Well, so much for the winning streak.
See, the problem last night was, the Oilers were playing against a good team. I suppose beating Nashville last week was nothing to sneeze at, but the Flyers are scary-good. They are the meaning of the word "depth" and if their goaltending is solid, they have to be considered a cup favorite going into the big dance.
A few comments, from an Oilers perspective, on last night's game, and on other stuff:
- I didn't mind Alex Plante against Colorado, but he was hilariously bad yesterday. He simply couldn't keep up. I remember back to when he was drafted - You know how TSN shows little videos demonstrating the play of each player when they get drafted - The video for Plante showed him skating three steps and tripping over his own feet. Things don't seem to have changed much.
- Am I the only one who thinks the Oilers really need to spend some money next season on a few free agents who are "depth" players? You know, Bottom 6 forwards who can hit, shoot, even score once in a while? It wasn't just Plante who looked like he couldn't keep up with the play.
- I feel terrible for the amount of pressure Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi must be feeling. Taylor Hall, for a rookie, could somewhat handle being a top line guy. I suppose that's what makes him a 1st overall pick. But Eberle and Paajarvi are struggling tremendously, and while Shawn Horcoff is a solid two-way center, he's no 1st line center.
- In respect to the above point, I suppose the Oilers could move Hall to center next season, but I see his strength being rushing with the puck from the outside and not down the middle. I think being a center would restrict his play...and if this year's draft has anything, it has a number of quality center prospects.
- Alex Giroux has looked good for two games straight. I think there is zero chance he and Martin Gerber resign with Edmonton next season (as they've been disappointed to be in the minors), but I think both are good enough to land jobs in the NHL.
- One thing we are learning about Linus Omark, especially from things like the Flyers game, is that he needs to be playing with skilled players who have size in order to be effective. The Flyers were all over he, Sam Gagner and Ryan Jones, and the line looked terrible both offensively and defensively. Jones is a really good Bottom 6 forward, but he doesn't have Top 6 skill.
- Someone emailed me to ask me if I think Ales Hemsky gets dealt at the draft. Likely no. His value was highest at the trade deadline and they kept him, so that tells me Hemsky is factored into the Oilers long-term plans. Even though he's a big ball of injuries, a look at last night's game explains why the Oilers need to hang on to him. Besides, the Oilers have plenty of kids and draft picks coming to fill in the blanks in upcoming seasons.
- An interesting interview with Oilers Head Scout Stu MacGregor is up on the Oilers website. Apparently, Stu is a fan of Adam Larsson, but there is no mention of anyone else, so it's impossible to tell which way the Oilers are leaning when it comes to the draft. There is also mention of Tyler Pitlick...he is spoken about from the Oilers perspective as being a future center, and not a winger like he is currently being used in Junior.
- Interesting to note that the Oilers have been very quiet on the subject of Anton Lander. His season is over in Sweden, and he could be brought over to play the rest of the season in the AHL.
- As far as the Oilers potentially sending down Jordan Eberle, Linus Omark and Magnus Paajarvi to play in the AHL at the end of the Oilers season, it would be a bit of an insult to do so, dontcha think? I dunno...maybe they want to keep playing, but in past, players who are considered full members of the "big club" aren't sent down at the end of the year.
Tonight's action is the Oilers against the Washington Capitals. The Caps have a few big name players, but they don't have the depth the Flyers do. It should be entertaining to watch, regardless of outcome. Nikolai Khabibulin will be in goal for Edmonton, and Gilbert Brule should also be back in the line-up. Word is, Giroux will be dressed, so most likely, either Steve MacIntyre or JF Jacques will come out.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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