The Edmonton Oilers are preparing to skate into a new year.
Due to a run of hot play heading into the holidays, management can really start to sharpen their pencils when it comes to firming up the roster in preparation for another Stanley Cup Playoff run. No matter what our little frustrations along the way. Those happen to all clubs. This is a good team.
But there is a limit to how much or what Stan Bowman can do. So, what should his focus be? Their most recent (losing) battle against L.A. may be a tell.
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. Ty Emberson has been a solid find by Stan Bowman, a value contract acquired in the wake of the Philip Broberg offer sheet. Emberson is just fine on the third pairing. In fact, I would not be surprised if when January 1 flips past on the calendar Bowman looks at extending him.
8. The addition of Vasily Podkolzin to the lineup has also turned into a good, if-subtle move post Broberg-Holloway. Podkolzin’s always-running motor and physical presence have been just what this club needs more of. Who knows how good Podkolzin ends up being? How good was Zach Hyman at twenty-three?
7. Viktor Arvidsson was also very good again Saturday on the Oilers best line with the afore mentioned Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl. This, after a big performance in the game just before Christmas. It makes one wonder if Arvidsson was ever quite right physically between Training Camp and now.
6. Even with the O/T loss to the Kings the Edmonton Oilers have the best record in the National Hockey League dating back to November 9, a fact Oilers play-by-play man Jack Michaels pointed out. Over that time the Edmonton record is 15-4-2. And they have tallied a league-high eighty-one goals.
5. It is the annual Mother’s Trip for the Oilers. It is tremendous to see these amazing women together to watch their sons live out their dreams. It makes me think of my own Mother, who chased three boys all over Saskatchewan as we tried to do the same with varying degrees of success. Nine decades later she still catches every Oilers game and has an opinion on each one!
4. Chemistry is almost impossible to generate. So, when you have it, you ought not screw with it much. As I watched the Oilers’ third line take it right on the chin Saturday, my mind went back to what we saw from Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark in the 2024 playoffs. Two fast trains on the wings are key to the success of an otherwise very capable 3C in Henrique. If I were Kris Knoblauch, I would put that trio back together ASAP and leave it that way.
3. The Oilers Evan Bouchard played regular season game number 300 on Saturday. It is at this point in a typical defender’s NHL career that we usually know what we have. Bouchard is among the NHL’s elite offensive D-men. Shooting and passing are top-notch. And his skating is well above average. Bouchard’s defending is still a work in progress. But at just twenty-five, there is reason to believe there remains room for improvement. Meanwhile, what he gives you with the puck is priceless.
2. I had no real issue with Stuart Skinner on any of the four goals that got by him on Saturday in L.A. It was largely the loose play of defenders in front of him. But on the 1-0 goal, I do wonder why goaltending coaches have their guys staying down on their knees so much. Especially with guys like Skinner who are 6’4. I am far from a goaltending expert. But it sure feels like they are giving away a natural, physical advantage when they are down on the ice. Meanwhile, I take the John Gibson rumors with a grain of salt. At this point in his career, I am not at all sure if Gibson is an upgrade on either Skinner or Cal Pickard (will start versus the Ducks today). Especially considering his $6.4m cap hit.
1.There are few NHL teams that can out-skill the Edmonton Oilers. Maybe none. But there are a few clubs that have the ability to lean on Edmonton physically and gain an edge that way. Florida. Vegas. And we also saw evidence of that against the Kings on Saturday. L.A. got running around a bit. That heavy Byfield line was the Kings’ best. And the Oilers did not have a consistent reply. Given that there is a decent chance the Oilers will have to go through Los Angeles in the playoffs again this year (and Vegas, for that matter), this is something that Stan Bowman is going to need to address sooner or later. The Oilers will make the playoff the way they are. It is the next sixteen wins that are in question. And Bowman has already shown he is willing to make moves. There are two internal options:
One, it will help when Evander Kane returns. He is a one-of-a-kind player who has had an enormous impact against L.A. since arriving in Edmonton. But if I am in Kane’s shoes, why even risk playing before the playoffs unless you are 110%? Do not forget that Evander Kane is playing for another contract. There is a lot of risk in rushing it both on the ice and off.
Two, if Colin Chaulk does nothing else but get Noah Philp (6’3, 200LB, right shot Center) back in the NHL by February 1, then the Condors’ bench boss will have done his most important job: Enabling his GM to find out if he needs to spend an asset on that 4C roster hole or not. Philp is the only guy in Bakersfield with the ability to impact the 2025 playoff roster.
Then, when it comes time for Bowman to bolster the Edmonton blueline, he still has all his existing assets in the bank from which to deal. And when he does so, a bigger, nastier defender is a must. I have no issue with the competitiveness of the existing guys. However, their relative lack of size and heaviness shows against the L.A.’s, Vegas, and Florida’s.
And look: The Oilers do not need to be The Broadstreet Bullies. It is just that truly great teams can win both on the ice…
…and in the alley.
Newly on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. On Twitter @KurtLeavins, Threads @kleavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and even on Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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