Opportunity Knocks For Persson

After years of struggling to produce quality NHL defencemen, the Edmonton Oilers are on the verge of seeing that trend changing. The names we hear most often are Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard, Caleb Jones, William Lagesson and Dmitry Samorukov. With that said, the young blueliner who could be the swingman in determining how the upcoming 2018-19 season plays out is Joel Persson.

Not A Bad Spot To Be In

After not only surviving but thriving through the month of October, the Edmonton Oilers have positioned themselves in a pretty good spot as they make their way through November. How good you ask? Well, despite falling to the Stanley Cup champion Capitals in Washington last night and a pending date with the Tampa Bay Lightning later today, a pair of back-to-back regulation losses would be of no real consequence and that in itself is saying something.

The Healthy Oscar Klefbom

If you talk to fans of the Edmonton Oilers or those who cover the team, the vast majority will point to goaltending and special teams as keys to the fast approaching 2018-19 campaign. No question the club will need better showings on the penalty kill and man advantage, a bounce-back performance from Cam Talbot and Mikko Koskinen to prove he was worth the risk but if the defence isn't improved, none of it will matter. Sitting atop that list is Oscar Klefbom.

Not A Good Enough Return But Still A Nice Fit

At no fault of his own, Adam Larsson was put in an awfully difficult position to start his Edmonton Oilers career. Though any reasonable fan, media member and student of the game would never view the rugged rearguard as fair value for Taylor Hall, one has to remove that part of the equation in order to fairly judge his performance. On its own merit, the trade is a fail every single time for the organization but the 25-year old has managed to deliver exactly what should have been expected of him. 

Where To Go From Here

Despite looking as though their 2017-18 campaign is all but over, there are still those holding out hope the Edmonton Oilers could somehow save their season. Now the chances of that happening seem rather slim but to each his own. With that aside, if we go on the assumption that making the playoffs is no longer a realistic option, what should be this club’s focus over the next three months?

Missing Andrej

After taking over the reins as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers, Peter Chiarelli targeted two players to help address what was an apparent need for the club. In acquiring Cam Talbot via trade and signing Andrej Sekera to a free agent deal, the Ottawa native brought two important pieces to what has become the core of this lineup and the Slovak rearguard remains the key figure on this team’s backend. 

The Arrival Of Darnell Nurse

To have expected Darnell Nurse to come out of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and immediately turn into a bonafide top-four defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers was never a realistic ask. After all, up until last season, this was an organization that had been void of impactful veteran blueliners for so long that there was zero chance of a kid coming in and knocking it out of the park on the backend.

Oscar Will Be Just Fine

Heading into the 2017-18 season, the Edmonton Oilers had more than a few obstacles to overcome, most notably the extended absence of defenceman Andrej Sekera due to off-season knee surgery. However, what has been a rather unpleasant surprise is the addition of fellow blueliner Oscar Klefbom to said list with what can only be described as an awful start to his campaign.

It's Matt Benning Time

When the Edmonton Oilers announced the signing of Matt Benning to a two-year deal in August of 2016, many felt the club had lucked out and stumbled upon a player with the potential of eventually developing into a second pairing NHL defenceman. Isn’t it funny how expectations can change over the course of a calendar year?

Oscar, Oscar, Oscar

Barring another injury-riddled campaign, the 2016-17 season was always going to be a campaign in which the Edmonton Oilers made substantial gains in the overall standings. The question was whether or not the improvement would be great enough to allow them to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Considering the club finished the year as a top ten team, the answer to the question was a resounding a yes.

Who Are These Edmonton Oilers?

After failing to qualify for the NHL Playoffs the previous ten seasons, it only seemed fair to keep expectations at a minimum for the Edmonton Oilers heading into the 2017 post-season. Be it an early exit, a lengthy run or anything in between, this group was in a no-lose situation. With that said, absolutely no one could have predicted how things were going to unfold during their first round match-up against the San Jose Sharks.

The Importance of Klefbom and Larsson

At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers felt they had secured a pair of key pieces in their rebuild with the selections of Swedish forwards Magnus Paajarvi and Anton Lander. While both were expected to develop into productive NHL players, neither one managed to live up to their advanced billing. Ironically enough, the organization went out and found another pair of fellow countrymen to fill a need but this time around the duo of Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson have delivered on their promise.

Oilers Yo-Yo Season Continues

After last night’s 5-0 thumping of the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks, the Edmonton Oilers have officially reached the quarter pole of their season and they find themselves in some rather unfamiliar territory. While it has hardly been smooth sailing throughout, all that truly matters is their place in the standings and as of this moment, Todd McLellan’s crew finds itself perched atop the Pacific Division standings with an 11-8-1 record.

The Importance of Andrej Sekera

Back in the summer of 2015, the Edmonton Oilers turned more than a few heads by jumping with both feet into the unrestricted free agent market and landing one of its biggest prizes in defenceman Andrej Sekera. After agreeing to a six-year/$33 million pact, a large chunk of this fan base was under the impression Peter Chiarelli had finally secured the No. 1 rearguard this club so desperately needed. Unfortunately, in the real world, that was never the expectation and nor should it have been.

Getting Something Out of the Backend

It has been an extremely long and interesting summer for both the Edmonton Oilers organization and their fans. While it has been yet another off-season of substantial change in the Alberta capital, the Oilers are once again a team with many unanswered questions heading into what the masses are hoping will be a year in which this club makes substantial gains in the Western Conference standings. 

What Are Reasonable Expectations?

If both players manage to stay relatively healthy throughout their NHL careers, there is no question that the Edmonton Oilers will end up on the wrong end of the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson swap. Trading away a 24-year-old proven driver and point producer for a guy who “could” one day turn into a legit top pairing defenceman,  is a deal that has potential disaster written all over it. While the return was certainly underwhelming, the addition of the former New Jersey Devils blueliner will instantly upgrade Edmonton’s paper thin backend. 

Trading Places: Nurse for Hamonic

In a perfect world, fans of the Edmonton Oilers would love nothing more than to have their general manager go big game hunting this summer and come back with one of Erik Karlsson or P.K. Subban in his back pocket. Unfortunately, the chances of Peter Chiarelli pulling off such a move with either the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens are likely next to non-existent and could ultimately lead to him parting with a piece he probably has no real interest in moving in order to improve his backend. 

Time For Something Bold

So we are finally here. After playing out the string for the better part of the past three and a half months, the Edmonton Oilers 2015-16 campaign finally came to an end on Saturday evening in Vancouver. While no one has any complaints with what we saw from Todd McLellan’s side during last night’s finale, an entertaining 4-3 shootout loss to the Canucks, a 29th place finish in the overall standings was not exactly what Peter Chiarelli had in mind for his first year at the helm of the organization.

What To Do With Oscar?

When the Edmonton Oilers 2015-16 campaign officially comes to an end in Vancouver on April 9th, defenceman Oscar Klefbom will have missed the final 52 games of the season. Considering he left the Oilers December 11th contest against the New York Rangers with a fractured finger, no one could have ever imagined the kid would end up being out of action for what will turn out to be a four-month stretch. 

Simpson Not Interested In Excuses

While he may have won a pair of Stanley Cup Championships as a player with the Edmonton Oilers, been a part of the coaching staff for three seasons in the mid-2000’s and continues to be a proud member of the Oilers Alumni, Craig Simpson has never been one to hold his tongue when it comes to his former employer.