ***
The Oilers signed goaltender Nick Ellis and Defenseman Caleb Jones to entry level deals.
Ellis is a 22 year old undrafted goaltender who completed his NCAA career with the Providence College Friars. He appeared in 48 games going 30-9-5 with a 1.90 Goals Against Average and a .931 save percentage.
The reality is that his career numbers are driven by a very heavy workload this season, as he only played 12 games combined in the two seasons that came before that. The sample size for him as a starter is very small. Goalies are voodoo, as they say, but I think projecting Ellis anywhere to start the year other than the ECHL would be a mistake.
Edmonton has its starter and they have the AHL set up with Laurikainen and/or Brossoit. Giving Ellis a chance to work his way up from the ECHL makes a lot of sense and gives the team a lot of options in the professional ranks.
Caleb Jones was an Oiler draft pick in the 2015 Draft 117th overall. This past season he made the jump from the USHL to the WHL where he instantly become a top defender for the Portland Winterhawks. He was their highest scoring blueliner and 3rd highest scoring player overall with 72GP, 10-45-55. He is yet another left shot in the system but he has a June birthday which means he’s still eligible for the WHL next season.
He’s playing with the AHL Condors right now on an ATO which means his contract will most certainly slide, but he should return to the WHL again next year. The Oilers have the luxury of being deep with left handed defenders so they do not have to rush him along.
Interestingly enough, I managed to see Jones play live this year in 1 game at Rexall and even within shifts he would alternate between the left and right side as new partners would jump on and off. It would appear that Jones is a very versatile player and someone the Oiler fans should keep an eye out for in the future. Because he’s a natural lefty, though, I would hope the team applies caution to his development. ***
I can’t say it’s been very fun this season, but we made it through 82 games. Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting. The summer should have a lot of change in store for the Oilers.
LINEUP
Pouliot was on the ice in yesterday’s practice but it was just to see how it felt to handle the puck. Nurse took a deflection to the throat and spent time in the hospital, but McLellan said that if he’s ready then he’ll play.
Hall RNH Pakarinen Maroon McDavid Eberle Korpikoski Draisaitl Yakupov Hendricks Letestu Kassian
Sekera Fayne Nurse Pardy Reinhart Oesterle
Talbot
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Good Night. It seems unlikely that Connor McDavid finishes the rookie scoring race any higher than 4th place, as Domi has 4 more points than McDavid. However, Connor only needs 2 more points to hit the 50 point plateau for the season. Not bad considering this is only game 45 for the young phenom. He could have anywhere from 5-10 more points (I don’t think I’m exaggerating) if Jordan Eberle was capable of releasing a shot without keeping it on his stick for a half-second first. McDavid is an underdog for the Calder because he hasn’t played enough games for voters even though he’s clearly the league’s best/most proficient rookie. The season he’s had, as short as it has been, has been incredible. Calder or not, the projection moving forward is that next season we should be talking about a top 5 scorer in the NHL.
2) Good Evening. The Canucks have been the Sedins’ team for a long time. It still is. But the twins are getting older. Next year they will be 36. Time is going to take its toll on the two players, more than it already has. They’re still leading the Canucks in scoring, but this campaign has been significantly less productive than the one before it. Henrik went from 73 to 55 points. Daniel from 76 to 61 points. The Sedins can play for several more years, but one has to wonder how quickly their scoring numbers are going to drop. These two have carried the mail for a long time, but the Canucks are going to be passing the torch to a new generation soon. Horvat, Virtanen, and the player the Canucks are going to get at the Draft this year are going to be featured heavily in the near future for Vancouver.
3) Farewell. If we’ve learned anything during this rebuild, it’s that losing teams don’t stay together for long. This is going to be the final game several Oiler players are ever going to appear in for the club. Will Pardy be back? Fayne? Yakupov, Eberle, Pouliot, Hall: there’s no name that’s truly safe outside of McDavid. Chiarelli has had his chance to see the team over an entire season. While the team never once played with a complete lineup, the need for change is still apparent. It’s no secret that it’s the right side of the defense that’s broken. The team needs high end players and the only way to get them is to give something of value up. Top 5 pick, Eberle, Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, something. The path to fixing the problem leads right to a few difficult choices.
Puck drops tonight at 8PM Mountain Time on CBC. Game On and Farewell! Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy