Calder Trophy Finalists – Nail Yakupov & Justin Schultz

One could make the argument that Schultz should be in the conversation for the NHL Calder Trophy after putting up 8 goals and 19 assists in 48 games.  After discussing how Yakupov was snubbed from the Calder finalists, both he and Schultz provided plenty of spark all season long and certainly lived up the hype that they brought during the summer.

But in the end there can only be one winner and when looking at the plus/minus, the winner is Yakupov after finishing with a minus-4 compared to Schultz’s minus-17.  Schultz actually had the lowest rating on the club, meaning he will need to brush up on his defense for next season.

Norris Trophy Finalists – Justin Schultz, Ladislav Smid & Jeff Petry

It’s easy to mention Schultz in this category given  he led the Oilers blue-liners in points but his minus-17 is cause for concern.  We’re talking about the top defenseman who should be held accountable in his own end and it’s hard to make that argument for Schultz.

Meanwhile Smid and Petry had solid seasons from their own respects.  Smid was his usual stubborn self, blocking shots and often pairing up against the opposing team’s top players.

Petry’s numbers were impressive, 3 goals and 9 assists in 48 games while posting a respectable plus-1 on the season.  He also finished second on the team with 112 hits to Smid’s 151 and had 86 blocked shots to Smid’s 119.

Winner – Ladislav Smid, for the reason’s just mentioned.  He’s as steady as they come and despite not putting up a lot of points, he was the best defender on this club.

Vezina Trophy 

Given there are only two netminders worth talking about, there’s no point in having them listed as nominees.  As a matter of fact, the race for the top goalie isn’t that close either with Devan Dubnyk taking it in a landslide.

He played more than three times as many minutes than Nikolai Khabibulin while putting up almost identical numbers in GAA 2.57 to 2.54 (Khaby) and a .920 save percentage to Khaby’s .923%.  Not to mention that Dubnyk started in 37 games to Khabibulin’s 11 while picking up a record of 14-16-6 with two shutouts.

Hart Trophy Finalists – Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle & Sam Gagner

Given it’s Gagner’s contract year it’s not surprising he turned a lot of heads this year with his 14 goals and 38 points in 48 games.  Eberle also had a solid season, scoring 16 times en route to 37 points, good enough for third on the team.

But this award belongs to Taylor Hall this year.  Not only did he lead the team in points with 50 in 45 games (good for 9th in league scoring) but his 34 assists alone would rank him third on the team in scoring.  He was a solid plus-5 and had 4 powerplay goals and 4 game winning goals, the most on the team.

He continues to play with reckless abandon which is cause for concern to some.  I say it’s what makes him so successful.  He plays hard and leads by example.  He wants to win and will go a long way in leading this club to the playoffs, which could be next year.  Depending on how the off-season goes of course.

Jan 20, 2013; Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA; Edmonton Oilers right wing Ales Hemsky (83) just before scoring the deciding overtime goal against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo (1) during the third period at Rogers Arena. The Edmonton Oilers won 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

We’re only three games into the Oilers shortened NHL season, so it’s awfully pre-mature to draw conclusions about the team in such a short amount of time. That being said, there’s been a lot of things to smile about, and of course, some worrying trends as well. I’ll leave those for later for on in the post for now. But, just how fun has it been this year? Outside of a simply atrocious 1st period against San Jose in the home opener, it’s been incredible to watch the Oilers play, and play in a way that we’ve not seen since, 2006? (Temper the expectations though, season’s still quite young.) Out-chancing both Vancouver and the LA Kings? It’s not that we haven’t won games against those teams in the past few years, but it was more often that not out of luck, managing to capitalize on the fewer opportunities and hanging in there besides getting massively out-chanced and out-shot.

Normally, I’d be worried that despite being 2-1-0, we had yet to hold a lead through nine regulation periods. It’s not a trend I’d like to see continue, but if the Oilers and their new found ability to not only carry, but drive the play, continue to play at this level, that trend should quickly disappear.

Now for an early look at how various Oilers have been performing.

Devan Dubnyk 

A quick glance at Dubnyk’s stats shows a rather cringe worthy 3.70 GAA and .883 Save Percentage, certainly not what 3 and half million dollars should be getting you in the pipe. Context is crucial; it’s only been three games and his stat line has been ruined by that aforementioned period against the Sharks. Could he have had a few of those goals back in the San Jose game? Sure, but when the Oilers are leaving Patrick Marleau alone in the slot, on a Sharks PP? I’m not blaming the goaltender. Outside of that period, he’s been extremely solid. Anyone blaming him on the Edler goal when Potter decided to do nothing but act as a screen, neither standing up Edler at the line or forcing him wide, is doing it wrong.

Justin Schultz

Justin Schultz has looked much like any promising rookie offensive-minded defenceman does in their first NHL action. At times he’s been all over the place, made questionable decisions at the offensive blue-line, joined the rush, made great passes and likewise, has made some brutal turnovers. He’s a rookie, this is to be expected, and he’s neither been as good or as bad and some people might have hoped/feared. Again, small sample size alert, but he is tied with three others for the team lead in scoring.

Jordan Eberle

I’m one of those that’s in the “regression to the mean” camp. I don’t think he’ll have quite the year he did last year, in terms of goal scoring. Still, there’s no denying the kid has amazing hand-eye and a sneakily explosive first step, and then there’s his love for opening night theatrics:

I’m guessing he’s paying for Edler’s shiny new contract, because based on that game, he owns him.

The Pairing of Ladislav Smid and Jeff Petry

Can we clone these guys, seriously? Hands down our best defensive pairing, and yes I do agree that’s perhaps not the most difficult thing to accomplish on the Oilers. Still, it’s been reassuring to see Petry pick up where he had left off last year, quietly developing into a very well-rounded defenceman, while Smid, due to having no semblance of an offensive game whatsoever, remains one of Edmonton’s best kept secrets. Just, uh, Smid? Given that you’re our top defensive guy on the blue-line, do you mind leaving the 23 PIM in a period performances to someone like Fistric, or Eager? We need you out there, buddy.

Ales Hemsky

He’s back, baby.

Seriously, I’m pretty sure everyone in my apartment complex heard me scream at that goal. The release on that goal, the man is a wizard.

Nail Yakupov

And then, of course, there’s this:

Pure unbridled enthusiasm. Had this been a goal that puts the Oilers up by 4 or 5? Okay then, maybe you’ve got a case for calling it show-boating, though I personally couldn’t care less. Don’t want someone to celebrate after a goal? Don’t let him score then. But here’s the context, after a terrible, screw-job of a call takes away Nugent-Hopkins game tying goal earlier, sending Rexall into chants of “Refs you suck” and garbage thrown onto the ice, it seemed like the Oilers were headed for a loss an a 1-2-0 record to start the year. Enter Nail Yakupov batting in Taylor Hall’s rebound with 5 seconds left. He’s 18, he’s just scored his first big goal in the NHL, sending a game to over-time. Let him celebrate, hockey needs more passion like this, not more cliche’s and bland soundbites.

Here’s hoping the next three games are just as fun, and the three after that, and so on and so forth. Here come the Oilers.

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