Oilers History: Petr Klima...40-Goal Man

When the book is closed on the 2016-17 regular season, it will mark the 25thconsecutive season in which the Edmonton Oilers failed to have a player hit the 40-goal mark. For all the damage Wayne Gretzky and company did back in the day, a quarter of a century is a long time for any organization to go without anyone having eclipsed said barrier. And the player who last managed to pull off the feat might not be who think. It was none other than the enigmatic Petr Klima.

All Is Well In Oilerville

Like it or not, the NHL All-Star break could not have come at a worse time for the Edmonton Oilers. In the midst of playing some good hockey and having almost every bounce go their way for the better part of three weeks, Todd McLellan’s crew has come down to earth since returning to action. Three games, three losses and a grand total of three goals scored have sections of Oilers nation starting to feel uneasy.

Oilers Say Thanks But No Thanks

These are curious times for the Edmonton Oilers. With Darnell Nurse not yet ready to return to the lineup, Matt Benning headed to the IR list and Kris Russell banged up, the organization was forced into making an internal move to help address their current situation. Instead of making the obvious move of recalling veteran rearguard Mark Fayne and one of Jordan Oesterle or Griffin Reinhart, the club decided to go with the two youngsters in their time of need. So what’s up?

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.