Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Brown should see regular duty in '13-'14


Fans of the Edmonton Oilers are pretty much split down the middle when it comes to forward Mike Brown. There are those who are all for his inclusion in the lineup on a nightly basis and those who feel he is nothing more than a "face-puncher" that can't really play the game. While you could easily make an argument on behalf of either side, Brown is the sort of player that far too many get unnecessarily worked up over.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Acton will get a shot at earning a spot with Oilers in 2013-14


With training camp just over five weeks away from kicking into gear, the Edmonton Oilers top six forwards appear to be set in stone. Their plethora of young talent upfront will ultimately decide if this club has a shot at earning a playoff spot in 2013-14. That being said, the team's third and fourth lines are yet again, a question mark heading into the coming season. While the likes of Mike Brown, Boyd Gordon, Ryan Jones and Ryan Smyth are all but guaranteed some sort of role inside Edmonton's bottom six, the battle for the fourth line centre spot is up for grabs.

Saturday, August 03, 2013

2013-14 Preview: Is Petry still part of the solution?


The 2013 season was not kind to Jeff Petry. After taking a major step forward in his overall development during the second half of the 2011-12 campaign, the Edmonton Oilers blueliner had his fair share of struggles during an abbreviated 48 game schedule. Be it because too much was being asked of the former second round pick and partner Ladislav Smid or simply chalking it up to just being one of those seasons, the final result wasn't pretty. 

Thursday, August 01, 2013

Coach Eakins and the Oilers top six forwards



With training camp fast approaching, one can't help but wonder what Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins has in store for his top six forwards heading into 2013-14. If you include Ryan Nugent-Hopkins into the mix, who looks to be recuperating rather nicely from off-season shoulder surgery, the Oilers top two lines will feature Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Taylor Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, David Perron and Nail Yakupov. An impressive group for sure but how the rookie coach ultimately decides to deploy them, could be rather interesting.