This is the projected depth chart for the Oilers forwards in the time leading up to the 2016-17 season. The top three centers remain, the rest are either cast about the NHL or have left the league and or game of hockey. That version of the Oilers was a fine one, with this group added to a defense that included Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Andrej Sekera and a young Darnell Nurse. I think that 2016-17 team was one of Edmonton’s best teams since 1990. I believe the current one is better. The Oilers deployment of the three defensive pairings is becoming a focus in the series against Vancouver ..read more

The Draisaitl injury will be known in the days to come and there's not one thing anyone can do about it. The night's most important story is the game. Edmonton has a two-goal lead. This third period is a good test for a team with hopes of winning Stanley. — Lowetide (@Lowetide) May 9, 2024 It was a difficult night for Oilers fans, as the team surrendered an important playoff game. I don’t feel anger or disappointment, but today I’m in a reflective mood. I don’t know how many more springs the Oilers will contend for Stanley while I’m hanging around eating ice cream. I’m finding myself enjoyi ..read more

Stan Weir was born in a log cabin that he built with his bare hands. Stan Weir can lick his elbow. Stan Weir puts the fun in funeral. Big Foot takes pictures of Stan Weir. Stan Weir once played 18 holes of golf using a 12 inch strip of rebar and a sun dried tomato. He shot a 54. Stan Weir can kill two stones with one bird. Cars look both ways before Stan Weir crosses the street. The flu gets a Stan Weir shot. Stan Weir will bring us winning, riches untold and women who are terrible judges of character. Ladies and gentlemen, Stan Weir! New for @TheAthleticNHL Why Edmonton Oilers star Leon Dr ..read more

What a wild week for Canadian hockey. The Edmonton Oilers won their series against the Los Angeles Kings in easy fashion. The Vancouver Canucks were stretched more than expected in a win over the Nashville Predators. The Toronto Maple Leafs had it, and lost it, against the Boston Bruins. So my friends, it’s the Canucks versus Oilers and the winner goes to the final four. It’s cool to know one of the Canadian clubs will make it that far, and I do think this is going to be an epic series. The Oilers have enjoyed plenty of time off and now know that it’s Wednesday for Game 1 and the second game g ..read more

I’ve been thinking about Craig MacTavish lately, and how it takes several managers to build a championship level team once you reach rock bottom. For Edmonton, the nadir was (for me) summer 2011 free agency. Then-GM Steve Tambellini had a mile of needs and enough cap dollars to get something done. He signed Eric Belanger, Ben Eager, Cam Barker, Darcy Hordichuk. It was not good. MacT was general manager in an era of losing. A man often connected with playing men who had his skill set (Shawn Horcoff, Marty Reasoner, et cetera) to the point of distraction, MacTavish was money in the first round ..read more

This is the 2010 draft. Holy hell I had high hopes for it, but injuries impacted all of the good-to-great players. Taylor Hall’s career included an MVP and plenty of time missed, Tyler Pitlick was derailed so often it was kind of amazing when he finally made it as a fulltime NHLer. Brandon Davidson was injured by Matt Tkachuk and Dustin Byfuglien and that negatively impacted what looked like a quality career. Several people reached out to me after reading my article about re-signing Adam Henrique the other day. Those folks disagreed with the idea, suggesting a youth movement was badly needed ..read more

In just 1:01, the line of Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman scored twice at five-on-five against the Los Angeles Kings last night. The dogs were barking as the cars were parking and it never got easy for the left coast team. This edition of the Oilers are moving on, 16W is 25 percent complete and it looks like some rest is on the way. I’m not sure anyone could have asked for a cleaner series from Edmonton. As it is, the tumblers are falling in a most enjoyable way for Oilers fans. This edition of the Oilers has so much depth there's plenty of room for the coaching staff to wheel ..read more

This is a summer 2020 look at my summer 2010 top-20 prospects list. As you can see, college defensemen, shutdown defensemen and goaltenders are the most difficult prospects to project. We’re about to get a lesson in why paying attention to AHL scoring numbers, while interesting, is not the best tool for predicting future NHL success. The Oilers are up 3-1 over Los Angeles Kings for reasons. Here they are. https://t.co/abCS0kBM12 — Lowetide (@Lowetide) April 30, 2024 NHLE for 2023-24 Condors I will tell you now that the top candidates (imo) for NHL graduation and success are Max Wanner and ..read more

In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers won the team’s fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. It’s difficult to describe the feeling of each win, but rest assured when your team wins it all the reaction you have is completely different each time. It’s like snow flakes. The 1984 win was the first one, shocking and emotional. The 1987 win is my favourite for many reasons, mostly because it was so intense right until the end, and the ending (Gretzky to Steve Smith) unforgettable. The 1990 win was delightful and unexpected, like an additional child being born into a happy family. I don’t know if these Oilers are ..read more

I wrote the passage above one year ago, before Game 4 of the 2023 playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings. In life, there’s always a quote from a smart person about what you’re going through and Al Arbour is a smart person. Game 3 should be repeatable for the Oilers and if they fly home up 3-1 in the series, consider it Stanley Cup battle joined. New for @TheAthleticNHL Edmonton Oilers prospect Beau Akey and the impact of a lost seasonhttps://t.co/HTtCWhi5vO — Lowetide (@Lowetide) April 28, 2024 OUT OF THE BLUE Three games in to the playoffs and the coaching staff is rolling three pairings ..read more