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.

A Pitch For Jake Gardiner

We are roughly four weeks into NHL free agency and defenceman Jake Gardiner is still without a home. Be it concern surrounding his health and/or the want for a contract at a healthy number with term, something is up with the former Toronto Maple Leafs rearguard. With that said, this would be the perfect time for the Edmonton Oilers to try and sign the talented blueliner.

Suck It Up Pete and Move Along

It may have been unexpected but yesterday afternoon brought us another chapter in the ongoing saga between Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli and the team’s loyal fan base. Depending on what side of the equation you fall on, this truly has become “love or hate” relationship among the masses across Oil Country and the chances of that changing are non-existent. 

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. 

Take A Look In The Mirror Pete

With roughly 25% of their 2017-18 season now in the books, it is clear there is something wrong with the Edmonton Oilers and contrary to popular opinion, it is not all on the players. No question the collective could be performing better but there does appear to be a taboo topic of sorts in my neck of the woods. Like it or not but the time has come for Peter Chiarelli to take some heat for where his club currently sits. 

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?

$13.25M Is A Steal Of A Deal

From the moment news broke of the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid negotiating an apparent eight-year/ $106 million deal, there have been those scratching their heads and wondering why. If the plan was to have this group try to emerge as the league’s next great team, how could the league’s MVP ask for such a deal if he really wanted to win? Perhaps the fact he is the best player in the game and all of 20 years of age might have something to do with it. 

Staying Away From UFA Market

When the Edmonton Oilers decided to bring on Peter Chiarelli as the club’s general manager following what was a disappointing but rather productive 2014-15 campaign, aka “The McDavid Lottery”, everyone knew the former Boston Bruins front man would be looking to add veteran reinforcements via unrestricted free agency. The Ontario native did exactly that during his first two off-seasons in charge of the organization but expecting that trend to continue over the coming weeks would be a mistake. 

Curious Decision Peter

After watching the Edmonton Oilers reach the second round of the NHL Playoffs for the first time in eleven years, one would have thought Peter Chiarelli would be looking to make a move to help his team get over that next hurdle in their development. If the last few days are any indication of what we can expect between now and the start of next season, it appears as though no such move is on the horizon.

You're Up Ryan Strome

In the six years that have passed since the New York Islanders used the fifth overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to select Ryan Strome, the Mississauga native has yet to live up to expectation. However, after being sent to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for veteran forward Jordan Eberle, the soon-to-be 24-year old could not have dreamed of a better landing spot.

Kris Russell Noise

No matter what side of the Kris Russell discussion one is on, there is no debating as to whether or not he is a viable NHL defenceman. Despite the shortcomings in his game, the 30-year old showed once again he could help a team as a depth piece during the 2016-17 campaign. However, this notion that the Edmonton Oilers are in some kind of dire need of re-signing the Red Deer native is not only confusing but flat-out untrue.

Interesting Times In Oil Country

The Edmonton Oilers will be in an interesting position heading into the 2017-18 NHL season. After exceeding expectations during the 2016-17 campaign and pushing the Anaheim Ducks to a seventh game in their second playoff series, simply qualifying for the post-season will no longer be good enough. With that being the case, Peter Chiarelli will need to ensure he doesn’t allow the moment to cloud his better judgment.

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.

Oilers In Uncharted Territory

No matter how things play out in their New Year’s Eve tilt with the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers will close out 2016 as a playoff team in the Western Conference. For a franchise that has not come close to claiming a post-season berth since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, this can only be viewed as a step in the right direction and one that was long overdue. So much so that, if the Oilers were to miss out on qualifying for the playoffs by season’s end, it would be viewed by most as a surprise. 

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.

Low Risk With Potential High Reward

While his name had already worked its way through the rumour mill over the past few weeks, it appeared as though the Edmonton Oilers decided inking unrestricted free agent defenseman Kris Russell to a deal for the upcoming 2016-17 campaign was a road they did not want to go down. However, with the start of the season just around the corner and the club not satisfied with the current state of their backend, the two sides decided to circle back and take another kick at the proverbial can. 

Numbers Are Starting To Dwindle

With Dustin Byfuglien and the Winnipeg Jets coming to agreement on a five-year extension earlier this week, the upcoming NHL unrestricted free agent market for potential impact defenceman has dwindled down to next to nothing.  While the Edmonton Oilers were likely hoping to grab another quality player for a second consecutive summer on the open market, see Andrej Sekera,  that could prove to be far easier said than done for general manager Peter Chiarelli.