Perception vs Reality

Despite having had the privilege of watching some of the greatest players to ever play in the NHL and being handed the opportunity to see the game’s next generational talent develop in their own backyard, fans of the Edmonton Oilers have always seemed to hold a special place in the hearts for the so-called hard-working but less talented player. It has been that way since Day One and will likely continue to be the case till the end of time. 

How Predictable

When NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly opened up the final envelope of the 2014 Draft Lottery and pulled out the card of the Florida Panthers, all I could do was shake my head. Through eighty-one games, the Edmonton Oilers sat 29th in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Panthers.

Tough Sell

No one should have been surprised with the approach Craig MacTavish decided to take to his year-end press conference. After promising big changes and letting the entire hockey world know he wasn’t an overly patient man during his introduction as the Edmonton Oilers general manager, the 55-year old tried putting a positive spin on what was a disastrous 2013-14 campaign.

A Night To Remember

On a night in which the Edmonton Oilers managed to not only back their way into 28th place in the NHL’s overall standings but also see Taylor Hall become the first Oilers player to register an 80 point campaign since former captain Doug Weight posted ninety back in 2000-01, all that really mattered was the guy wearing #94 in Orange and Blue.

Smyth Allows Season To End On A Positive Note

While the Los Angeles Kings were nice enough to sit both Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick during their final visit to Rexall Place, at the end of the night it mattered little. Despite the visitors somewhat depleted roster, the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 loss to the mighty Kings should have surprised absolutely no one and yet the fans inside the rink found the need to boo their team off the ice on Thursday evening,

Get these kids some help already!!!

On the heels of the Dallas Eakins – Taylor Hall incident and a pair of disappointing losses to the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames, the time has come for Craig MacTavish and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers management team to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure out exactly what it is they are trying to accomplish.

Sorry but this is getting tough to watch

The Edmonton Oilers 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings marked the 45th time in 68 outings in which the team in Orange and Blue were on the wrong side of the scoreboard. With thirty-six of those defeats having come during regulation time, watching them fall for the ninth time via overtime or the shootout is viewed by some fans as almost being a positive.

That was awfully painful to watch

When it comes to sports, critiquing victories is rarely a good idea. Ultimately you play the game to win and in all honesty, how you get there doesn’t usually matter. However, from time to time there are those rare occasions when winning ugly simply isn’t acceptable.

Could this be it for Ryan Smyth in Oilers silks?

With the NHL Trade Deadline just over 48 hours away, Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Smyth finds himself in a bit of an odd situation. While Craig MacTavish hasn’t come right out and said it, the Oilers GM has pretty much left the decision of whether or not he moves the veteran winger prior to Wednesday’s deadline up to the player. 

Time to get busy

With the NHL Trade Deadline less than two weeks away, one can’t help but wonder how many players will ultimately find their way off the Edmonton Oilers roster. While the names of Sam Gagner, Ales Hemsky and Nick Schultz continue to make the rounds in rumour mills across the league, there are a number of other players who general manager Craig MacTavish could send packing prior to the March 5th deadline.

Time to say so long to #94

When TSN’s Insider Darren Dreger hinted at the very real possibility of the Edmonton Oilers moving Ryan Smyth prior to the NHL’s March 5^th Trade Deadline, it seemed to almost catch  many across Oil Country off-guard. While some may have felt the veteran winger had done enough to earn another contract from Craig MacTavish for the 2014-15 season, let’s be honest here, that was never going to be in the cards for the veteran winger.

MacT is betting on both Scrivens and Hendricks being able to fill a void

Wednesday afternoon proved to be a rather busy time for the Edmonton Oilers Craig MacTavish.
The rookie GM managed to pull off not one but two deals in his ongoing quest to improve his club’s NHL roster.

Learning to win ugly

Only one word comes to mind when describing last night's match up between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers...and that word is painful. With both teams returning to action following a league wide three day hiatus for the Holiday Season, the longtime provincial rivals managed to put together about as boring a game as one would ever care to witness.

Hall is starting to ramp things up

If only the Edmonton Oilers could find a way to play the Columbus Blue Jackets or Colorado Avalanche on a somewhat regular basis on home ice, all would be good in Oil Country.

Top line remains the key to Oilers success upfront

After struggling through much of the opening month and half of their 2013-14 campaign, the Edmonton Oilers took full advantage of a soft spot in their schedule to turn their early season misfortunes around. A trio of games against the Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers could not have come at a better time. That said, one could say the same about Dallas Eakins' decision to reunite the line of Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Oilers explode for seven in easy win over Blue Jackets

It was a night Edmonton Oilers fans have been waiting for all season long and not surprisingly, it came against the only team Edmonton has truly dominated on home-ice in recent memory. On the strength of a three goal night on the man advantage and a career high four point effort from David Perron, the Oilers were finally able to bring their seven game losing streak at Rexall Place to a halt, destroying the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of 7-0.

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 edge Sens but lose Hall

On the strength of a three point afternoon from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and another solid outing from Jordan Eberle, the Edmonton Oilers managed to bring their five game losing skid to an end with a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. However the win did not come without a cost, as Taylor Hall was forced to leave the game midway through the second period with an apparent knee injury.

Five is not enough, as Oilers fall to Leafs in OT

This is starting to get a little old and we are only five games into the 2013-14 NHL season. With the state of the Edmonton Oilers current goaltending situation being what it is, apparently scoring five goals isn't enough to win a game with Devan Dubnyk between the pipes.

RNH in = Arcobello out and a chance at a successful October

With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking part in full contact drills during practice on Thursday morning, it looks as though the Edmonton Oilers will finally let the cat out of the bag.

RNH is nearly ready to go.