Time To Silence The Critics

If he could, James Neal would like nothing more than to erase last season from the history books. Unfortunately, that isn’t how things work, not even for a ten-time 20-goal scorer. Like it or not, he now has something to prove and the Edmonton Oilers are banking on the 32-year-old pulling out all the stops in hopes of silencing his critics. 

Decision Time

With the Edmonton Oilers pre-season schedule officially over, the time for Ken Holland and Dave Tippett to decide who will be part of the equation in Wednesday’s season opener has arrived. Chances are both will lean towards a more experienced lineup but lets us hope that won’t be deciding factor in determining who ultimately makes the roster to start the 2019-20 campaign. 

The Anton Burdasov Experiement

After spending the past ten seasons on a variety of different teams in the KHL, Anton Burdasov has decided to take a crack at trying to land his dream gig…playing in the NHL. Though the hope of securing a one-way deal from an organization did not come to fruition, the Russian winger signed a PTO with the Edmonton Oilers earlier this week. A surprise to some but from the player’s perspective, it was likely an easy decision to make. 

Ethan Bear Is Ready To Shine

Of all the young defencemen in the Edmonton Oilers system, Ethan Bear has become a forgotten man of sorts. Be it the free-agent signing of Joel Persson, highly-touted prospects Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov or AHL holdovers Caleb Jones and William Lagesson, the list of blueliners looking to stick with the big club is a lengthy one. A crowded bunch to be sure but the 22-year old seems ready for the challenge.