Showing posts with label edmonton oilers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label edmonton oilers. Show all posts

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Jay Woodcroft Speaks Before Oilers vs Panthers

Coach Jay Woodcroft positive about the team today.

Klim Kostin will debut for the Oilers today vs the Panthers.

Oilers will be aware of Matthew Tkachuk out there. They know what he brings and the impact he can make.

Dylan Holloway has progressed with a lot of bright spots. He's learning as he goes, and we shouldn't expect turnovers like he did last game. I personally, would expect him to have a good game today. 

Ryan Murray will sit out to make room for Klim Kostin.

Will McDavid continue his goal scoring pace? I think so.

MY PREDICTION;

Oilers win 5-2

McDavid 3 goals and 1 assist

Draisaitl 1 goal and 2 assists

Friday, January 21, 2022

My choice for the next transition coach

Now hear me out. It’s a crazy idea and I’m just a Joe Blow with hopes and dreams for a team I love like the rest of you. No inside info here. 

The Oilers need a name that we know can get the best out of players. He’s vocal, he’s demanding, he expects hard work and grit. He knows how to win with marginal players and this current team isn’t marginal. 

Katz would sign off on this move 100%.  Ken Holland is more than familiar with him due to Team Canada connections. He was an integral part of the Oilers dynasty back in the day. 

That man? Craig MacTavish. 

He came back to the franchise as an assistant coach back in 1999-00, before he took over the reigns as the head coach in 2000-01. His last season was with the Oilers in 2008-09. The team was 38-35-9 for 88 points that year. Missing the playoffs in the last 3 seasons before he was fired April 15, 2009 with one year remaining on his deal. It was his 10th year coaching the fabled Oilers. He was a good coach and I enjoyed they way he ran the bench. MacT was always working with a limited roster due to money restraints from the Oilers Entertainment Group, so he was always working with a disadvantage. 

We all remember the cup run of 2006. But my reasons for wanting him as the next transitional coach isn’t because of that cup run, but it obviously helps. MacT was tough as nails. He expected the best out of his players and if he didn’t get it, they rode the pine. It was as simple as that. Play the system or don’t play at all. 

MacT was a breed of his own. He was an old school person but seemed to adapt to the newer NHL style, no matter what it was. He understood that he needed to adapt accordingly to the team(s) they faced. Play wide open, or play the trap. He did what was in the teams best interest to win games with the limited skill he had to deploy. If he had a better roster in those years, he could have done better then just the 2006 run and also what the stats for that 10 years suggest. 

He coached a few different versions of Team Canada and did pretty well. His last kick at the bucket was the 2019 Spengler cup where he lead the team to a gold medal. 

His year in the KHL wasn’t very good. Not sure the reasons for his departure, but his coach style simply didn’t translate well over there. 

If the Oilers fire Tippett soon, Craig MacTavish is the guy I would look at to finish off this season before a search for a new permanent coach takes place. He’s the most logical choice right now. He would be my go to guy so they don’t have to disturb the good things happening in Bakersfield. 

MacT is the stop gap. What do you think? 

The Edmonton Oilers were going to announce a signing...

 Collective eye roll...

AHL player Brad Malone. Not a joke.

In a season where disaster moves have plagued the Oilers, today after a 6-0 loss to the Panthers, this is the move that GM Ken Holland wants to make?

Bold move Ken. Bold move.

Malone hasn't played in the NHL since 2018-19. All time NHL stats are 199 GP, 13 G, 17 A, 30 P and 198 PM. What in the actual H E double hockey sticks is going on here? What will Malone bring to the team that will fix this mess? Absolutely nothing. 

At first when I seen the tweet, I thought it was a joke. I mean, it has to be right? But then the Oilers media picked up on it.

Why sign Malone when Seth Griffith is lighting it up in Bakersfield? Copper Marody is crushing it too for the Condors. If this season is a bad dream, please wake us all up.

This tweet sums it up for me and I'm sure all of us.

Monday, January 17, 2022

Guess we can kill the Carey Price rumours

News filtered out today that Montreal Canadians netminder Carey Price won’t be back from injury anytime soon. 

After undergoing a substance abuse program before the season started, his progress on returning from injury has been slow at best. Most had figured after his offseason surgery that he would be ready for action sooner rather than later. But that’s not the case. 

Montreal Canadiens Vice President of communications Chantal Machabee today broke the bad news. 



Arpon Basu had the quote from her today. 



So there we have it Oiler fans. The chances of him starting rehab all over again and playing this year for any team except the Habs, is almost nil. 

Even with this heartbreaking news, it won’t stop fans from constantly bringing his name up over and over again. 

Hopefully we can all agree, it’s time to move on from this pipe dream. 

Finally the leaders of the team step up

Over a month ago before this skid turned into a train wreck, I had hoped the Oilers leadership group would hold a team meeting and work this out on their own. It was needed, and today, that meeting happened before practice. 
The Oilers spent today going over battle drills. 2 on 1, 2 on 2 and 1 on 1. They made a conscious effort to really battle hard. At one point Koekkoek got a hard shoulder in on Sceviour and tempers boiled over. Sceviour smashed his stick over the boards in frustration. Which is good. This is exactly what the team needs today to move forward out of this slump. 
Coach Tippett had this to say, "That's not something that I design, that's something that they design and that's the way they want it. To me, that's good leadership."

McDavid and Nurse battled hard against each other, then Draisaitl and Keith matched the intensity. It paved the way for the rest of the players and set the tone. 

Despite all the rage for firing coaches and trading for goalies, this is a very, very good sign for fans of the Oilers. All I can say, it’s about damn time! 

***This is a must listen from Perlini. 

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

The Kane saga takes a left turn

Tim Peel reported a bit ago that former Sharks forward Evander Kane will be signing with the Edmonton Oilers in mere hours. 


EDIT: David Pagnotta tweet was from a fake account. I own that mistake and deleted it. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

NEW EDIT: The real David Pagnotta tweets this. 



The words from Kane’s agent. 



What in the actual hell is going on? Your guess is as good as anyone’s right now. 

Stay tuned for more developments as they happen. 

Former Referee Tim Peel, new hockey insider?


This just came in. Former referee Tim Peel tweeted this. True? Could be. Guess we will find out shortly. 

Crazy times to be an Oilers fan this year. 

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

One thing this Oilers team doesn’t have

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Accountably. 

I’ve been waiting for someone on this hockey club to stand up and be accountable this year. Nobody has. Not one. 

Character drives a team. The great leaders like Messier didn’t put up with nonsense. If he was terrible, he owned it. He wasn’t afraid to step up to a microphone and admit when he could be better. He was also never afraid to let the boys have it if they weren’t pulling their weight. I know players like McDavid, well this isn’t their strong suit. But right now, it would be a good time to have him or Draisaitl or Nurse or whomever, step up, own what’s going on and rectify some of the damage that’s been done. 

Coach Tippett came out and said that goalie Mikko Koskinen wasn’t very good last game. Let’s be honest, he was horrible. Justified words from the coach? Yes, it was. However, Koskinen had his own reply. 

”It’s not nice being thrown under the bus. I have to be better but at the same time we scored 7 goals in my last 6 losses. I can’t score goals.” 

Shots fired. 

While I’ll agree with Koskinen on his observation, he should have just owned his own failures. That’s more respectable than saying what he said. 

As of right now the leaders on the current Oilers are McDavid, Draisaitl, Nurse, Nugent-Hopkins and Keith. Tippett has said Keith finds himself more comfortable on the team and in recent weeks he’s become more of a leader in the dressing room and on the bench. Awesome. However, public accountability goes a long way to ease the pain the Oilers fans are currently feeling. Would we feel better if McDavid said, “I haven’t been playing to the level I know I can play. I know I can be better. I know as the captain it’s my job to help carry this team to get out of this slump. I called a players only meeting and we are going to sort this out.” At least if this was said, we would all be a little less pissed off right now. 

Speaking of players only meetings. It’s about time one is called. I figured when they went on the first skid that one would have been called then. But alas, there wasn’t that we know of. 

So what now? 

Smith is back and will start tonight vs the Leafs. McDavid, Ryan and Barrie are out and have been placed in Covid protocol. Nugent-Hopkins is still out as well. 

Tonight will be a tough game, and even more so without these 4 guys. 

Monday, December 20, 2021

Bad to worse. Two more Oilers in Covid Protocol


Luckily the Oilers get a few days rest as Nurse and Lagesson have been placed in Covid protocol today. As each day passes, the list gets longer. Guess we can consider the halt for the Oilers at this time a lucky break. 

Nurse and Legesson join RNH, McLeod, Puljujarvi, Shore, Keith and Coach Tippett in protocol.

Marody and Griffith have been sent down the Bakersfield this morning as well. 


Saturday, December 18, 2021

It’s keeps growing. More added to Covid Protocol





Yesterday Duncan Keith was added to the Covid protocol list and just now, forward Jesse Puljujarvi has now been added to the list. 

They join Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan McLeod, Devin Shore and Coach Dave Tippett. 

Oilers choices for recalls are getting worse and worse. Before long the team will be made up of all AHL players. I’m really hoping the league does a complete shut down soon. It’s out of necessary that they should consider it. 

Friday, December 17, 2021

Another one bites the dust… More Covid protocols


The Edmonton Oilers have just placed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the ever growing list of Covid protocols. 

He now joins Devin Shore, Ryan McLeod and Coach Tippett on that unfortunate list. I firmly believe this list is about grow. Just when the Oilers find a way to win a game, this happens. Sometimes the luck just doesn’t swing the way you want it to. 

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Highlights (Condors vs Heat)

 Bakersfield Condors lose 2-1 to the Stockton Heat in a shootout. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

The Lone Goal

Last night the Oilers lost 5-1 to the Leafs and that extended their losing streak to 6 games. As most fans, can't say we were shocked. Something is terribly wrong right now with the Oilers, and as each game goes by, it keeps getting worse. So much that a fan tossed a jersey on the ice in frustration. Can't blame him/her except, jersey's aren't cheap and it was while the game was still in play. That is no way to support a team.

Coach Tippett was not behind the bench due to being put on Covid protocol along with Ryan Mcleod. Zach Hyman missed the game due to the injury he suffered the other night, so the lines changed a little bit, but not enough. One notable name to return was Duncan Keith as he reunited back with Cody Ceci on the second pairing. Was this enough to change the tide? No.


Colten Sceviour scored his first goal after 18 games. About damn time!

Fans are pissed! Any more losses and heads will need to roll. You can count on it.

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Area’s of concern


The skid has increased to 5 games… Now what? 

Depending on how you view the team, there is a few concerns that seem to be smacking us fans right in the face. Some areas definitely need to be addressed sooner rather than later. 

BOTTOM 6 

When the bottom 6 hasn’t scored a goal in 10 games, that’s a huge reason for this skid the Oilers are on right now. Lack of production of the secondary scoring hurts when you simply just bank on McDavid and Draisaitl to lead the way. When this happens it’s just not sustainable. Players like Kassian, Foegele, McLeod, Shore, Ryan, Sceviour and Benson are guilty of slacking for secondary scoring. Teams, never mind Stanley Cup championship teams, all need balanced scoring. It’s not an option. It’s a must have. 

You might be thinking, you are missing Yamamoto. While he’s not a bottom 6 player this year, he’s definitely included on being at fault as well for little to no productivity. I’m shocked he still plays that right wing on that second line after all this time. He checks well and plays gritty the best he can for a little guy, but with only 5 points patrolling the ice with Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins, that’s a concern and a head scratcher. It needs to be changed, fixed and corrected ASAP.

LACK OF GOALIE CONFIDENCE

Mikko Koskinen had good games (his record looks ok) and bad (when he’s bad he’s bad in front of your eyes). For the most part I think he’s a decent goalie, but he has flaws. Letting in a fluffer early in a game is the most obvious. We all know that one. It’s frustrating as all hell watching it happen game after game. 

He’s not a full time #1 goalie, but much like before, he’s depended on again to be the starter due to Mike Smith being out of action. I’m not psychologist, but he seems to have confidence issues that stick in his head. Once the fluffers started to happen, I believe he mentally over thought it before each game and somehow subconsciously lets it happen even when he tries not to. 

While at this moment I’m not on the bandwagon to jump on the “fire the coach train” or join the “make a massive trade” group, I do feel like it’s time to move on with the Dustin Schwartz era. It’s run it’s course. Koskinen needs a different whisper in his ear to help him battle the mental demons that fill a goalies head once in a while. Will be tough to move Koskinen before the end of the season and I expect Holland to ride out his contract, so the next best move is to move on from Schwartz and perhaps it can help moving forward with the goalie situation in Edmonton for all the goalies, not just Koskinen. 

THE ROOKIE DEFENCE

4 rookies have patrolled the blue line this year for the Oilers. Bouchard isn’t exactly a rookie per se, but he’s young and inexperienced and I still view him as a rookie. When the vets started to drop like flies, the Oilers had to lean on some kids from the farm team. Niemelainen, Broberg and Lagesson all came up and were thrown into the fire. This has made the coaches jobs a little harder as you can’t shelter the rookies like you can when you only have one rookie in the lineup. It’s tough. They had to fill in on all three pairings. 

All in all I don’t really have a lot of complaints about the rookies. They had to learn in a hurry how to adjust to the NHL pace. I can’t even imagine being in their shoes. Now that Ceci and Nurse are back, and once Keith and Russell are back, I suspect the defence woes to fade away. That was a lot of pressure on the kids, but hopefully soon it’s only one in the lineup at a time and not three at a time. That veteran presence is desperately needed again on the back end and a lot of the Oilers problems will go away once that happens. 

PLAYERS MEETING

All of this said, I believe that a players only meeting could fix a lot of the Oilers woes right now. I had mentioned it after the 2 game slide to some friends and while at that point it really wasn’t needed. I do believe it needs to happen now. There is something more when it comes from your peers and not by management. I truly believe for the most part this team is and can be good. The lineup is bolstered by a pretty darn good group of hockey players. They just need to figure out that they need to step up their games to new levels for their own styles. Even the dynasty Oilers era learned valuable lessons from others. But they also grew from those lessons. This era of Oilers need to do the same. 

They need to hear McDavid and Draisaitl and try and match their efforts and work ethic. Put in the extra time. Work harder. Play with a purpose. 

They need to listen to a vet like Duncan Keith. He’s been a winner. He knows what it takes. If Keith speaks, people better listen. I’d trust his advice. 

Same goes for Mike Smith. He’s been around the block. He’s played in the NHL for quite some time and has been in a lot of different situations. He is vocal in the dressing room and his presence has been sorely missed since he’s been injured. I fully believe the Oilers would be in a different position if he wasn’t hurt. He’s integral to the core of the team. 

WELL NOW WHAT? 

The Oilers were lucky to pile up the wins at the start of the season to provide a slight cushion to absorb this 5 game slump. Fans are calling for heads so the pressure is on all over the organization. 

I suspect once the team can reduce the amount of rookies on the blue line, get Smith back and shuffle the forward lines up a bit, the Oilers will get back on track. 

While I expect Holland to be a buyer at the trade deadline, I don’t see any knee jerk reaction trades to happen anytime soon. However, like I said above, the Schwartz era needs to end. Make that happen Holland. 

GOILERS!!! 

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Jake DeBrusk on the move?



Word came out of Boston that Jake DeBrusk has requested a trade in the last couple days. Oiler fans immediately started to salivate and get excited at the possibility of the younger DeBrusk suiting up for his father’s former NHL team. 

I won’t lie, I got excited too. Until I heard Calgary was in the mix for him. My excitement then changed to greed and now I really want to see DeBrusk don the Oilers silks and not the hated rivals jersey. 

The big question now, what do the Oilers have to give up to acquire him? Yamamoto and a 3rd? Could it be less? Generally when the options are limited, so is the asking price. Since we have heard both Edmonton and Calgary are for sure interested, that price won’t be as cheap as we all hope. 

What about you? What do you think the Oilers will have to give up to trade for Jake DeBrusk? Let’s hear your thoughts. 

Friday, February 26, 2021

Oilers Jambalaya Podcast





Subscribe anywhere you currently listen to your podcasts. 

Covering everything in the Edmonton Oilers hockey club. 

Friday, December 1, 2017

Kick In The Balls

All I could say watching the end of the Oilers and Leafs game was... "inaudible gasping sounds".

I couldn't believe my eyes watching the replay. Russell turned to hammer the stick of Kadri, but, unfortunately that stick wasn't there, but the puck was. Doh! 


I felt so bad for him. It wasn't intentional at all. Heat of the moment and he made the play he figured was correct. But, in that instant, it all came crashing down. I will give Russell huge props for not hiding from the media last night. He stood there and took the heat. That in itself, that's commendable.


The way I look at it, there is two scenarios on how this will play out. 

1) this will not only elevate his game moving forward, it will make him a more of a gamer. His team stuck behind him after the game and that, in my mind, just made the Oilers better. This is something that can really bring a team together. Perhaps it's the missing link that the Oilers have needed all year. A legit reason to play for each other and to have each other's backs. Last night could very well be the turning point of this oddly played season. 

Or...

2) this is the beginning of the end for Russell. For some, this could really mess a played head up. Some never get over mistakes like this and could forever scar him from returning to the form we have seen him play in the past. 

I'm personally thinking its option 1. However, we will see next game and how the Oilers and Russell play. Fingers crossed I'm correct with option 1. 

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


Side note;

Oilers have claimed left winger Nathan Walker this morning. Report say that Walker can play all three forward positions. He's not a big man, but he is a guy who gives it his all. I will think Oilers fans are going to like this guy. But, we shall see. 


Written by Brent Huska

Monday, November 27, 2017

Get Over It!



Seems like almost daily that the fans of the Edmonton Oilers break down about what could or should have been. Now, I don't know about you, but that type of thinking would wear me down a lot and I would become even more depressed than I already am. Why subject ourselves to what ifs? 

We can't change the past, no matter what. So, why are we dwelling on trades and transactions that are long and over with? I can see the appeal. You see something that's going well and you wish it to be happening here. But, if we rewind the clock, people were happy to ship Hall and Eberle out of town as two examples. 

It was a general consensus that Hall had ran his time down here. People laughed and made jokes about how upset and sour he was to leave here. Taylor Hall was the laughing stock of the Oilers on his exit out of Edmonton and still was up to the start of this season. 


Some, claimed he was a cancer in the dressing room and that's why he was traded. Some, claimed his style of play would have him injured for most of his NHL career as the Oilers were better off not having that style of player here. Some, just thought he was a puck hog. 

No matter what your thoughts were on Taylor Hall at that time, you fast forward to now and you'll find fans missing and craving his goal scoring in Edmonton. You'll find people wanting to turn back time and not make that deal. And now, the same could be said for Jordan Eberle. 

Eberle was a bum in the playoffs, they said. Eberle has no heart and doesn't compete like an Oiler should. Eberle was renamed Eberlazy. Once again, those fans fast forward to today and they don't understand why he was traded. 

I think at times General Manager Peter Chiarelli and his staff actually read too much into the hype the team gets from MSM, bloggers and the casual fan. I firmly believe that the Eberle deal was made to appease the fans and critics. In my mind, it made no sense to trade him at the time he did. It made no sense to give away the goals he produced. But, should have, would have, could have, he's gone now. We have to live with that and accept it. 

Same could be said about Pouliot. He was a bum too right Oiler fans? Yet, here we are, desperately needing his strengths of killing penalties. 

Hindsight is always 20/20, but at the end of the day, decisions get made and love them or hate them, they happened. 

It's time to let it go and get over it. I know I have. 

Written by Brent Huska

Did You Miss Me?




So, here we are. Enjoying the Oilers win on the weekend. Everyone is happy. The suicide hotline has open lines for the first time in a long time. Fans going to work on this fabulous Monday morning with not a worry in the world. But, how long can this last? 

I've always been an optimist when it comes to the Oilers. They are my team. They make me happy. But for some folks, it's not the same for them. We tend to get very emotionally charged for games and the happenings that surround the team. While I can fully understand that, I just don't let myself get sucked in that far. 

But, wait! I've been gone for 2 years. Surely I must have left cause of the negative energy surrounding the team, right? Actually, no. I had to stop writing due to real life changes. Life became busier and I just couldn't focus anymore on Oilers Jambalaya. It wasn't the team, the fans, or anything else. I just had no time at all. But that's changed. 

I'm in a better place in life where I can spend a few moments a day and reflect on the current state of the Edmonton Oilers. I've missed this blog and I've missed the readers. The dot com name expired and before I could renew it, someone bought the name and now wants $100 for it. So I decided on using dot ca now. Sucks, yes. But I'm not paying someone $100 for a name that is 100% useless to them. They can hold it for life. I really don't care. 

Which brings me to now. I'm back and it feels good. Ive decided to just roll with my real name instead of the alias Smokin' Ray Burnt like I had done in the past. Not sure why I used an alias when I started Oilers Jambalaya, but I did and always regretted it. So with the new start to this, I'm making the change and I feel better about it. 

Stick around and make sure to bookmark
OilersJambalaya.ca 

Written by Brent Huska

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Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.