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30 Thoughts On 30 Players |
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Rapid fire time. My thoughts on 30 players within the Oilers organization in alphabetical order. No time to waste let's get to it.
Pontus Aberg: "The Pope" had 8 points in 16 games with the Oilers. Prorated over a season that woul..... STOP. Aberg had two good games with Draisaitl where he produced 5 of his 8 points and was basically invisible otherwise. No issue with him as an extra forward but he is not a top 6 option.
Ethan Bear: Injuries and depth issues fast tracked Bear into an NHL spot last season. The results.... pretty solid. He got caved pretty heavy in the possession game but in his defense he improved with every game. Think he should play at least another full AHL season but it is nice to see some depth on the right side.
Matthew Benning: The reason Benning was so good in his first season was of he was used. He played on the third pairing, was used sparingly and not rushed into situations where he was set up to fail. The coaching staff did the exact opposite last year. Possession wise Benning still had a decent year and when he was on the ice the puck was going the right way but frequent turnovers made for very visible mistakes. Return him to a third pairing role.
Tyler Benson: Is this the year we see Benson play some NHL games? My bet is yes. Benson was a 2nd round pick by the Oilers who fell in the draft rankings due to injury. As of now he seems to be moving past that and had a strong season in the WHL and a cup of coffee in the AHL. For prospect watchers this is a player to keep your eye on.
Evan Bouchard: Fans got their first good look at the kid in development camp and are excited to see what he can do. As of right now I think it is a guarantee Bouchard gets a 9 game look in the NHL. Like Yamamoto if he doesn't blow the doors off the barn the best thing for his development is to send him down.
Kyle Brodziak: Likely it's unreasonable to suggest another 33 point campaign from Brodziak. However his even strength production, playing roughly 13 minutes a game is something the Oilers should bank on.
Drake Caggiula: Keep this guy as far away from the productive players as humanly possible. Caggiula is one of those players that looks like he is doing things but upon taking a closer look it's clear to see he hurts offense.
Leon Draisaitl: Leon is the second best forward on the team. He excelled on McDavid's wing and the two players crushed the opposition. Now Draisaitl finds himself anchoring his own line. His numbers away from McDavid are still that of a top line player but the drop-off is noticeable. Part of this is due to the lack of talent to play with.
Kevin Gravel: If you count Gryba's buyout (which I do) Gravel is being paid 1 million dollars to be the Oilers 7th D man. Another poor look by Chiarelli.
Zack Kassian: The king of offside goals. Many suggested Kassian struggled last season but I don't see it. He produced 7 goals last season.... the same as the year before and did all of it at even strength even while playing with Mark Letestu (who really isn't good 5 on 5). I think him and Brodziak could be a very effective duo.
Jujhar Khaira: Here's a thought. Play Lucic with Strome and move Khaira onto Draisaitl's wing. Khaira is a big man who plays with some skill. One of the few feel good stories of the previous season.
Oscar Klefbom: A healthy Klefbom is a #1 defenseman. Period. Klefbom does everything one wants out of a #1. Moves the puck effectively, quick accurate shot, able to read the play in all zones. The issue always is injuries and Klefbom has had almost every possible injury a hockey player can.
Mikko Koskinen: When the KHL netminder was signed to a one year 2.5 million dollar deal it looked pretty bad. Then the rest of the free agent goalies got signed.... and it looked worse. I am not a scout so I cannot speak of Koskinen. All I can say is from where I stand it looks like a very expensive risk. Either he performs decent as still makes too much money.... or he completely falls apart and it looks really bad.
Adam Larsson: Let's not talk about hockey for a moment. Adam Larsson had more important things on his mind due to the sudden loss of his father. Adam had a family to think about and hopefully together they can heal. In regards to hockey, Klefbom-Larsson at it's best was the Oilers best D pair. I think they can return to that and Adam can start enjoying the game he loves again.
Keegan Lowe: I will not judge a player on his last name I will not judge a player on his last name I will not.... you get the idea. Oilers signed Lowe to a two year extension. There is very little to suggest he is ready to play NHL minutes but he will get an opportunity to be a #7.
Milan Lucic: Still plenty of rumours he will not be here to start the season. Pot got stirred even more with Seravalli going so far to say the team is better without him in the lineup. Lucic had an awful year and though he could never live up to the contract I do see him having some semblance of a bounce back season.
Brad Malone: A career AHL player. At 29 he should be a callup and little else. A great player to help improve the Condors but not someone I want taking time away from a more long term prospect.
Copper Marody: A quietly good signing back in April. Marody is a 21 year old right shot centre. He may be another extra forward option that could make the Oilers out of training camp. Only played 3 games with the Condors at the end of last season but had a goal and two assists in those games.
Connor McDavid: Despite who the Hart trophy was handed out to McDavid absolutely was the league MVP for the second year in a row. He accounted for 57% of the Oilers goals at 5 on 5. With even an average powerplay McDavid will break 120 points this season.
Al Montoya: Is a player the team is still paying to be here.
Ryan Nugent Hopkins: After years of being a loyal soldier for this organization it looks like Nugey is finally getting rewarded. It took almost three full seasons for McLellan to try Nuge and McDavid together and the results were sweet. The one reliable duo this team has going into the season.
Darnell Nurse: At the time of writing this Nurse has yet to sign. The first half of last season Nurse was playing the best hockey of his career but he faltered as the season progressed. A bridge deal seems likely at this point. Consistency is Nurse's biggest enemy at this stage in his career. He may never be a #1 but I would be curious to see the chaos of him playing with Bouchard.
Jesse Puljujarvi: The organization messed up in Puljujarvi's first season, severly cutting down his icetime and going so far to healthy scratch him before finally sending him down to the AHL. The best thing the organization can do for this player is consistency. Put him with Draisaitl or McDavid for 10 games and let the kid play.
Ty Rattie: Sink or swim is the name of the game with Rattie. If he doesn't continue to show the same production with Connor he showed last season it may mean AHL. He couldn't ask for a better opportunity for himself.
Tobias Rieder: Was surprised Edmonton was able to afford him. My guess is him/his agent believe he will get minutes with either McDavid or Draisaitl in order to help inflate his numbers for a better contract next season. As far as points per dollars, this could be the best free agent signing of the year.
Kris Russell: An overpaid third pairing defender. Kris Russell is a PK specialist in that he is exactly who you want on the ice to block shots and fire the puck down the ice to no player in particular. Limit his ice time and find a trading partner.
Andrej Sekera: Please be better Sekera. A healthy Sekera gives this team 3 out of 4 strong options on the first two pairings and makes Sekera worth his cap hit. If he plays similar to how he did the season prior a buyout may be in his future.
Ryan Strome: I just recently wrote about Strome's new contract and I didn't give him a glowing review. Having said that Strome should be a stable, consistent third line centre and in the right situations can be an effective player. Really think starting the year with Lucic will be good for both players.
Cam Talbot: Talbot averaged above a .915 Sv% over his past four years before dropping to a .908 and allowing on average 3 goals a game. Talbot may not be the Vezina candidate he was in 17/18 but last year should be looked at as an outsider and not a new norm.
Kailer Yamamoto: Through a combination of his own skill as well as this teams inability to play NHL caliber wingers, Yamamoto was on the opening night roster. As the competition got tougher, Kailer struggled and the team thankfully did the right thing and sent him down. Yamamoto has already stated his intentions to make the team this season and looking at the depth chart he just might do it.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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