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Oilers Game Day 33
Just one month ago, the Edmonton Oilers had the best points percentage in the entire NHL, with 16 wins and five losses good for a .762 points percentage.
That’s not OK, not even close to OK, and it has many fans calling for the team to axe head coach Dave Tippett.
In his entire time as a GM in the NHL Ken Holland has never fired a coach mid-season. I don’t expect he’s going to start now, even if such a firing would have merit. I’m not going to weigh in on that particular argument just now, in part because I don’t think Holland will do it, but also because I’d like to see how the Oilers do in the new month before endorsing something so drastic as firing the coach.
If Edmonton keeps losing, sure, it’s a possibility but, as I just mentioned, only one month ago this team had the best points percentage in the entire NHL. I put some weight in how the team did in October and November under Tippett, when the Oil looked like a strong Stanley Cup contender.
Short of firing Tippett then, what is Edmonton to do? What moves can it make?
I’ve got three suggestions.
1. Play Cody Ceci with Darnell Nurse. Nurse has been crushing it as the top-pairing left shot d-man. He’s playing the best even strength hockey of his career. But both Evan Bouchard and Tyson Barrie have struggled on his right side. Bouchard and Barrie get the job done when they’re moved down the line-up to face weaker competition. But when they’re put up against the best opposition in heavy minutes, they start leaking Grade A shots and goals against.
The good news is that Edmonton has one other option to play beside Nurse, Cody Ceci. Ceci has played strong two-way hockey in a Top 4 role.
Can he handle the pressure of playing heavier minutes beside Nurse?
He’s the best bet to succeed in the role right now, so why not give him a go?
It would mean a pairing of Bouchard or Barrie with Duncan Keith, which might well be a scary second pairing on defence, I know. But it would give Edmonton a go-to top pairing for all situations, a twosome the coach could trust and employ repeatedly.
Worth a try, no?
2. Pull the trigger on a big trade, most likely for a goalie. The Oilers could use the jolt of a big trade. There’s no shortage of needs on the Oilers, with Mike Smith’s constant injuries in net and the fact that outside of Nurse, not one left shot d-man has come close to getting the job done well at even strength. Then there’s the whole mess at third line centre, where Derek Ryan and Ryan McLeod look like decent bottom line options for now, but neither can carry the weight of that crucial third-line centre spot.
Why not solve one of them sooner than later?
My own preference at this point would be to acquire another goalie. I simply don’t trust Smith to stay healthy through a playoff run, and without him, Koskinen isn’t going to get it done for Edmonton. Edmonton can then hope Keith and Ryan step up a bit more, and see what other deals they can make to fill the holes at second-pairing left defence and third-line centre if Keith and Ryan fail to do so. But I suspect Keith and Ryan are better bets at this point to succeed than Smith, mainly because of Smith’s injury history.
3. See more of what Foegele, Marody and Benson can do with more ice time. Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi have been sensational this year, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto have struggled to put up points at even strength (with Yamo reversing that trend a bit recently). In limited minutes, I’ve liked Tyler Benson’s game. He’s hustled hard and been OK on defence. He’s a skilled player, so why not try him for a run of games on skill line? He’s certainly a better option there than Devin Shore, who filled in for the injured RNH on Saturday. Cooper Marody is another with skilled forward who might help on a third line. But it’s Foegele who really deserves a chance. He’s a big, fast and aggressive winger who makes things happen on the forecheck. In RNH’s absence, he might well be able to step in and help the Oilers score some goals at even strength.
Today’s line-up vs. Rangers
This in from Tony Brar of the Oilers: “Based on lines from Morning Skate (Perlini was a placeholder for McDavid), tonight’s projected lineup:
Hyman – McDavid – Puljujarvi
Foegele – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Shore – McLeod – Turris
Benson – Ryan – Sceviour
Nurse – Bouchard
Keith – Ceci
Koekkoek – Barrie
Koskinen”
My take
1. Well, no Ceci with Nurse as I had hoped. That would have been a radical change, but we do have Foegele promoted to a top line. I’m keen to see how big Foegele and bigger Draisaitl work together. RNH has not yet produced much on that line. Maybe Foegele will, which would then make it more likely RNH gets placed in the 3C slot, a crucial spot on the roster as well.
2. McDavid missed the morning skate, evidently to get some rest. Good idea to let your key players get proper rest, and to give them a break when they need it.
Source: EdmontonJournal
