Four Sent Packing (Nurse, Fedun, Pitlick & Lander)

The Edmonton Oilers just announced that four players have been cut from the team just now. 

Taylor Fedun is off to the Oklahoma City Barons 

Darnell Nurse will go back to juniors. 

Tyler Pitlick is going to the OKC Barons. 

Anton Lander also to the OKC Barons

Barring Any Other Hiccup, This Is Opening Night

The Gagner injury has really messed up plans for the Edmonton Oilers opening night roster. They currently need to fill another big void at center and have only three options. 

Lander, Arcobello and Acton are the three guys who the Oilers are going to have to choose from. There is no other players in the system remotely close to ready. 

Oh shit...

Another (insane) option is to have Jordan Eberle try center like Hall did. Eberle did say the other day that he could try center as he's played it when he was younger. I don't like that idea for the fact your two best wingers are now playing center. We need those guys on the wings, not patrolling center ice. 

--------------------------------------------

Both Weiss and Kassian will have hearings with the NHL for their actions during last nights game. Hall almost had his head taken off by Weiss and Gagner took a high stick and had his jaw broken by Kassian. Both instances went on with no on ice retaliation and it sounds like Gagner will be out for 4-8 weeks. He's having surgery to put his jaw back together. 

--------------------------------------------

Darnell Nurse had been making coach Eakins (and the fans) think twice about sending him back to juniors. Nurse has progressively been better as each day passes, and its apparent he's actually being considered to stay. I think he's been better than N. Schultz, Grebeshkov, Fedun, Larsen, Belov and the hurt Potter (based on last seasons play). 

I'd like to see him stick. At least give him a few games of real NHL duty to see how he does. I don't think he's going home just yet, but I'm not sure the Oilers want to too many chances with the waiver wire with other players. 

--------------------------------------------

POSSIBLE OPENING NIGHT ROSTER

Smyth Hall Hemsky

Perron Gordon Eberle

Omark Lander Yakupov

Jones Acton Brown

Joensuu Eager

Ference J. Schultz

Petry Smid

Nurse N. Schultz

Grebeshkov Belov

Dubnyk

LaBarbera

*starting lines in bold*

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

It's Over, It's Done / Young Stars Is Finished

Well, this years version of the Edmonton Oilers Young Stars team, wasn't that good. In fact, they stunk. 

The Oilers lost 5-2 in the opening game to the Calgary Flames. They faired miserably and it didn't look like this was going to be a promising tournament. With no big stars on the team this year, the Oilers had a hard time keeping up with the skilled forwards the other teams had. 

Then the Oilers lost the second game to the Winnipeg Jets 7-2. An equally terrible game, but the individual talent started to come out a little more.

Today's third and final game saw the Oilers jump out into a lead and they looked like they could actually win this game. I was wrong. The Oilers ended up losing 5-2 to the Canucks rookies. 

0-3 to finish the tournament. Oh boy...

However, not all was bad. Let's look at some highlights. 

GREG CHASE - My only recognition of this kid was the fact his old man used to work for the Team1260. I had no knowledge of what this kid could do until this tournament. Chase is a hell of a player. He's very gritty and he's got some nice hands. He pretty much did what was expected of him and I'm pretty sure he gave the Oilers management a huge grin all week. I can see him playing in the NHL one day. He has all the tools to become a regular NHL player. I'm glad he's part of the Oilers system. 

MARCO ROY- He showed us that he can be a decent two way player. I liked his overall game. He seemed to make the right choices for the most part. I kind of wish there was more games left so I can see him a little more. 

KALE KESSEY - Fantastic hitter, reminds me off a Raffi Torres. Hitting guys is obviously his bread and butter. A few times this week he seemed to try and emulate Ryan Smyth with his work in front of the net. He's a big guy who's mobile. I hope he can continue to develop. I liked what I saw. 

JUJHAR KHAIRA - I liked his overall play. He definitely has the ability to be a good offensive player down the road. I'd like to see him work on his positioning and he also needs to get more comfortable with a run and gun attack. He looked confused sometimes, but was glad to see he isn't shy to try and make plays. 

KYLE PLATZER - He had a knack of being in the mix of the offensive play. I thought he was decent in the last two games. Good knack for being in the offensive play. 

BRANDON DAVIDSON - Good all around defenseman. Accurate shots and well placed. Good coverage on the forwards coming back in the zone. He must be a leader behind closed doors, as he was the Captain for two games. 

DARNELL NURSE - He wasn't very good (as I had expected). Nerves maybe? Whatever it was, the kid definitly has talent. He will be a gamer. But clearly, after watching him these past few days, he has a long way to go before he cracks the Oilers. 

OSCAR KLEFBOM - For the most part he sucked. I'm sure a lot of that was because he was playing his off side, but for all the hype from Craig MacTavish and the Oilers, he disappointed. He looked like he was a step behind. He says the right things, but acting them out is what he needs to work on. He sat out today's game, I expect he will be playing and making an impact versus the U of A. 

TYLER BUNZ - The best of the shitty goaltending. I suspect he will get the start for the game against the U of A, but does he really deserve it? He did make some big saves during his start, but it's the soft goals that have me worried. 

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY BURNT-

"Bring on the KLEFBOM" Oilers Development Camp 2013

At 6'2 and 204 lbs Oscar has becomes the 'Oilers' next great hope. Oscar Klefbom brings a good size presence in the form of a player who has game already. After years of watching Jordon Eberle, Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and last year Nail Yakupov, dominate the attention at Oilers Development Camp, Klefbom and fellow blueliner Darnell Nurse were the ones who were being watched closely this camp.

Klefbom had many eyes upon him last year and before his injury was actually scheduled to be at Oilers training camp in September 2012. As fate goes, he was injured and was not able to attend or even play the rest of the year. This year Nurse was all the ‘craze’ for MacT and the player he obviously was coveting if Monahan was gone at their drafting position. Center and defence is what MacT has preached and so it should be.

This years camp had maybe 75% of the total amount of fans visiting compared to 90-100% capacity at the previous 3 camps held in Edmonton and/or Sherwood Park. It’s a given without the excitement of a #1 OV draft selection, things are not as pretty as they are becoming solid. I have given MacT somewhat of a hard time in regards to what he has done, but selecting Nurse will really stabilize the back end of the Oilers defence for years to come.

This years camp was very little about the forwards (all the young prospects are already playing for the Oilers) and more about defence. With Musil. Gernat, Klefbom, Nurse and Simpson you have a pretty good group of prospects on defence to watch. You can always find ways to pick apart a defence corps in comparison to forwards but this group is looking good for the future.

Notice the size of the Oilers D-men coming down the pipe? They are big guys (maybe not all filled out yet, but will over time) but none stands out as ready as Oscar Klefbom. “The Bom” as I like to call him, stood hands above everyone else at this camp and he should. He has played against men for awhile, is big, solid muscle, good hockey IQ, a leader and solid character guy as mentioned by those closer to him. Not to mention this is his second camp and the 2^nd time around is always easier. Just ask Jordon Eberle! 

Sure Oscar made a few mistakes here and there but the drills are made to expose area’s on players to show them what they will need to work on. Be it positioning, stick work, skating agility etc..every player has work too do. I have followed these camps since 2007 and each year even the #1 OV selections struggled on different drills or at different points. This development camp is not about evaluation but about development.

Having said all that, Oscar Klefbom IMO has arrived to the point of readiness. I know many fans say ‘he needs time in the AHL’! How can you make that call, when you have not seen him play against actual NHL players and in game situations. For me, Oscar is ready for that 3^rd pairing role already in Edmonton but he should have to earn it. If other players are stronger back there, send him to develop in the AHL awhile but let’s not judge him to quickly. Maybe Oil Country is tired of promises only to see players fall short or not used correctly. I like what MacT is doing by loading up on depth on defence. Klefbom will have his hands full this coming 2103-2014 NHL season competing for a position but I suspect he will be the player who walks out of the battle w=victorious because he is ‘just that good’. I was OK with Oscar and where we selected him but have become even more impressed with what we may have in the future. No pressure on the young guy, let’s just give him a chance before we judge where he should play is all I say.

As far as Darnell Nurse? He showed some promising size, learned some new skills to apply at the Jr level for practice and let’s hope he shows good arrows this year in the OHL. 

NEXT POST: What Possibilities are left for the Oilers?