The Kris Russell Conundrum

In the 37 year history of the Edmonton Oilers there has arguably never been a more polarizing figure than defenceman Kris Russell. And there has certainly not been a player that has caused this much of a divide amongst fans and media types…with such a small body of work. After playing what was probably his worst game of the season on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild, the 29-year-old now has a grand total of 44 games under his belt in Orange and Blue.

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. 

Giving Oscar A Helping Hand

The start of the 2015-16 season has been an interesting one for Edmonton Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom. After suffering an injury during training camp, the talented rearguard has struggled to find his game over the opening two and half weeks of the year. Unfortunately, the Oilers blueline is structured in such a way that it can ill-afford to have the 22-year old at anything but his very best. 

Potential Off-Season Target - Cody Franson

Despite coming off what can only be described as a disappointing finish to his 2014-15 campaign, Cody Franson will still be a highly sought after commodity in this summer’s UFA market. At 27 years of age and entering what should be the prime years of his career, Franson can count on receiving a fairly substantial hike in pay from his $3.3 million salary from a season ago.

Time To Decide

As far as second round picks go, Martin Marincin hasn't exactly knocked it out of the park to this point in his National Hockey League career. While the Edmonton Oilers have yet to receive the pay off  they were hoping for when the organization decided to use the forty-sixth pick of the 2010 Entry Draft on the gangly blueliner, he has certainly shown signs of progress during the past two seasons.

Trading Places

While fans of the Edmonton Oilers would love nothing more than for the organization to upgrade their roster prior to the start of the 2015-16 National Hockey League season, many would prefer if they could accomplish it without parting ways with fan favourite and former first overall pick Nail Yakupov.

One Ugly Blueline

While it was bound to happen, it certainly did not make the trading of Jeff Petry any easier to stomach. To make matter worse, the eventual return was something which will not help the Edmonton Oilers in any way shape or form over the next few years. 

Desired Result

With the NHL Trade Deadline just around the corner, the Edmonton Oilers can finally see the finish line on what has been yet another disappointing season in good ol’ Oilers Nation. After last night’s 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Oilers have just nineteen games remaining on their schedule and the end frankly can’t come soon enough. 

Close But No Cigar

Despite being severely hampered by the absence of Taylor Hall and Benoit Pouliot from their starting lineup and coming off what was just a dreadful performance in losing 5-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers have responded with a pair of splendid efforts against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. 

Two Points And Another Solid Night From Oscar Klefbom

After coming out with what was less than a flattering performance against a struggling Toronto Maple Leafs squad on Saturday night and an upcoming schedule that will be far from easy, the Edmonton Oilers were in dire need of a solid showing against the New Jersey Devils. 

Preparing For A Rough Ride

After losing their eleventh straight game, the Toronto Maple Leafs had to have been licking their chops at the chance of facing the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre. As bad as the Leafs have been over the last six or so weeks, it was always just a matter of time before they would stumble in to a victory. 

Perron Delivers In Return

There is no question David Perron was absolutely thrilled to have been dealt by the St. Louis Blues to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Magnus Paajarvi and a second round pick during the summer of 2013. 

Back To Reality

Well…it was nice while it lasted. After ending their eleven game winless skid on Sunday night with a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Rexall Place, the Edmonton Oilers wasted little time in returning to form during Tuesday’s return engagement at the Shark Tank. 

Another Loss, Another Perron Trade Rumour

Last night’s 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars leaves the Edmonton Oilers with a mind-blowing 0-10-1 mark against Western Conference opponents and we are now twenty-two games into their 2014-15 schedule. This group has now lost seven straight and despite coming out with one of their better performances in some time, things appear to be getting worse for Dallas Eakins’ crew.

Time To Finally Fix The D

When Craig MacTavish decided to “upgrade” his blueline during the off-season, a large portion of the Edmonton Oilers fan base bought into the illusion that this team’s backend was going to be drastically improved over the mess we saw on a nightly basis during what truly was a disastrous 2013-14 campaign. 

Simple Question....Why?

With the Edmonton Oilers in the midst of a three game losing skid, it appears as though Dallas Eakins has decided to push the panic button heading into tonight’s matchup against the Boston Bruins. 

Back To Reality

It was nice while it lasted but the Edmonton Oilers four game win streak was destined to come to an end and come to end it did on Wednesday against the high-flying Nashville Predators. While the 4-1 scoreline frankly flattered the team wearing Orange and Blue, they still had every chance to stretch their run to five straight despite putting together what was simply a dreadful opening twenty minutes of hockey. 

Jeff Petry...Does He Stay Or Does He Go?

As far as starts to a National Hockey League season go, things could not have got off to much worse of a start in 2014 for Edmonton Oilers defenceman Jeff Petry. 

The Floodgates Open!!!

After coming out and playing what was easily their best hockey of the season over their last three games, the Edmonton Oilers were nowhere near their best on Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. 
Despite struggling mightily over the opening thirty minutes of play, the Oilers exploded for six goals over the final period and a half and cruise to a 6-3 win over the winless Eastern Conference cellar dwellers. 

Could Craig MacTavish And Ron Hextall Be Talking Trade?

As a general rule, I have always made a point of not paying too much attention to trade rumours during the open month of any National Hockey League season. Unless a team has a player that is in the midst of a contract dispute or flat out demanded to be traded, we rarely if ever see deals involving legit NHL talent this early in the year.