Brossoit Shines In Debut

As far as NHL debuts go, Laurent Brossoit could not have asked for things to have gone much better than they did on Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks. While his preference would have certainly been to skate off with his first career win, having to settle for a 3-1 loss in which the twenty-two year old was by far and away the best player on the ice could not have been overly disappointing. 

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. 

MacT has been busy but...

Anyone that was expecting the NHL Trade Deadline to be anything but anti-climatic for Craig MacTavish and the Edmonton Oilers wasn’t paying attention. While the return for Ales Hesmky wasn’t exactly overwhelming, the Oilers GM didn’t exactly have many bullets at his disposal.

The man who calls it as he sees it

Prior to being shipped off to the Calgary Flames in early November, defenceman Ladislav Smid could always be counted on for telling it like it was in the media. While many of his now former teammates would try to make excuses or simply refer to some “bad breaks” or “bad luck” when it came to the teams play, the former blueliner would usually come clean.

D day is nearing for Jeff Petry

As the Edmonton Oilers 2013-14 draws to a close, one can’t help but wonder what the future might hold for one Jeff Petry. With his contract set to expire at seasons end and unrestricted free agency just a year away, both sides need to figure out if they are still a good match and they need to do so rather quickly.

It pays to know Dallas Eakins

Another day and another deal involving the Edmonton Oilers and a player who had previously been coached by Dallas Eakins during his time as the Toronto Marlies bench boss. First came the free agent signings of Will Acton and Ryan Hamilton, then the trade for goaltender Ben Scrivens and today we saw the arrival of Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Mark Fraser in exchange for the rights to Teemu Hartikainen and minor leaguer Cameron Abney.

Costly mistake

Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers marked the midway point of the Edmonton Oilers 2013-14 campaign. Forty-one games are now in the books and the Oilers sit in the basement of the Western Conference with a 13-24-4 record, good enough for 29th spot in the NHL’s overall standings.

Jeff Petry is not the problem

Outside of probably netminder Devan Dubnyk, no player currently on the Edmonton Oilers roster is a more polarizing figure  among fans than defenceman Jeff Petry. While he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is no questioning the fact Petry is this team’s best blueliner and by a fairly wide margin.

Firing Renney when they did, is coming back to haunt the Oilers

With the Edmonton Oilers sitting in the basement of the Western Conference with a 7-16-2 record, one can't help but wonder why this team is sitting where they currently are in the NHL standings. While their roster simply isn't good enough to be considered a legitimate playoff contender, this team should be nowhere near twenty-ninth place in a thirty team league.

MacT sends mixed messages

Watching Craig MacTavish during his "State of the Franchise" press conference on Thursday afternoon, one couldn't help but notice his frustration level. In his defence, he looked exactly how most Edmonton Oilers fans currently feel about this hockey team. In all honesty, it seemed to take everything in his power to remain as positive as he sounded about his team's immediate and long term future.

Bryzgalov could be a short-term fix but nothing more

 

This past weekend was a very interesting one in the world of the Edmonton Oilers. Not surprisingly, they lost two more hockey games. One coming at the hands of the defending Stanley Cup champs and the other against what has been just a dreadful Philadelphia Flyers squad. However, the moves this organization decided to make prior to their afternoon tilt in the City of Brotherly Love were more than a little perplexing.

Smid sent packing in questionable move by MacT

Hate to say I told you so but you could see this one coming from a mile away. Just under three weeks ago, I wrote a piece on Edmonton Oilers blueliner Ladislav Smid apparently not being a guy that head coach Dallas Eakins had much confidence in using as a top four defenceman.

Time for Mr. Eakins to change the look of his backend

While the results haven't been what either fans or the organization were hoping for, there is no question Craig MacTavish tried to upgrade the Edmonton Oilers blueline during this past off-season. It was no real surprise that he fell short of acquiring a legitimate top pairing defenceman but he did manage to bring in better players.

Bachman does what a goalie should do but Oilers still lose

It was a night in which a battered and bruised Edmonton Oilers lineup had next to nothing left in the gas tank but still found a way to walk out of the Staples Centre with a point they had absolutely no right having. On the strength of a 47 save performance from call up Richard Bachman, the Oilers managed to head home with at least one point from their weekend road trip, after falling 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings in a shootout.

Oilers D lead the way in win over Habs

It sure wasn't looking promising on the scoreboard after twenty minutes of play but at the end of sixty minutes, the Edmonton Oilers found a way to ge the job done. On the strength of second and third period goals from the defensive pairing of Ladislav Smid and Jeff Petry, the Oilers managed to end their six-game road trip in style with a come from behind 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Is Laddy Smid in Eakins long term plans?

So what gives? Nine games into the 2013-14 campaign and Ladislav Smid has become almost an afterthought along the Edmonton Oilers blueline. The rugged Czech defender has somewhat struggled to start the year and appears to have fallen out of favour with head coach Dallas Eakins.

2013-14 Preview: Belov is a wild card

He may have arrived late to the Edmonton Oilers training camp due to visa issues but defenceman Anton Belov has done nothing but impress since his arrival to the Alberta capital. In just under two weeks, the talented Russian has already shown enough to cement himself a spot inside the top six and don’t be surprised to see him push for a bigger role as the year progresses.

Jets spoil Eakins debut

Despite a late third period rally and a solid performance from his starting netminder, Dallas Eakins did not get the result he was hoping for in his debut behind an NHL bench. While third period goals from Mitch Moroz and Philip Larsen made it close on the scoreboard, this was a game the Edmonton Oilers had no business being in, falling 3-2 to the Winnipeg Jets in Tuesday night NHL exhibition action.

Will Klefbom start in the NHL or AHL?

Ever since being selected with the 19th pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Oscar Klefbom was anointed as the next great Edmonton Oilers defenceman. While we have seen our fair share of talented blueliners come through town over the years, one could easily make the argument that current assistant coach Steve Smith was the last high end defenceman this organization actually drafted and developed. To put that into perspective, the Oilers grabbed Smith in the sixth round, 111th overall, of the 1981 Draft.

2013-14 Preview: Smid will play a key role under coach Eakins

Outside of perhaps George Laraque, no other "out-of-market" player has ingrained himself more into the fabric of this community than defenceman Ladislav Smid. The seven year vet has not only become a stalwart on the Edmonton Oilers backend over the last number of years but also one of the most visible and interactive guys within the city itself.