Unnatural Disaster. Back to back in L.A. and Arizona.

I watched this documentary awhile back about the tsunami that hit the shores of Thailand in the mid-two thousands. What image sticks in my mind from it was the beginning, where they showed this person on the beach just standing there watching it roll in for what seemed like ever. In the distance, despite everything you know about the raw power of such a wave, it seemed inauspicious - a little hump across the ocean horizon making its way slowly to shore. Eventually, the wave reached the man and the water rose up. First to his knees, then to his waist, his shoulders...and then he was gone.

The man on the beach represents the Oilers and the wave is L.A.'s '70's line' of Toffoli, Pearson and Carter.

What followed, of course, was a natural disaster of epic proportions. The sheer force of that volume of water making its way past the beach, through the hotels and into the streets. It washed up boats, floated cars, tore people from their loved ones and wreaked havoc on anything in its path.

After the ocean had receded, the wave returned to where it had come from, and all that was left was destruction, desolation and heartbreak...and the last couple of days of  Oilers hockey brought the memories of it all, flooding back...

We knew the L.A. Kings and Arizona Coyotes were going to be a tough test. Like the man on the beach, we stood around all day listening to the talk of key members being out of the line-up, of questionable personnel decisions on the blue line and of a goal-tending tandem that needed to be better in order to survive what we were all told was coming.

The puck dropped and everything seemed all right for a few moments as we anticipated what to was unfold. Then it hit, wave after wave, with brutal force and it was worse than we could have ever imagined - the 'Tsunami of Suckitude'. What ensued was chaos and destruction at the highest level. Everything that could have gone wrong did and just when we thought it was over, it struck again with the desert dogs. Sure we put up a good fight, nobody doesn't want to go down swinging, but the end result was the same.

So here we are in the aftermath, confused, hurt, angry and demanding to know what the hell happened...

OILERS 1 - L.A. 6                  OILERS 4 - COYOTES 7

Sorry but these games were so bad on so many levels, I can barely bring myself to talk about them at all, let alone individually...

FORWARDS: Agree or disagree, but this isn't an area of great concern. Yes, we need some depth at center which is more prevalent with Nuge being injured, but on the whole THEY ARE NOT THE PROBLEM... Hall is a stud and even sandwiched on the bench with as much stink as this team is putting out, he still smells like potpourri...Eberle was hurt, which makes his slow start make sense but he's a quality player...Marcobello has filled in on the top line just fine. He looked really good in Arizona, not as much in L.A., but who did? He can make a pass, take a pass and play responsible defense. Whether or not he stays with the Oilers remains to be seen, but regardless, he'll be playing in the NHL for a while...Yakupov with Draisaitl isn't working. Yak's playing fine, better than last year, but his center man is too green and the line including Pouliot, have the worst +/- on the team. He's committed to the game plan this year, so commit to him some decent line mates!...Hendricks and Gordon are playing their hearts out. I just hope they have enough to carry them through all 82 games of this debacle...Joensuu has been held of the score sheet for the last two games but he's still playing a physical, responsible game AND generating scoring chances. No preseason slump, so 4 games down, 78 to go...

This is Arcobello wondering if maybe he should have taken his chances with free-agency this summer.

DEFENCE: I'm not impressed with Justin Schultz. He has trouble being aware of the man entering the slot behind him and isn't strong enough on his man driving to the net. By my count, opponents have scored at least three times against him and the Oilers on these types of poor plays in four games. And do argue about the offense he provides because so far what little he's produce doesn't outweigh the mistakes that are sinking this team...Fayne and Nikitin continue to improve and I'm starting to gain confidence in them. I just hope they can gain some confidence in their team mates...Nurse has been O.K. which is typical for a rookie. I'm just still wondering what the hell he's doing here...Hunt was badly exposed in L.A. Boy, that big shot of his was sure worth it, eh Dallas?...as much as I'm displeased with Schultz, Andrew Ference has been absolutely dreadful. If he wasn't the captain, would he be in the line-up with his performance so far? He's looks so slow and behind the play all the time. Either he's hurt or all of his early morning community exercising is catching up with him...

GOALTENDING: Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh....Fasth is out with a groin injury and they're never good, especially for a goaltender. It could be a while before he gets back...Scrivens, you suck. I know, I know, that's ignorant and very base of me, but it's really the only way I can put it. Insert "couldn't stop a beachball" jokes here and be done with it. Seriously, if you add the three mishandled puck goals, the three long-distance weak goals and the two 'how the f#@k did those just get through me?' goals the Oilers team GAA drops from 5.5 (that's not a typo) to 3.5.and this team has two wins in the bank. Get it together, buddy...

If I tried to do this, I would pull a whole lot more than just my groin. I'd also be out a whole lot longer than a couple of weeks...I'd probably have to change jobs.

OK, so we were promised a few things at the start of this season. We were told that the goal tending was easily superior to last year, the defense is improved with veterans, the forward core is deeper and the coaching staff has a year under its belt and the team will be more comfortable with its systems. No one guaranteed the play-offs or anything, but in no way shape or form would the team repeat its start from the previous season...

Anybody seen the goals for and against or the team record four games in? They are almost identical to 2013. 21 vs. 22 goals against, 11 vs 12 for and one measly point garnered for their trouble. Scary.

Every team enters the season with a certain number of question marks at its various positions. Will player A be able to preform in his new role, can player B regain his form of the past, can player C take the next step, can rookie D make the jump. The teams that excel have these questions answered in the positive. The Oilers on the other hand, have come up with a perfect storm of ineptitude in the early goings of this year and nearly every one of their uncertainties has gone the wrong way. Most of it self-inflicted and some of it bad luck.

Viktor Fasth played well in limited time, but his injury bug from the past has reared its ugly head yet again and we have no indication as to when he'll be back. Ben Scrivens looks like the Maple Leaf goalie I remember all too well. He's collapsing under the pressure. *NOTE: I hope this is the final Marlies reclamation project we see forever. Not one of them has worked out in any way so far. The wee Nugent-Hopkins has been hurt already and I wonder if his wee body will ever be built to last in the NHL. His injury has exposed Draisitl further and having a rookie as your 2C just isn't going to work. Fayne and Nikitin are taking their time assimilating to their new team. Schultz looks like the same guy as last year, bleeding scoring chance after chance. None of the rookie D-men have stepped up their game to play full time. All of this put together and you've got one disastrous team...

I just hope this team can pull itself together enough to start playing some decent hockey. I really need something to cheer for to help wash away the pain I've endured up to this point. If it goes on any longer, this team is going to need a lot more than FEMA to clean up the mess.

Oilers 4 - Canucks 5. Behind Enemy Lines...

The view from our hotel room. I had to explain to many of the citizens of the rain capital of Canada that the bright orange ball in the sky is called "the sun."

Happy belated Turkey weekend to you. I hope the last three days found you healthy and in the company of friends and family alike. I certainly was yesterday, but I spent the first two thirds of the long weekend amongst my most hated of enemies, the Vancouver Canucks.

I make no effort to hide my disdain for this team and my reasons are many. You see, not so long ago.....wait....nope. I'm not ready to talk about it yet. Maybe another time...

I arrived in Vancouver mid Saturday afternoon, to the rarest of scenarios in our west coast metropolis this time of year - it was sunny and not raining. In fact, it was a balmy 19 degrees, pretty good for mid October. We also had very little issues with traffic, even downtown where our hotel was located in the famous shopping district of Robson St. Our rooms were ready upon check-in, where we had been upgraded to double beds instead of twins, free of charge. Awesome!

Another restaurant pit-stop. We were very well-fed.

From there, we sauntered through the downtown area mingling with the locals and visitors such as ourselves at various watering holes and restaurants in preparation for the evenings' hockey game. Most of the people we encountered were in (and into) good spirits, were very receptive and friendly despite the donning of my #93 Nugent-Hopkins away jersey. The jovial atmosphere was boosted even more so by the fact that the B.C. Lions were playing at the same time across the street from their hockey brethren which put a total of 70,000 sports fans in the vicinity on top of normal downtown Saturday adventurers. I was even on the receiving end of many high-fives and fist-bumps from fellow Oilers fans who were also brave enough to show their colors!

I only had one, I promise. At least at this particular pub, anyway.

It all seemed so wonderful. There I was with my Father and Father-in-law, spending some good male-bonding time together in anticipation of a great live NHL match-up, taking in the gorgeous sights and being treated like gold by the natives. How could this be? I was in the heart of the city that is home to one of the most evil-franchises in all of hockey. How could this team have duped all of these kind, hospitable people?

It was eerie. Then I thought to myself, "Maybe it's like that scene at the beginning of the first Ghostbusters movie where the quiet, unassuming librarian lady is seen reading books along the shelves. For a while she seems mild, curious and perhaps even friendly. That is until she is approached and prodded and then she turns and BLAMMO! she's actually a gnarly toothed ghoul just waiting to get her hands on you...









                            It's the only explanation that makes sense.

Regardless of the reason however, I decided to enjoy myself anyways and hoped that all of the pleasantries were a sign of more good things to come. Not that I let my guard down too far....

Here we go!

The game itself was amazing. The production value at an NHL venue is second to none and has certainly come leaps and bounds since the last time I was at a game. From the sound to the player intro graphics to the lights, it was all top-notch. I can't imagine what it would have been like if it was for a team that I didn't wish at the bottom of the ocean!
Again, I won't rehash the minutes of the game as most of you probably watched it, but from a pure spectator stand point, it was unbelievable. I will say this though, watching the game from the upper sections gives you an entirely different perspective of the game. I understand now what Dallas Eakins means when he says the game slows right down from above because it does. You can see all of the plays developing in slow motion, where all of the open spaces are, how players are managing their gaps and where the next shift in positioning is going to go. It was so cool!

OILERS 4 - CANUCKS 5  S.O.

Two games, two losses, one point. Not the start that any Oilers fan has been hoping for. It hurt me even more to witness it live, sitting with all of those Canucks fans (what's wrong with these people?). But it's only two games, right?

On the positive side, the Oilers picked up where they left off from Calgary, rolling four lines that were all capable of generating offense and controlling the puck. I even witnessed the team cycling the puck! I also got a boost of confidence from Viktor Fasth, who was unreal in net for most of 65 minutes. If it wasn't for those ghoulish Sedins and Edmonton's' inexplicable march to the penalty box seven straight times, this game could have ended much differently. Oh yeah, there was also Nuge's first fight. That was worth the price of the ticket right there. He held his own and I couldn't have been more proud of him!


DEFENCE: Brad Hunt's first goal came on the power play (no surprise) and was a thing of beauty. His lack of foot speed was more apparent from my eye in the sky vantage point, but he played an entertaining game. Maybe we could just trot him out for all 2 minutes of every powerplay and ride the pine for the rest of the game...Schultz was good-ish, his defensive zone break downs were less noticeable, but then again, so was his offence...the pairing of Fayne and Nikitin had a better game than they did against Calgary, but Fayne looked like he was reaching a few times or out of position or just a bit off. I wonder if coming from the reliable defensive machinery that is the New Jersey Devils to the chaos rules the day Oilers is messing with his game...Petry was by far the best defender on the ice and now I'm starting to worry we're going to lose him due to his contract...maybe we could trade Ference instead. I know he wears the "C" and all, but last night he looked like the Captain of his own sinking ship. He was awful...

The enemy was always close. They also looked much older and smaller in person.

FORWARDS: Marcobello had a terrific game. With responsible play, a good forecheck and some scoring touch, he is becoming a terrific third line C. My fears about his abilities are starting to dwindle...Nuge, Hall and Eberle were driving me nuts for most of the night. One shift they looked great and the next they looked terrible and disorganized. Last game I said that Ebs looked off and tonight it was Hall's turn. He was all over the place, maybe trying to do to much. A little more structure in his game would have paid huge dividends last night...too bad about all the penalties because the Draisaitl, Yakupov, Pouliot line was probably the Oilers best one, especially Yakupov. If he keeps this up, this could be a real break out season for him...Perron had a couple of assists last night and is noteworthy if for no other reason than I have him in my hockey pool this year...Jesse Joensuu scored just a beautiful short handed goal. Still no pre-season let down. 2 games down, 80 more to go...

GOALTENDING: Viktor freakin' Fasth. What a game. He is the biggest reason the Oilers even came away with a point in this one, which sometimes a goalie has to do in order for his team to be successful. 'In my mind', (as Craig Mactavish likes to say) he is the Edmonton Oilers' starting goalie, bar none. The only way Scrivens should be allowed near the net more than a handful of times this season is to pick up Fasths' mask and water bottle. Watch him Ben, maybe you could learn a thing or two...

On a final note regarding Saturday's contest - I heard/read a lot of talk about the Oilers "learning how to win". I'm not sure I agree with this. I don't know if it's something you can learn or if it's just something you DO. It's true that in both games this year the Oilers were either tied or leading going into the start of the third period only to lose their grip on the game and giving up the points. But last year, more often than not, the Oilers weren't even IN the game by the start of the third frame. They have no experience, really, being the better opponent through 60 minutes. I believe that this team just needs more opportunities being out in front on the scoreboard in order to gain the confidence of being able to, and just knowing, that they are the better team on any given night. With experience will come confidence will come execution. Whether or not they are a better team remains to be seen... 

The walk home was eerily quiet after the game. Perhaps not unlike after a nuclear fall-out. Or maybe that's just how I felt...

Lastly, I would just like to mention many of the things that I am thankful for:

Thank you to my beautiful wife, who both keeps me in line and picks me up, when I need it most. Thank you to my two amazing little girls, without whom I couldn't imagine any kind of worthwhile existence. Thank you to my parents, father-in law, brother, sister and in-laws for being a wonderful network of support and love. Thank you to my friends, you know who you are. Thank you to the good citizens of Vancouver and your breath taking town for showing me a wonderful time in spite of our differences and finally.... SCREW YOU Vancouver Canucks for trying to ruin my weekend of getting to see one of my first loves, The Edmonton Oilers live after more than twenty years of being away.

 But really, did I expect any less from you?

Flames 5 - Oilers 2. History Repeating...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzLT6_TQmq8

I love this song. Shirley Bassey's lush, rich tones over a deep base line and jazzy drum beat, a perfect blend of 1960's British kitsch and 90's break-beat - it takes me to me happy place. A place I needed to go to, during and after last nights game, it's chorus repeating in my head while watched...

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, game one is in the books of this new revamped team. Different than that of 2013/2014, apparently built to succeed in the areas where it last failed, it still needs some time to shake the demons of it's past. I'm not going to waste this time and space re-hashing the details of last nights match-up between the Oilers and Flames (I assume if you're reading an Oilers blog you either watched it yourself or at the very least are aware of the result) but would like to offer my thoughts on a few salient points of what transpired.

FLAMES 5 - OILERS 2

Charlie Brown: "The Oilers lost?"

Lucy: "You were expecting a different result?"

Ok, it's only game one. No need to panic, many teams lose their season opener and go on to have successful seasons. The Oilers are not the same team as 2013. They have no less than seven new players this year, some of them high profile free-agent additions. They're still working out the kinks and rust. The make-up is different - they're deeper on the wings, they're more experienced on defense, the high draft picks have another year under their belt, TWO new goalies to shoulder the load etc... 

Hhmmm...Here's what I saw last night:

1. The Oilers needed to overcome a poor start in order to get themselves back into the game.
2. Despite long stretches of good play, team defence broke down to give up grade-A chances against.
3. Poor goaltending cost them at key moments in the game.
4. Despite getting themselves even after a poor start, they were unable to finish off an opponent in the third period, collapsing completely instead.

Sure SOUNDS like last years team, and all this against the Clagary Flames! A team projected to finish last in the conference, who played the night before, playing in OUR rink...

AAAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!! I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick Lucy's football.

Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's talk about the performances of the different areas of the team, good and bad...

DEFENCE:  Brad Hunt was sure fun to watch on the power play. I really enjoyed his shoot first mentality. I just worry about his foot speed while defending in his own zone...Justin Schultz played pretty well, but that 4th Flame goal was a direct result of him playing too soft on Mason Raymond, allowing him to go to the net unimpeded...Nikitn and Fayne, our two new Steady Eddies, were less than so at times and made s few questionable decisions with the puck, especially behind the net that resulted in the first goal. It looks like they need some time to get to know each others tendencies. Go out to a quiet lounge and get s%#t-faced together, fellas...Jeff Petry had really elite NHL speed and NHL awareness last night and created a number of scoring opportunities for himself off the rush. Trouble is he's got an AHL shot...I didn't notice Andrew Ference last night, which in my opinion, means he didn't do anything wrong...

FORWARDS:  One area I thoroughly enjoyed last night. Nuge, Hall and Eberle were buzzing on almost every shift between the 5 minute mark of the first and the 15 minute mark of the third. That being said, however, Eberle looks like he's a half step behind the other two. It's like watching synchronized swimmers - it's amazing what any of them can do individually, but if one is out of sync, you notice it right away...unlike other games last year, after the first line trio left the ice, you weren't left waiting for two minutes game time for them to come back to make something happen again. There were actually three more lines who were all creating and spending good amounts of time in the offensive zone. Hallelujah!...Yakupov looked good. Really good. He was flying around the rink, involved, finding team mates and NOT ONCE did I see him make an error that lead to a goal or scoring opprtunity. Now THAT'S some change I can believe in...his linemates were pretty good too. Especially Draisaitl, who didn't seem out of place at all...Arcobello may do just fine as the third line C. He was 80% for in face-offs last night...Joensuu had himself a good outing,  playing a big man's game with Gordon and Hendricks. Maybe his play is finally going to carry over from pre-season. 1 game down, 81 more to go...

Dubey? Is that you?

GOALTENDING: I don't know how to spell that sound you make when you stick your tongue between your lips and blow as hard as you can, sending a million bits of spittle hurtling through the air...I'm sorry folks, but I'm just not sold on Ben Scrivens. I don't understand how this guy got people to believe he's the answer in net. Was it the 59 save performance against San Jose? Really?? If one exceptional game was all it took to be a star, then Sam Gagner would be as good a center as Wayne Gretzky...seriously, Scrivens is Dubnyk 2.0. I remember watching him in Toronto. He'd have the occasional good game followed by a good shellacking or two. I don't know what's changed. He is as scrambled and unsettled now as he was then...I guess that kind of play is what coach Eakins describes as "battling"...if Scrivens is going to be a starting goalie in the NHL, that third Clagary goal by Raymond HAS  to be stopped. Everytime. Come out, challenge and MAKE THE SAVE. End story. The wheels fell off the team after that goal. It deflated them and it cost them the game. Plain and simple.

Last nights game wasn't all doom and gloom. Unlike games past, the Oilers carried the play for most of the game. They OUTSHOT their opponent 40 - 26 and more importantly, they won the posession battle with a team Corsi of 66%. Amazing for a team that struggled to get over 45% for most of last year. If this team can figure out its team defense and let Viktor Fasth play the lions share of games in the net, this team could be alright. It is only one game. But they better figure it out soon because it's going to be awful tough to watch this teams past repeat...

P.S.  Tomorrow I am heading to the Haiti of hockey, the Raccoon city of rinks, the Mordor of the NHL - Rogers Arena in Vancouver to watch the Oilers and Canucks. Despite the harsh confines, I'll be wearing my Oilers colors and cheering with everything I've got! I may not make it back alive, but if I do, I'll post a full report on Sunday night.

Hockey hair, an inverted garbage can helmet, a name that defied vowels. What wasn't there to love about Petr Klima?

I'm incredibly excited! It's been so long since I've seen the Oilers live. In fact, the last time I witnessed the Edmonton Oilers live was in the 1991-92 season at the old Winnipeg Jets arena where they tied 4-4 on a Petr Klima goal. God, I'm old...

You're Cut Too, Shushy

The cuts are in! Or more importantly, the opening night roster has been filled! We now know who's in and who's out, but not everybody is happy with the results...

I think Gordon Ramsay would have told Darnell Nurse, "GET OUT! Back to Junior, you're too RAAWWW!!!!

Man, the past two weeks of training camp have been as dramatic and interesting as any time I can remember it being. It certainly has been a lot less about getting the team into game shape as it has been about competition for a few unsettled positions on the squad. I wish Aquila Productions was still doing it's "Oil Change" series as covering this period would have been as good as any reality show on T.V., not unlike Hell's Kitchen or Survivor - a large group of competitors vying for the same goal, whittled down one by one until the eventual winner is crowned. It'd be so great! Maybe we could pitch it to television execs with this synopsis:

" Many aspiring professional hockey players will brave the Edmonton Oilers training camp as they are put through an intense hockey academy, through a series of challenges and tests, to prove they posses the right combination of skill and compete in order to win a life changing prize of making an N.H.L. team."

I'd watch that. Of course, I watched the last eight years of Oiler hockey and at no point entertained the idea of not watching, so clearly I'll watch anything...But it may be difficult to get competitors because the grand prize of making the Oilers roster might be kind of like having a cooking competition where the grand prize is head chef at Denny's...On the other hand, we could have a redemption island thing where all those who are cut are banished to play for the Canucks... 

Anyways, last week I did a mid training camp article and weighed in on how I thought the position battles were going and who I thought the eventual winners would be. Since the results are in, for shiggles, let's take a look at what I predicted vs. what actually happened.

CENTER: I predicted that Leon Draisaitl and Mark Arcobello would win the two open center positions and Woot! Woot! I was two for two. Before I get too big on myself though, there really wasn't any other viable option for the Oilers to take. Anton Lander had another dreadful training camp, when he needed to be great, for the second year in a row. Bogdan Yakimov, although he definitely showed some flashes, was just too green to the American ice surface and will benefit with some seasoning in the AHL. In other words, as much as Arcobello was consistent throughout the preseason and as much as Draisaitl demonstrated his play making skills, they most likely won out by default. Center is going to be an adventure this year and NOT the we spent a day at Disneyland kind but more like the Running With Bear Grylls kind, filled with sleepless nights in a wet tent on the rocks eating raw chick eggs and living insects....

Things could be really tough to swallow at center this season.

WINGERS: I claimed that Steve Pinizzotto would make the team until Luke Gazdic was healthy and I sat on the fence between Tyler Pitlick and Jesse Joensuu - to be honest with you I was leaning more towards Pitlick because I thought Dallas Eakins had a bit of a soft spot for the kid. Well, more true to form, I was wrong on both accounts. Pinizzotto and Pitlick were placed on the waiver wire on Sunday and Joensuu will suit up on Thursday. I'm not shocked by taking Jesse over Tyler and IMO both had a decent training camp being physical whilst still creating some offensive zone time however, when Joensuu got his opportunities, he buried them or at least contributed to a scoring play. Pitlick did not and I believe it's what helped make the final decision. As for "Pinnie", I was certain the Oilers would feel the need to keep a player who can drop the gloves to protect their team mates as well as play (it seemed to be SO important to them last year that they brought in Steve McIntyre, remember?) but instead they kept, wait for it....Will Acton. WTF!?!? 

Ok, before I go completely Christian Bale on this decision, YES, I do agree that it is beneficial for the team to carry a center as their extra center and YES I begrudgingly agree that Will Acton was the best center through camp of those not already on the team but NO, I do not like it. I will say this, as long as the Oilers are so shallow at the center position that it has room for Will " My Dad's the Coach" Acton on its roster, they will NOT make the playoffs. Address this please, Mr. Mactavish.

Also, though I do understand that the game has changed and a teams need for a pure face-puncher is no longer a part of the game, every good team has one or two players who are willing to fight an opponent from time to time. Who do the Oilers have on their roster who's willing to do just that?  I never thought I'd say this, but I really do hope Gazdic is healthy soon....

DEFENSE: In my infinite wisdom, I claimed last week that Martin Marincin would make the team over Oskar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse would be sent back to Junior and Keith Aulie would beat out Brad Hunt as the seventh defenceman. I was 100% right, except for the exact opposite. Marincin went to OKC while Klefbom remained with the team. Darnell Nurse is going to get at least an NHL look (but to be fair, this may have as much to do with the Nikita Nikitin injury as anything) and Keith Aulie never got up to speed to match the play of the offensive minded Hunt. All in all, I don't think there's anything to get worked up about here. 1) Klefbom and Marincin are somewhat interchangeable and it won't be long before he gets a call back anyway. 2) A few games at this level might do wonders for Nurses' confidence, to put in his back pocket while he Captains the Greyhounds and represents Canada at the World Jrs. 3) Keith Aulie can still be an asset, he's missed a ton of hockey due to injury and it's derailed his career a little bit. Playing regular shifts in the AHL will be far better than watching from the press-box. Besides, I'm curious to see what Hunt can do for our very stagnant power play...

Not getting chosen can be heartbreaking, but unlike these gentlemen, all of Sundays' cuts will most likely be back. Probably more than once. Let's just hope there isn't a hockey equivalent of Juan Pablo.

A final note to the players regarding the last round of cuts. Getting cut from your dream must suck really badly and although I crack jokes at their expense from time to time, I do feel for you. I once dedicated myself to a future career wholeheartedly for two years only to be cut with a few weeks left to go in training. Awful, awful stuff. But I will say this: Realize that the Edmonton Oilers have lost an average of 236 man games due to injury over the last four years. That's almost three full seasons worth of games that will need to be filled by demotees like yourself this year. So after you pick yourself up from crying in the fetal position on your shower floor like you've been inappropriately touched by a dirty step-uncle, remember that you are almost certainly guaranteed another opportunity in another players misfortune.

We should know more regarding the current state of a few player injuries, so later this week I'll post regarding the opening night line-up with a quick run down of what we can expect to see from each player in the up-coming season! 

R.I.P. Vladimir Tkachev

Vladimir Tkachev 

September 12th 2014 - October 1 2014

Vladimir Tkachev of Omsk, Russia left us on October 2, 2014 as a result of complications from a train wreck known as the Edmonton Oilers. Born in 1995, Vladimir was raised in his home country forever dreaming of one day playing in the National Hockey League in North America. Unbelievably, he made it all the way to Edmonton, Alberta at the tender age of 19 to come within inches of his dream, only to have it suddenly snatched away.

Having been born with a genetic disease known as "smallness", Vladimir was a survivor and battled hard throughout his years to achieve his hockey goals and persevered despite his stature. After playing but a few games for Omsk Avengard of the KHL, his undeniable talent shone through and in 2013 was invited to play in the Canadian Junior leagues of Quebec, Canada. In just 20 appearances, he was able to amass 30 points and drew the attention of many scouts. Again his illness would rob him of opportunity as he was passed over by all 30 NHL teams in the 2014 NHL draft.

Although dejected, Vladimir found support in his agent who vowed to fight on and find a place for his client in the great North American league. He promised to give a grand stage for the "sick" young man to display his talents to all and thus, never be cast down upon ever again. That is when they found the Edmonton Oilers and were offered a golden ticket - an amateur tryout. Rejoicing in is new found fortune, Vladimir was completely unaware that his greatest achievement would ultimately be his demise.

After a spectacular showing at the Young Stars Tournament in Penticton B.C., Vladimir earned himself an invite to the big clubs' main tryout camp in Edmonton. There, he continued his display of talent and skill, wowing the home team fans and media alike. His trials and tribulations seemingly at an end, Vladimir had defied the odds and was on top of the world - and that's when it struck, in the form of a contract offer from the Edmonton Oilers.

After a two week period of excitement and symptom free hockey, Vladimir along with his new found stardom, finally succumbed to the to the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Oilers management inability to read. He is survived by his line mate, Bogdan Yakimov, his interpreter, Nail Yakupov and several training camp hopefuls who wouldn't make the AHL squad of even a half-assed NHL team.

Gone to the big "Q" in the sky, no service will be held for Vladimir to bid him farewell. In lieu of flowers, please send your anger and displeasure to the front office of the Edmonton Oilers in Alberta, Canada.

"So long my dear, Russian bottle-rocket

You were a bright light in a dark organization 

A feel good story-line in a novel of heartbreak

You will be greatly missed

Perhaps we'll meet again

At the 2015 draft and I'll pray

You don't get selected by the Canucks"

Mid Training Camp Report...Close But No Tkachev

Oiler fans are a little like new puppies. Easily excited, skittish, known to chase their own tails from time to time, and bark their faces off at anything that moves within a few feet of the team. Especially during preseason. Yes, it's the time of year where the Edmonton faithful sing the praises of every nice play, cower at every miscue (often over the same player) and take to the blogosphere to yap and snarl about it to anyone who will listen.

Is there a way to block any and all photos/videos of dogs/cats on Facebook? Individuals I know are constantly posting pictures of their animals behaving like 'people'. They're not people. I even try to refrain from posting photos of my own children as they're barely people. So please stop.

The truth is though, that other than getting some perspective on minor league depth and prospect development, training camp for most teams,  is about getting NHL players in game shpae for the up-coming year while allowing maybe one or two newcomers to shine through. Most roster spots are already filled by incumbents and free agents, so there really isn't many openings for a young player to knock our collective socks off and muscle their way onto the team. As bad as they are, the Oilers are no different.

As training camp opened with some 60+ players, more than half of which never had a chance of making the team barring an ability to score goals with their minds like a Jedi, I decided not to write about it until around the half way mark of the pre-season. At which point the pretenders would be separated from the contenders and thus we are now down to just 30 players plus 4 goalies with a week and a bit left to go before opening night.

 OILER LINE-UP AS IT STANDS:

CENTER

1C - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

2C - Up for grabs

3C -Up for grabs

4C- Boyd Gordon

WINGERS

L - Taylor Hall         R - Joradan Eberle

L - Benoit Pouliot       R -Teddy Purcell

L - David Perron         R - Nail Yakupov

L - Matt Hendircks       R - Up for grabs 

Alternate - Up for grabs

DEFENSE

Nikita Nikitin         Mark Fayne

Jeff Petry             Justin Schultz

Andrew Ference     Up for grabs

Alternate - Up for grabs

GOALIES

Ben Scrivens       Viktor Fasth

  

As you can see, there is only a total of five possible spots on the roster being contended for and/or are possible for a "surprise" fill. Of a typical 22 man NHL roster 16 spots are taken, leaving 18 players (now 17 due to the Tkachev debacle, but more on that later) to vie for the right to wear the Oil drop. Let's have a look to see how those battles are progressing.


CENTER: Easily the largest hole to fill and unfortunately, the one with the most question marks. Before the start of training camp, most fans that follow the team in the off-season would have told you that the likely scenario here would be Leon Draisaitl and Mark Arcobello/Anton Lander filling the void. Not an ideal situation considering the big Germans' tender age of just 18 years, Arcobello's lack of experience of just half a season's worth of games and Lander's inability to produce offense. Although Draisaitl still appears to be a lock with some decent play, both Arcobello and Lander have failed to step up to this point and separate themselves from the rest of the group. IMO, Will Acton (remember him from last years opening night line-up?) has played as well if not better than those two and if that doesn't scare you a little, you've got ice in your veins. One thing to be aware of, however is that both Lander and Arcobello are on one-way contracts and no matter what Dallas Eakins says, the Oilers will think long and hard before placing either of those two on waivers in favour of a rookie with a few good pre-season showings in their pocket.... On the positive side, Bogdan Yakimov has looked largely brilliant in the games he's played alongside recently departed Vladimir Tkachev (Damn you, CBA!). He hasn't been perfect and his game needs some work in his own zone, but the combination of his hands, feet, size and ability to finish have gotten him noticed by coaches and management alike. He's still in camp and forced himself to be part of the conversation....Trailing behind in last place is Jujhar Khaira, an excellent 4th line prospect that combines size with physical play, hasn't played much and will most likely be heading down to OKC after the next wave of cuts.

MY PREDICTION TODAY: Draisaitl will slot in as the number two center and as witnessed already in pre-season, will be insulated by veteran wingers like Pouliot and Perron. Mark Arcobello will be named the number three center for two reasons: 1) Losing a player like Arcobello on waivers (one of 29 other teams WILL pick him up) for an unknown rookie just coming over to North America seems highly unlikely. No, instead Yakimov will be patted on the back for a great showing and will be told how excited everyone is to have him in the organisation as they send him down to OKC for more development . On his way out the door, Mac-T will slip a free cell phone into his pocket as a direct line to get a hold of him as the first call-up should anything go south up the middle. 2) Mactavish always talks about the "human element" of the game and based on that, for right or for wrong, he'll feel they owe it to Arco for jerking him around last year when he deserved better.

WINGERS: A position of  depth and strength for this team, the only spots open here are for the physical/penalty-killing/pugilist type depending on who the opponent that night is. This would create a possible two man rotation system with one player being inserted for defensive acumen and the other for the ability to intimidate and protect team-mates from "liberties" being taken. In the mix for the former are Tyler Pitlick, Jesse Joensuu and the aforementioned Anton Lander. For the latter we have Kevin Westgarth, Luke Gazdic and Steve Pinizzotto. 

Pitlick seems to be getting the push from Coach Eakins, having been put on the top line with Hall and Nuge in the Winnipeg game on Monday...Much like last year, Joensuu has had a decent pre-season banging and crashing bodies, but how long before the injury bug bites him again?...as for Lander, he's always demonstrated his ability on the defensive side of the puck and is a great asset on the penalty kill, but he just seems to be on of those 'non-factors' at the other end of the rink...Luke Gazdic is still recovering from pectoral surgery and isn't likely to be available on opening night which really leaves the pugilist spot between Westgarth and Pinizzotto until Gazdic returns. Pinizzotto is both physical and capable of playing in his own end where as Westgarth is a tougher fight opponent who might as well be a tree with a stick planted in the middle of the ice during play...

MY PREDICTION TODAY: It's a toss up between Pitlick and Joensuu and both are going to be given plenty of opportunity in the upcoming exhibition games to separate themselves. Steve Pinizotto will earn himself the tough guy role until Gazdic returns, at which time both will get ample opportunity to take over the position full time. Lander may be added as a second utility player, again just to prevent him being snatched up on waivers.


DEFENSE: Four players here make 4 million or more dollars per season and the fifth one is the current team captain, so none of them are going anywhere. At least to start the season, anyway and therefore only one regular starter position is available. The Oilers do have however, a wealth of defensive prospects pushing to fill that gap.

 Last year, Martin Marincin played well for a half a season worth of games and had it not been for the acquisition of veterans Fayne and Nikitin in the off-season, he'd surely be on the team without question but he hasn't to this point been outstanding in any way... Also showing well in a much smaller sample of games in the same year, Oscar Klefbom earned himself a good long look in camp this time around. So far he's outshone Marincin and its possible he supplants him as the new defensive rookie... Coming up from junior is last years 7th over all pick, Darnell Nurse who has all the tools to surpass both Klefbom and Marincin in the future but needs some time to file off the rough edges of his game. His talent is undeniable, but it comes in flashes and his mistakes could be amplified when playing against full NHL rosters. Another year in Junior wouldn't hurt his game...

For the 7th defense man position, it seems to be a two man race. Keith Aulie was signed in the off-season with full intention of management to employ him in this role. He's big and mean, quick on his feet and would be great to insert into the line-up when size and physicality is needed. Unfortunately, Aulie has had a terrible camp to date and has treated the puck as though it has syphilis in his few pre-season appearances. Recently moving into place to usurp Aulie is Brad Hunt, an AHL veteran who is small in stature for a defense man but knows how to play with the puck and is more than capable of filling in on a second power-play unit. In a recent game against Winnipeg, Hunt earned some high praise from coach Eakins who said Hunt is "a player. He can flat out play."

MY PREDICTION TODAY: Marincin beats out Klefbom for opening night and Darnell Nurse is sent back to Everett for another year of seasoning. Klefbom won't be gone long however, as he'll have the first plane ticket should an injury take place or someone's play falls off. Aulie should beat out Hunt, but if his play doesn't improve soon, he'll be wearing an OKC Barons sweater come October.


That's where the team sits as I see it and the next four games will certainly put some perspective on my opinions. I have to say, this is one of the most interesting training camps I've seen for a few years and the lack of open spots combined with the number of talented players battling for what's left, could  be a sign of some real depth within the organisation. Or perhaps that's just me barking...