Reading too much into what a player does or doesn’t do during the final weeks of an NHL season for a team playing out the string is, more often than not, a pointless exercise. Different guys react in different ways to taking part in meaningless games and in some cases, it can be a dangerous time for organizations. The Edmonton Oilers find themselves in that very situation when it comes to a pair of young defensemen in Jordan Oesterle and Griffin Reinhart.
It is no secret that over the past decade, no NHL team has been as bad as the Edmonton Oilers. With nine meaningless games left on their 2015-16 schedule, this organization is mere weeks away from missing the playoffs for a mind-numbing tenth consecutive year. While things have certainly been ugly in this neck of the woods for some time, the notion this team has been in “tank mode” for the last number of years is not only laughable but also flat-out wrong.
While the level of expectation on the Edmonton Oilers was nowhere as high as what the Winnipeg Jets faced heading into the 2015-16 NHL campaign, both clubs seasons can be viewed as nothing other than utter disappointments. So it would only seem natural to come to the conclusion that the two organizations will be looking to making changes to their rosters heading into the 2016 Entry Draft. With that being the case, would it really be so far-fetched to see Peter Chiarelli and Kevin Cheveldayoff make a blockbuster deal revolving around the Oilers first-round pick and defenceman Jacob Trouba?
While the vast majority of Oilers Nation appeared to be more than comfortable with anointing Laurent Brossoit as the goalie of the future for the Edmonton Oilers after just two NHL appearances, the chances of that actually occurring were never a sure thing and his last two starts are perfect examples as to why that is. As good as he looked during his final two seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings and stretches in the AHL, the shortcomings in his game have always been there for anyone wanting to pay attention.
