Hey everyone, don't have much time today so here is a quick game day blog. The Oilers continue to get help in the standings race as teams like the Golden Knights continue to struggle. As long as Edmonton can continue winning at this pace they should be a lock for the playoffs, barring a massive surge by another team on the outside. Again, this is IF the Oilers can continue to win.

That is exactly what the Oilers should be doing during this part of the schedule: Detroit, Buffalo, and New Jersey are all teams outside of the playoffs right now and really have no chance at making it either. These are games that Edmonton should win and win in convincing fashion but time and time again we have seen this team Charlie Brown it when it should be an easy punt.

A few people wonder why the Oilers are looking at a right shot defenseman as opposed to a lefty. The simple answer is depth. Right now the Oilers have Nurse and Keith as their top two defenders on the left-hand side and a number of options such as Lagesson, Broberg, Niemelainen, Koekkoek, and Russell to fill in behind. The right side is Ceci, Bouchard, and Barrie and if one of those players get injured than suddenly WC needs to start juggling and playing guys on their off-side. In addition, while Ceci has been consistent, both Bouchard and Barrie have had some lapses and neither can be called a true top 4 player. Bouchard I believe will get there while Barrie simply continues to decline.

Colorado is going to be the team to watch this trade deadline. They've already made a few smaller moves such as dealing away Jost and acquiring Manson but I think this is only the start. I think Claude Giroux is absolutely a potential candidate for this team and that might only be the start. Imagine being the GM of a team that is already elite like the Colorado and deciding you can be even better. That is why teams like Colorado are elite and teams run by Ken Holland are not.

In a move that will surprise no one, Koskinen will get the start tonight as well. At this point, why are the team keeping Mike Smith around? Skinner is a far better option for a backup. Why is everyone so flipping scared of the nearly 40 year old netminder?

Lines tonight look like this:

Kane – McDavid – Yamamoto
McLeod – Draisaitl – Hyman
Foegele – Shore – Ryan
Archibald – Malone – Kassian

Nurse – Ceci
Keith – Bouchard
Broberg – Barrie

Koskinen

Question for the fans, what do the contracts for Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and Ryan McLeod look like next season? Holland needs to find a way to lock all of these guys up long term and try and get something that is team friendly because it looks like they will all only improve from here. Edmonton cannot afford to get into another Darnell Nurse situation where the contracts of outside players around the league forces you to overpay.

Let's just try this right now for fun:
Ryan McLeod - 6x2.5
Kailer Yamamoto - 5x3.2
Jesse Puljujarvi 8x4.7

A topic to visit closer and take a look at comparables on another day.

Enjoy the game!

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