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Oilers Thoughts From Tuscany |
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Currently on a bus touring around Tuscany giving me a perfect opportunity to write up a quick blog.
Nothing much has happened with the Edmonton Oilers in my absence. There was another PTO signing in Adam Erne, a physical bottom six left winger that has spent his last four seasons in Detroit. In 61 games last season he registered 160 hits and 8 goals and 10 assists. Again, depth options for training camp are good and help to create competition but I don’t see him being a regular option for this team.
With some of the depth options the Oilers do have and some of the PTOs they have signed, I continue to scratch my head at the Janmark 1 year 1 million dollar deal. Janmark is fine if unspectacular player with his only real area he excelled in being the penalty kill. Holland and Woodcroft both seem to love their PK players but this signing felt premature. Look at the Avalanche, who just signed Tatar to a 1.5 million dollar deal; for 500,000 more that surely is a better use of cap money.
I do wonder about the Oilers bottom six scoring and I hope that players like Holloway and Lavoie get a chance to shine and develop early in the season as opposed to guys like Janmark. I would far rather have Edmonton lose a few more games early in the season due to rookie mistakes if it means a more complete roster come February and March because Holloway and Lavoie are playing more than 7 minutes a game.
The Rookie Tournament just wrapped up with Edmonton going 1-1-1. Ultimately these things matter very little in the long run but it’s fun to catch up and see some players many fans are just not going to see anything from for the rest of the season.
From the little I was able to glean it looks like the Oilers might have something good in Beau Akey who showcased the smart skating and quick release that made him a second round selection. There are still defensive areas that will need to be worked on but the Oilers are in desperate need of more mobile defensive prospects, specifically on the right side.
Carter Savoie and Xavier Bourgault both produced and looked confident both with and away from the puck. I would like see see Bourgault find the back of the net more as he was drafted to be a shooter and goal scorer. Something to watch from him in the AHL this season.
Looking past this season I do worry about how the Connor Brown bonus heavy contract will effect the team next season. It essentially puts the Oilers with an anchor next season of over 3 million dollars. There is huge pressure to win this season as that is going to cause issues next season if the Oilers need to add more in any area.
Thanks for reading!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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