Opportunity Knocks For Persson

After years of struggling to produce quality NHL defencemen, the Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of seeing that trend changing. The names we hear most often are Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard, Caleb Jones, William Lagesson and Dmitry Samorukov. With that said, the young blueliner who could be the swingman in determining how the upcoming 2018-19 season plays out is Joel Persson.

Where Does Darnell Fit?

For a general manager who has shown little regard towards future cap space issues, Peter Chiarelli appears to be finally changing his tune. Though a good chunk of Edmonton Oilers fans are in full out panic mode over the status of negotiations with Darnell Nurse, the club’s general manager is doing exactly what he should be doing. It may not be a popular opinion among the masses but at this stage of the game, he has little to no choice in the matter. 

Depth Players Are Not The Issue

When it comes to the NHL, there is perhaps no more overused term than “depth player”. Year after year, we hear about team “X” needing better players in the bottom half of their lineups and while that is all well and good, let’s get serious. At the end of the day, without enough impact pieces in the top half of one’s roster, everything else is window dressing and this is where the Edmonton Oilers currently sit. 

The Arrival Of Darnell Nurse

To have expected Darnell Nurse to come out of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and immediately turn into a bonafide top-four defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers was never a realistic ask. After all, up until last season, this was an organization that had been void of impactful veteran blueliners for so long that there was zero chance of a kid coming in and knocking it out of the park on the backend.

It's Matt Benning Time

When the Edmonton Oilers announced the signing of Matt Benning to a two-year deal in August of 2016, many felt the club had lucked out and stumbled upon a player with the potential of eventually developing into a second pairing NHL defenceman. Isn’t it funny how expectations can change over the course of a calendar year?

Kris Russell Noise

No matter what side of the Kris Russell discussion one is on, there is no debating as to whether or not he is a viable NHL defenceman. Despite the shortcomings in his game, the 30-year old showed once again he could help a team as a depth piece during the 2016-17 campaign. However, this notion that the Edmonton Oilers are in some kind of dire need of re-signing the Red Deer native is not only confusing but flat-out untrue.

Low Risk With Potential High Reward

While his name had already worked its way through the rumour mill over the past few weeks, it appeared as though the Edmonton Oilers decided inking unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell to a deal for the upcoming 2016-17 campaign was a road they did not want to go down. However, with the start of the season just around the corner and the club not satisfied with the current state of their backend, the two sides decided to circle back and take another kick at the proverbial can. 

Getting Something Out of the Backend

It has been an extremely long and interesting summer for both the Edmonton Oilers organization and their fans. While it has been yet another off-season of substantial change in the Alberta capital, the Oilers are once again a team with many unanswered questions heading into what the masses are hoping will be a year in which this club makes substantial gains in the Western Conference standings. 

Trade Target - Tyson Barrie

It is no secret the Edmonton Oilers will be looking to give their roster a new look over the coming months. While the organization could go in any number of directions when it comes to addressing their lineup, a potential swap with the Colorado Avalanche could be something worth exploring. With defenceman Tyson Barrie about to receive a massive hike in pay via restricted free agency this summer and Matt Duchene no longer an untouchable piece of the puzzle, Peter Chiarelli would be nuts to not give Joe Sakic a call and talk a little shop leading up to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. 

Trading Places: Nurse for Hamonic

In a perfect world, fans of the Edmonton Oilers would love nothing more than to have their general manager go big game hunting this summer and come back with one of Erik Karlsson or P.K. Subban in his back pocket. Unfortunately, the chances of Peter Chiarelli pulling off such a move with either the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens are likely next to non-existent and could ultimately lead to him parting with a piece he probably has no real interest in moving in order to improve his backend. 

Time For Something Bold

So we are finally here. After playing out the string for the better part of the past three and a half months, the Edmonton Oilers 2015-16 campaign finally came to an end on Saturday evening in Vancouver. While no one has any complaints with what we saw from Todd McLellan’s side during last night’s finale, an entertaining 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks, a 29th place finish in the overall standings was not exactly what Peter Chiarelli had in mind for his first year at the helm of the organization.

Old-Time Hockey vs Common Sense

No matter how you slice it, last night was a tough one for the Edmonton Oilers. As if being shutout by a score of 3-0 by James Reimer and the visiting San Jose Sharks wasn’t already bad enough, rookie Darnell Nurse made things a little more uncomfortable with an ill-advised decision late in the third period. After watching Matt Hendricks crash into the end boards on what some thought to be a dirty play from Sharks blueliner Roman Polak, the tough as nails defenceman chose to take matters into his own hands. Problem being, the situation did not warrant such a response. 

Adjusting Expectations

It is no secret that a good chunk of the Edmonton Oilers fan base was not overly pleased with the organization’s decision to part with a first and second round pick at last summer’s Entry Draft in order to acquire defenceman Griffin Reinhart from the New York Islanders. To make matters worse, Peter Chiarelli decided to try to sell the former Edmonton Oil Kings captain as an NHL ready prospect after pulling the trigger on the deal and not surprisingly, it has led to the 22-year old becoming a whipping boy of sorts in this neck of the woods. 

A Breath Of Fresh Air

It may sound odd to say about a team who currently sits in a tie for last place in the overall standings, but the 2015-16 edition of the Edmonton Oilers deserve some credit. After kicking off their year with what has been an almost obscene schedule over the opening eight weeks of the season and being forced to deal with injuries to key personnel, aka Connor McDavid, this group has managed to find a way to stay in hockey games on a nightly basis.

The Return of Justin Schultz

While it may be hard for a fraction of the fan base to accept, the Edmonton Oilers have actually missed not having Justin Schultz in their lineup. By the sounds of it the 25-year old is on the verge of making his return to action and if healthy, he will be a welcomed addition to this team’s backend. For the first time in ages, it looks as though the Oilers could potentially have three pairings in which there is no real black hole on their blue line. 

Two Words...Travis Hamonic

While the Edmonton Oilers did find a way to drop another one-goal decision on Wednesday evening at Rexall Place, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks, Oilers Nation was abuzz thanks to some surprising news surrounding the availability of New York Islanders defenceman Travis Hamonic.

The Arrival of Mr. Darnell Nurse

While we may just be seven games into Darnell Nurse’s rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers, the talented blueliner has already managed to become of a fan favourite during his brief time in the NHL. Be it his ability to move the puck up ice, a willingness to engage in the physical side of the game, the exuberance he brings to the rink on a nightly basis or a combination of all three, whatever it is…it is clearly working. 

Survival Mode

Despite posting a rather unflattering 5-10 record through the first fifteen games of their 2015-16 schedule, the Edmonton Oilers have not been playing poorly. Unfortunately for them, it has not led to much success in the overall standings and with their current predicament being what it is, this collection of players could be in for a rough ride over the coming weeks. 

Andrej Sekera and the Edmonton Oilers

It’s no secret that fans of the Edmonton Oilers have had little to cheer about since watching their team reach the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. With that said, most were hoping things would take a turn for the better under the guidance of Bob Nicholson, Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan. Unfortunately, those who were hoping for a turnaround overnight have been disappointed with the start of the 2015-16 season. 

Sending The Wrong Message

The Edmonton Oilers are now ten games into their 2015-16 schedule and find themselves with a 3-7 record. While there were those who were expecting more from this group, they have actually started to show signs of meaningful improvement. Regrettably, it has not led to more wins and much of that can be attributed to the lack of quality players on their defence.