Tinkering

After watching the roster he put together win exactly one game over what was essentially a quarter of the 2014-15 season, Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish decided the time had finally come to start making some changes. 

Anton Lander

Of all the Edmonton Oilers draft picks who have failed to meet expectations over the last number of years, the two that likely stand out above all the rest are Magnus Paajarvi and Anton Lander. While the ninth of overall pick of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has been unable to find his way since been shipped off to the St. Louis Blues in the summer of 2013, it is the play of his good friend that has many an Oilers fan scratching their head. 

Perron has been good but needs to start lighting the lamp

When Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish decided to finally pull the trigger on the David Perron for Magnus Paajarvi swap, everyone knew Edmonton would be getting the better player in the here and now. If the first ten games of his Oilers career are any indication of what fans can expect from the twenty-five year old winger, it's hard to not be impressed.

Give me Braydon Coburn not Jake Gardiner

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Edmonton Oilers may be interested in adding a top defenceman to their backend and hinted at Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Jake Gardiner as a possible target. With all due respect to Mr.McKenzie and the Leafs talented youngster, when exactly did Gardiner start being referred to as a "top defenceman"?

MacT's Top Five Off-Season Moves

Prior to the conclusion of the 2013 NHL season, general manager Craig MacTavish spoke openly about the need for change within in the Edmonton Oilers. He promised "bold moves" and a different look to his club come 2013-14. To his credit, he was good on his word. MacT has restructured the makeup of the Oilers lineup and brought in a new head coach, for good measure, in Dallas Eakins.

Tyler Pitlick and the 2014-15 Oilers

Following the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, you would have been hard pressed to find people who were not thrilled with the Edmonton Oilers selection of Tyler Pitlcik with the first pick on the second round. Central Scouting had the youngster sitting 18th in their final rankings and TSN's Bob Mackenzie had him positioned at 25th on his closing list.

Is Perron an upgrade over Hemsky?

Heading into the off-season, Craig MacTavish was hoping to address many of the issues hampering the Edmonton Oilers. While improving the overall talent level on the roster was priority one, he made no secret of wanting to add players who were not only willing to compete on a nightly basis but preferably had some size to them. Despite his best efforts to acquire unrestricted free agent David Clarkson, likely a blessing in disguise, the Oilers remain somewhat on the smallish side of things but have clearly made upgrades in other areas.

Oilers pay a steep price to acquire Perron, sending Paajarvi to the Blues

Just a few short days ago, a piece appeared in this very spot, focusing on the possibility of Magnus Paajarvi being moved via trade by the Edmonton Oilers. In my mind,  using Paajarvi "as the bait to acquire anything short of a true top six forward or top pairing defenceman, entering the prime years of their career, would make little to no sense". With that being said, general manager Craig MacTavish decided to role the dice on Wednesday afternoon, moving the talented Swede in exchange for St. Louis Blues winger David Perron.

Moving Paajarvi would be a colossal blunder

During his first three years in the National Hockey League, Magnus Paajarvi has become somewhat of a hot button when it comes to the vast majority of Edmonton Oilers fans. Some view him as a possible major talent on the verge of breaking out season, while others see him as nothing more than a solid depth player at the NHL level.

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.

MacTavish played it safe and smart at the NHL Entry Draft

When Craig MacTavish took over as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, he promised fans he would make the necessary "bold moves" to improve the hockey club. In the minds of many, those moves needed to start happening at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately for them, the fireworks they were hoping to see never materialized and not a single "bold move" took place.

Oilers could build a decent bottom six, with or without Horcoff

You can count me in the group of those who were rather surprised to hear Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish, hint at the likely departure of Shawn Horcoff in the coming months. In my mind, he had one more year left in Oilers silks, before being moved or bought out of the final year of his deal.

Frolik would be a nice addition to the Oilers top nine

Michael Frolik has always intrigued me as a player. Ever since being drafted tenth overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers, the talented Czech has always been a player I have kept my eye on. After putting up back-to-back twenty-one goal campaigns in his rookie and sophomore seasons, it looked as though he was well on his way to becoming a legitimate top six NHL forward.

Scott Hartnell would look pretty darn good in Oilers silks

It is no secret the Edmonton Oilers have always had interest in Philadelphia Flyers winger Scott Hartnell. Apparently he was nearly an Oiler a few years back but former GM Steve Tambellini decided to not pull the trigger on a potential deal involving defenceman Sheldon Souray. With new general manager Craig MacTavish looking to infuse some energy and a different dimension into his club's current makeup, perhaps the time has come to re-visit the possibility of acquiring the Regina native.

Time for Teemu Hartikainen to prove his worth

Teemu Hartikainen is on the verge of completing his third year of professional hockey in North America. He has steadily improved his all around game but has yet to leave any sort of mark, when given the chance to suit up for the Edmonton Oilers.

MacTavish will have options to improve the Oilers mix upfront

The moment Craig MacTavish was named General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers, you knew the time for patience was over. To go out and bring back the former head coach who left the club following an absolutely dreadful 2009-2010 campaign, as the next face of this franchise's management team, Kevin Lowe and company were opening themselves up to a whole lot of questions.

Game 42: Minnesota 5 Edmonton 3

In their first opportunity to make an impression on new GM Craig MacTavish, the Edmonton Oilers proceeded to come out as flat as board on Tuesday night, falling by a score of 5-3 to the Minnesota Wild at Rexall Place. The loss was their sixth straight, which is a feat that has not been achieved in this neck of the woods since December 2009.

Nordic trio should help address Oilers lack of scoring depth

Moving forward, there is little question the Edmonton Oilers need to change the makeup of their lineup. For those that watch this club on a regular basis, the holes are obvious. A top pairing defenceman and likely another depth blueliner, at least one skilled top six forward with size and a completely new look within the bottom six.   

Game 38: Los Angeles 4 Edmonton 1

No one said making the playoffs would be easy for the Edmonton Oilers and if Saturday afternoon's affair against the defending Stanley Cup Champions is any indication of what they can expect during the final stretch of the 2013 campaign, they could be in for a bit of a rough ride.

Game 33: Edmonton 6 Columbus 4

It was one of those night's that looked to be headed towards disaster for the Edmonton Oilers. After crawling back from an early 2-0 deficit, it took these Oilers all of twenty-seven seconds of period three, to allow the Columbus Blue Jackets to jump in front 4-3. At which point point Ralph Krueger reached his breaking point.