Edmonton Oilers goaltender controversy? What controversy? 9 things

content of the article

The Edmonton Oilers, on their 3rd^approx Away game in 4 nights, fought their way to a 3-2 win in Calgary on Saturday night.

content of the article

There were many ingredients to this 3-2 win. But it wouldn’t have ended so well if a young Edmonton-born goaltender hadn’t played one of the biggest and best games of his young NHL career.

content of the article

The Oilers’ goaltender tandem is the focus of this week’s…

9 things

9. The Edmonton Oilers are officially inside Jacob Markstroms Head. When those two teams meet again in the playoffs this spring (and who hopes they don’t), Markstrom’s confidence has to be a cause for concern.

8. The biggest Oilers boosters would admit the club is missing a certain element in their backend: An RHS, a pure shutdown defender. I wonder if David Savard caught in MTL Ken Hollands View? A $3.5 million cap hit, it would have to go some out for it to come in. The Oilers recently had eyes in Montreal.

content of the article

7. Sometimes I think Leon Draisaitl is underestimated. The now 27-year-old Leon has 631 career points in 5th place^th most before their 27th^th anniversary among those still active in the NHL today. It’s decent good company that Draisaitl goes with it: Sydney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Alexander Ovechkinand Nathan MacKinnon.

6. Dylan Holloway earned his 1st NHL point on Saturday, an assist for the McDavid goal. He made himself noticeable, but only played 5:29. Unless Jay Woodcroft uses his 4th^th line more, would the kid be better off playing at 20+ a night in Bakersfield for a few weeks? Matthew Janmark played for the Condors on Saturday. Personally, I would find this club better in the long run if the 4^th Line played more. If you keep going to the whip these big guys will wear you down eventually.

content of the article

5. Story last week suggests the NHL salary cap could increase by $4 million in 2023-24. That’s far more optimistic than previous estimates. What I don’t know is whether the projection includes the coming economic recession. Though expected to be rather mild, it will still dampen consumer spending. The Canadian dollar is also expected to weaken against the US dollar. While the Oilers hope those predictions are accurate, factors well beyond the league’s control will have something to say about them.

4. When we read between the lines of the gate not allowed Evander Kane On Thursday evening it certainly smells like a “call with a call”. If so, then this is a medieval phenomenon the NHL needs to get out of its game: an official’s opinion of a player clouds his judgment. Consider the legal system that does not allow prior convictions against an accused during the trial. Why? Because the fact that you have been guilty once in your life does not mean that you have committed that offense. Maybe one day the NHL will realize it’s 2022.

content of the article

3. I’m not too worried Ryan Murray. Maybe it has something to do with expectations. Walking in, I saw the veteran D-Man as Deep #7 with a bargain basement deal of $750,000. A guy with enough NHL reps to be useful, but also a guy who can sit in the press box for half a dozen games without sapping his progress. To me, the real thing worth wringing our hands is the speed with which both are possible Philip Broberg or Markus Niemelainen can develop. If Murray ends up playing a bunch, that’s not good news. Niemelainen was a bit better on Saturday, especially in the 3rd period. Broberg played at Bakersfield.

2. I still see and hear a lot of people being super critical of Evan Bouchard. But if we compare his defensive performance this year to last, there is statistical evidence that Bouchard’s game (while not perfect) is headed in the right direction. See my colleague David Staples‘ analysis here. In my eyes, the defensive mistakes I see in Bouchard are mental mistakes. This may seem worrying, but to me these things are teachable. It’s not like he’s getting pushed around physically or losing foot races to pucks. I’m not worried about hockey sense either. Bouchard has plenty of it on offense. And Hockey Sense is rarely a one-way street.

content of the article

1. It certainly didn’t take long for a compelling story to unfold between the whistle in Edmonton about the new Oilers goalie duo Jack Campell and Stuart Skinner. Both boys had stellar moments early in the 2022-23 season, Skinner’s 40-point save on Saturday being perhaps the best example yet. All in all, it’s enough to bring back some memories of great Oilers goalie duos from years gone by. Well, I want to be fair to Campbell and Skinner… they’re literally just starting out and have played all 10 games together as a 2-man team. Talk about a small sample size! But fan-ing is supposed to be fun, so with that in mind, let’s dream a little.

Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog are among the greatest goalie tandems in NHL history. From 1982 through 1987, Fuhr and Moog started about 400 of 407 regular season games and (predictably) all 84 postseason games. And while both their styles and personalities differed greatly, by all appearances it was a competitive but very friendly, collegial, and productive relationship. They’ve built a 5-year résumé together as ‘1A’ and ‘1B’ that will be hard for two other goalies to match.

content of the article

Whereas Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner (as I said) are just beginning their NHL journey together. And their goalkeeping style is very different from that of Fuhr and Moog. However, it’s fun to draw the comparisons between them and imagine where they might lead:

– Both Fuhr and Skinner are WHL graduates, Fuhr plays for Victoria, Skinner with both Lethbridge/Swift Current. Both played in a Memorial Cup. Both completed “the show” as very young men. Edmonton native Fuhr turned 19 in 1981 when he played his first season as an oiler. Edmonton-born Skinner was 21 when he debuted in 2020. fun, hey?

– Unfortunately, the corresponding Campbell/Moog story doesn’t have quite the same historical overlay. Campbell, an American, Moog from BC Campbell signed as a free agent. Moog was designed and developed in Edmonton. Moog was 21 when he made his Oilers debut and Campbell is 30.

content of the article

– It’s been said by people close to the room (like I’m not) that Campbell and Skinner bonded early and easily and are among each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Despite their different personalities, Fuhr and Moog were also solid teammates.

Eventually the Fuhr-Moog pairing was too good to keep together and Andy moved on. In the Cap era, it’s even more likely that the same situation will one day repeat itself for Campbell and Skinner. And a lot of water has to flow under the bridge before we can find out if anything like it is even right. We have to be patient. But what if?

It will have meant that today’s Oilers goaltender pairing likely achieved the same ultimate goal as their legendary predecessors:

Win a Stanley Cup together.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, on Instagram at leavinsonhockey

Recently in The Cult…

McCURDY: Skinner shines in BOA return engagement, Oilers beat Flames 3-2

LEAVINS: The Oilers outlast the Black Hawks in a crazy, fun 6-5 game

STAPLES: Oilers bring their “A” game against the Blues