Edmonton Oilers Try To Solve Blue-line Puzzle
The Edmonton Oilers made 4 roster moves late Wednesday afternoon, although only two of them were of any real consequence on the ice. But those two moves raised almost as many questions as they answered.
We’ll get to the transactions at forward in a moment, but the real subject-de-jour is Defence:
Justin Schultz has been placed on I.R. for the first time in his professional career. I’ve asked around as best that I can (I don’t pretend to be any better connected than I actually am). And all I have been able to glean is that whatever has landed Schultz in this situation has been nagging him for a while, and came to an untenable head during the 2nd Period of the Washington game. I’ve re-watched the film of Schultz behind the net a dozen times, now. There is no obvious discomfort.
In a rare glimpse of transparency, coach Todd McLellan revealed that the team doctor was headed back from Europe and would “sit with Justin”. It is difficult, in the absence of much tangible information from the club, to NOT read too much into those presumably carefully chosen words. At one point, a team official said that Schultz “was not feeling well”. Hmmm.
When have you ever heard of a physical injury described in that specific way? Has anyone considered that the Schultz injury is not a physical one? To be clear…I know nothing. But one wonders…
But I digress.
More from Oilers News
- 3 Oilers Players Who Should See An Expanded Role In 2023 And 1 Who Should Not
- 3 Oilers with the most to prove this season
- Edmonton Oilers Name Jeff Jackson CEO Of Hockey Operations
- How Long Will The Edmonton Oilers Wait To Sign Evan Bouchard?
- Edmonton Oilers Sign Ryan McLeod, What’s Next?
In his roster spot, the Edmonton Oilers have decided to leap-frog 1st-Year pro Joey LaLaggia over a number of other players to the 23-man NHL roster. Nikita Nikitin and Brad Hunt, in particular, must be wondering if they said something rude to the General Manager’s wife at the last dinner party. Indeed. Why LeLaggia? Well…I have a theory.
The Edmonton Oilers have improved their goaltending this season, and the forward units (if you subtract Connor McDavid) are marginally better. The REAL missing piece of this puzzle is a puck-moving D-man. Neither Oscar Klefbom nor Darnell Nurse are purely that, and Andrej Sekera has under-whelmed, so far.
Rather than leave the talented Edmonton Oilers forward ranks idling at the attacking blue-line for that “eventual” head-man pass, I think Peter Chiarelli has decided that he needs to “let the horses loose”, and put a man on the ice who can head-man the bloody puck to Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, et al.
Joey LeLaggia is a left-handed shot who slots in reasonably well alongside Eric Gryba. Brandon Davidson on that pairing leaves Gryba as “the puck mover”. We have seen how that works out. On the 3rd pairing, Todd McLellan could keep LeLaggia away from the other team’s scoring lines, especially with the Edmonton Oilers next 4 games at home, with last change.
Yeah, I hear you…the guy in the back who would like to demote Mark Fayne. Get real, friend. Fayne is a “real” NHL D-man who would not pass though waivers. And no NHL General Manager worth his salt allows an asset with that value to be plucked away with no return. This is Not (repeat, NOT) fantasy league hockey. You are not actually an NHL General Manager. And if you think Fayne SHOULD be waived, you are only making my case for me. Thanks. The cheque is in the mail.
The other roster move today is MUCH easier to dissect and explain. Rob Klinkhammer twisted his knee in Tuesday night’s game. He was capably replaced on the Taylor Hall-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins line by Iiro Pakarinen. Calling up Tyler Pitlick replaces Klinkhammer the role-player, with a player remarkably similar in almost every way. Ho hum.
Finally, it is important to state that the Edmonton Oilers have been hit by the injury bug at the worst possible time, with a 3-and-7 record, 10 games into the season.
It sounds as if Jordan Eberle is 10 days or so away from returning. Given the worrisome circumstances, it can’t come fast enough.
God-speed, Ebs.