It's not working Dallas!!!

Of all the things that have gone wrong with the Edmonton Oilers 2013-14 campaign, the one problem that stands out above the rest has been the ineffectiveness of this club’s power play. After years of struggling to produce on the man advantage, the coaching duo of Ralph Krueger and Tom Renney combined to come up with something that actually worked over the previous two National Hockey League seasons.

That was awfully painful to watch

When it comes to sports, critiquing victories is rarely a good idea. Ultimately you play the game to win and in all honesty, how you get there doesn’t usually matter. However, from time to time there are those rare occasions when winning ugly simply isn’t acceptable.

Did the Oilers devalue Ales Hemsky?

Ever since his debut in Edmonton Oilers silks, I have had a bit of a soft spot when it comes to Ales Hemsky. After years of being one of the few, if not the only, highly skilled players on the Oilers roster, few have given the talented winger credit for being as good a player as he has been over his now elven year career.

The Fasth/Scrivens Era begins

When it comes to fans of the Edmonton Oilers and the local media, many tend to have a very short memory when it comes to goaltenders who wear the Orange and Blue. While the masses appear content with Craig MacTavish’s new goaltending tandem of Viktor Fasth and Ben Scrivens, let’s not forget that it was just five short months ago that many of those same people were all in on Devan Dubnyk being the #1 guy moving forward.

MacT has been busy but...

Anyone that was expecting the NHL Trade Deadline to be anything but anti-climatic for Craig MacTavish and the Edmonton Oilers wasn’t paying attention. While the return for Ales Hesmky wasn’t exactly overwhelming, the Oilers GM didn’t exactly have many bullets at his disposal.

Not so fast

At approximately 10 am on Monday morning, the Edmonton Oilers announced they had decided to take the first step in trying to shore up their netminding come next season. In agreeing to sign Ben Scrivens to a 2 year/$4.6 million deal, Craig MacTavish has secured the first piece of what will likely be a two part job.  In today’s NHL, the vast majority of teams run with your traditional setup in between the pipes. They have their starting goalie  and a second guy who comes in and holds the fort when the needs arises.

Trade Specuation - Nick Schultz

Nick Schultz has been a member of the Edmonton Oilers for what amounts to two seasons. Since being acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Tom Gilbert at the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline, the veteran blueliner has had his fair share of struggles in Orange and Blue.

Could this be it for Ryan Smyth in Oilers silks?

With the NHL Trade Deadline just over 48 hours away, Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth finds himself in a bit of an odd situation. While Craig MacTavish hasn’t come right out and said it, the Oilers GM has pretty much left the decision of whether or not he moves the veteran winger prior to Wednesday’s deadline up to the player. 

Ehrhoff and Stewart...yes please

In a perfect world, the Edmonton Oilers would walk away from the 2014 NHL Entry Draft with defenceman Aaron Ekblad in their back pocket. As of this moment, they sit 29^th in league standings and are just three points ahead of the last place Buffalo Sabres. While the Sabres have won two straight since the Olympic break, they have already started to deplete their roster via trade.

Simply unacceptable

In the eyes of many, the Edmonton Oilers had what looked to be a favourable schedule coming back from the NHL’s Olympic break. With their first four games coming against the Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders, all being home ice, optimistic fans were hoping for the club to continue on their pre-Olympic winning ways.