MacTavish starts reshuffling the deck

It has been a fairly busy couple of days for the Edmonton Oilers organization. From the moment Taylor Hall left the ice during the second period of Saturday afternoon's 3-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators, general manager Craig MacTavish and head coach Dallas Eakins have been working hard at restructuring the Oilers current lineup.

Oilers beat Rangers, send Nurse back to OHL

For a guy who has had nothing more than an adequate run through much of the Edmonton Oilers preseason schedule, Jordan Eberle has managed to continually find his way onto the scoresheet. Last night was no exception, as the Oilers #14 and linemates Mark Arcobello and David Perron combined for seven points, in leading Edmonton to a 5-3 victory over the visiting New York Rangers.

Oilers betting on Big Mac having a positive impact

There is little doubt that the vast majority of Edmonton Oilers fans were thrilled with Monday morning's announcement of Steve MacIntyre being picked up off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguiins. In the minds of others, mine included, the move came across as nothing more then an overreaction to what occurred at Rexall Place during Saturday night's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.

Oilers don't need a goon but they need to do something

Watching opponents continually take runs at the Edmonton Oilers skilled forwards has become par for the course. Hockey is physical game and unfortunately, teams are going to try and slow down the likes of a Sam Gagner or Taylor Hall by whatever means necessary.

2013-14 Preview: Jones will get his opportunity to rebound

After putting together a pair of very productive campaigns during his first two years in Edmonton Oilers silks, the 2012-13 season was one Ryan Jones would love to forget. It started with the NHL Lockout, was followed by a freak eye injury that ultimately required surgery and nearly cost him his career. Upon returning to the Oilers lineup in late February, Jones struggled with his confidence and never found his game.

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.

Oilers add Jones to a suddenly overcrowded forward group

2013 was a tough year for Edmonton Oilers winger Ryan Jones. Thanks to the NHL Lockout, Jones was unable to start what would have been his third full season in Orange and Blue and final year of his contract, on time. To make matters worse, he suffered a freak eye injury in late December, delaying the start of his year even further and ultimately cost him the first month of the season.

Shawn Horcoff, the Edmonton Oilers and compliance buyouts

When Craig MacTavish decided to take on the role of General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers, the four time Stanley Cup winner knew he would have some difficult decisions ahead of him. With the NHL Entry Draft and Unrestricted Free Agency quickly approaching, many of those tough choices will be made over the next few weeks.

Ryan Smyth and the 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers

Heading into the upcoming off-season, the names of those players who seem unlikely to return to the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14 seem fairly obvious. That list would most certainly include Eric Belanger, Ben Eager, Darcy Hordichuk, Ryan Jones, Nikolai Khabibulin, Jerrad Smithson, Andy Sutton, Ryan Whitney and possibly all three of Mark Fistric, Theo Peckham and Lennart Petrell.

Oilers final nine games will determine if Tambellini stays or goes

On the heels of an ill-timed three game losing streak, that will likely play a large role in seeing the Edmonton Oilers miss out on the NHL playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, fans across Oil Country have reached their boiling point. Calls for the dismissal of General Manager Steve Tambellini are, one again, growing by the second.

Oilers would be foolish to not shakeup roster until the off-season

With the Edmonton Oilers in the midst of what has now become a yearly tradition of plummeting down the Western Conference standings. The vast majority of those in Oil Country are calling for the dismissal of one or all three of head coach Ralph Krueger, General Manager Steve Tambellini and President of Hockey Operations Kevin Lowe.

Overcrowded forward group grows larger with the addition of Brown

With the Edmonton Oilers acquisition of former Toronto Maple Leafs pest Mike Brown on Monday morning, General Manager Steve Tambellini helped address his club's lack of toughness and willingness to engage physically. On the other hand, he has added another body to a roster that already has far too many players on it.

Game 19: Edmonton 5 Dallas 1

On the strength of a three point night from Ales Hemsky and the return to action of Taylor Hall and Devan Dubnyk, the Edmonton Oilers pulled out a much needed 5-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Defenceman Justin Schultz continued to add to his impressive rookie campaign with another two point effort, while Dubnyk picked up his first win since February 10th in Columbus.

Oilers need to grab a pair and take care of their star players

Watching Chicago Blackhawks pest Dan Carcillo run the the Edmonton Oilers show on Monday night should have been the final straw. Taylor Hall had reached his boiling point last Thursday against the Minnesota Wild and Cal Clutterbuck. At what point is someone outside of their best player, going to stand up to the likes of Carcillo, for taking runs at their best players?

The Edmonton Oilers and Ryan Smyth are no longer a good fit

Exactly ten days ago, I wrote a piece focusing on the Edmonton Oilers having to make some tough decisions, in order to make room for Ryan Jones in their bottom six. With Jones inching closer to his return to the lineup and the recent emergence of Magnus Paajarvi over the last week and half, it looks as though the time for that decision has come sooner than expected and the odd man out looks to be Mr.Oiler himself, Ryan Smyth.

Oilers will need to make room for Ryan Jones

While Ryan Jones is not quite ready to make his 2013 Edmonton Oilers debut, he isn't far off. With his return likely coming sometime over the next 2-3 weeks and Ben Eager getting closer to re-joining the Oilers starting lineup, head coach Ralph Krueger will have some tough decisions moving forward.

Oil Notes: Hall almost ready, Eager in trouble and Schultz takes weekly honour

In the midst of an NHL Lockout and continual uncertainty surrounding the potential Downtown Arena Project, the Edmonton Oilers had all sorts of highs and lows over the past seven days. From the improved health of one Taylor Hall and the outstanding performance of rookie blueliner Justin Schults in Oklahoma City, to the opposite end of the spectrum and Ben Eager scrapping in a Toronto bar. There is no shortage of stories surrounding the Edmonton Oilers.

Memo to all Oilers players, that's how it is done

Watching Ottawa Senator defenceman Matt Carkner lay a beating on an unwilling Brian Boyle during the early stages of last night's playoff battle against the New York Rangers and Sens, brought a huge smile to my face. That smile then turned into to an all out grin, when Chris Neil decided to drop his mitts and engage Boyle one more time just over six minutes later. All I could think, was I sure hope all the Edmonton Oilers players, coaches and management were tuned in and paying close attention. That is how a team needs to react to a player from the opposition taking shots at one of your star players. Unfortunately, fans know all to well that isn't the case in this neck of the woods, as the Oilers players seem more then ok with teams continually taking runs at the likes of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. 

Game 56 : Toronto 4 Edmonton 3 (OT)

Considering many felt last Monday's tilt between the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs was one of the more entertaining games of the season. It should have come as no real surprise that hockey fans were treated to an even better display on Wednesday night. Tim Connolly was the unlikely overtime hero, as the Leafs edged the Oilers 4-3, in what was an absolute treat to watch. Edmonton battled back all night long and were frankly the better team. That being said, Toronto found a way to get the job done and left Rexall Place with two points that this club desperately needed.

Game 28: Carolina 5 Edmonton 3

The Edmonton Oilers came into last night's game, on the heels of one of the clubs most disappointing losses of the season. One would think, having the struggling Carolina Hurricanes as their next opponents would have been a good thing...think again. After three days off, the Oilers proceeded to come out and play their worst game of the season. The Eastern Conference cellar dwellers, came into Edmonton's barn and thoroughly dominated. From start to finish, the Canes were the better team and were rewarded with a well earned 5-3 victory, against a beleaguered Oilers team.