AT RANDOM: HOME COOKING
7 years ago
No matter where you stood on the issue of building a downtown arena back when the Edmonton Oilers, owner Daryl Katz and city council spent what seemed like forever debating what would be built and who would pay for what, you’ve got to admit what we’ve seen take shape since then is damn sure impressive.
With the Oilers having bid farewell to Rexall Place, and not a moment too soon, spanking new Rogers Place not only stands to be the most spectacular building in the NHL when it opens for next season, but a symbol of a fresh start for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs for a decade.
For the joint to be something more than new suites, seats, eateries and shiny bells and whistles, though, the Oilers are going to have to stop throwing out the welcome mat the way they did for visiting teams in their last 10 seasons at the old barn at 118th Ave. and Gretzky Drive, and start giving the faithful something to cheer about.
The Oilers have won more games than they’ve lost at home exactly once in the last 10 seasons – they managed a 23-17-1 record during the 2007-08 season – winning just 168 of the 393 home games they have played. They’re 168-187-38 for a points-percentage of .475 in that span. I can’t find a team that’s been worse at home.
Of course, that has everything to do with the Oilers being a bad team, not the rink they play in, but the bottom line is teams that can’t even play .500 at home give themselves no chance to contend for anything except early tee times on the golf course. That has to change or the novelty of the new rink, no matter how spectacular, is going to wear off in a big hurry.
SILLY SEASON
So, contrary to other “sources” that created a buzz earlier this week about the Florida Panthers and Oilers talking about swapping Alex Petrovic for Nail Yakupov, Sun-Sentinel beat man Harvey Fialkov checked it out and says there’s no way. Stunner.
While Peter Chiarelli would be doing handstands if Florida GM Tom Rowe and POHO Dale Tallon were actually willing to talk about a swap like this, the reality is the Oilers are going to have to take spare parts – perhaps an older prospect languishing as Yakupov has – in return for the Russian winger. Petrovic is a cut above that.
Petrovic, 24, an Edmonton native and former Red Deer Rebel who was taken 36th overall by the Panthers in the 2010 Entry Draft, is a big (six-foot-four), physical D-man with 112 games on his NHL resume. Yes, he’s a right-hander, which fills an obvious need for the Oilers, but he’s just entering the stage in his career when the Panthers are about to find out what they’ve got.
Petrovic has neither excelled nor flopped. He remains a maybe, a pretty good prospect, and the physicality he brings is a real fit now that Erik Gudbranson has been dealt to Vancouver. It makes no sense for Rowe and Tallon to ship him to Edmonton straight up for Yakupov even if they were talking to Chiarelli, which, if Fialkov is to be believed, they aren’t.
WHILE I’M AT IT
- Many people, myself included, thought Yakupov would be gone at the draft, but maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Yakupov is a defensively challenged goal-scorer who doesn’t score that much — he has 50 goals in 252 games — so how much interest is there? As we head into the back-half of July, the answer is obvious.
That said, I’m in the camp of people who don’t see the need to give him away for nothing when his value is as low as it’s ever been. If Yakupov reports to camp ready to go and isn’t sulking that his trade request hasn’t been accommodated, there’s no harm in letting him play – maybe alongside Connor McDavid – in the hope he has a decent start and somebody comes calling.
- Some sunshine on a rainy day from David Staples over at the Cult of Hockey: “Having watched Connor McDavid closely for a year now, and also having gone over video of Oilers prospects like fourth overall pick (Jesse) Puljujarvi, second round pick Tyler Benson and free agent signing Drake Caggiula, while also keeping in mind talented players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Leon Draisaitl, it’s evident that when the story is written of this Edmonton team, it might not be known one day so much as a big, fast and tough team, but as a squad whose top lines passed around and shot the puck at a blistering pace, one not seen before at the National Hockey League level. The entire item is here.
- Still with McDavid, if Milan Lucic gets the call as his regular left winger, as most people expect he will, and the kid can stay healthy for 75-82 games, I won’t be at all surprised if Lucic has a career season for points. Lucic’s best seasons are 62, 61 and 59 points. He had 55 points with the Kings in Los Angeles last season.
Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TEAM 1260.
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