GDB -08 and -07: Alberta Double Dip

LINEUPS…

QUICK HITS

• Griffin Reinhart will not play in either game. McLellan said he has a small tweak, but they expect him to play on Wednesday. He will need a fantastic preseason to be in the top-six on opening night.
• Jordan Eberle changed his stick this summer. It is longer and he’s lowered the flex. He worked a lot on his one-timer this summer, but while he made some changes to his stick he was adamant about it not impacting his ability to stickhandle. His stick handling is his best asset and he’s confident the new stick will help his shot without hindering his puck handling skills. I’ll be watching how he shoots the puck tonight.
• Andrej Sekera has been playing the right side at the World Cup alongside Zdeno Chara. Brandon Davidson has played the right side often, and he will tonight, and McLellan isn’t sure which of those two will start the season on the right side.
• A great analogy regarding Davidson: You can only be Cinderella once. Now it is about improving on last year. McLellan believes the key will be not asking Davidson to do too much. “You want him to improve of course, but now it is about building on his consistency.”
  I can tell you Davidson is not comfortable or satisfied. He believes he can add more and is main focus is proving people last season was not a career-best.
• I spoke with Patrick Maroon and he wanted to clarify some things about his losing 25 pounds. He weighs 227. Last season he finished the season around 242. When he discussed losing the 25 pounds, he was referring to the start of his training. After the season he took a month off and relaxed, like most players do, and often they gain some weight. So he is down 15 pounds from last year’s playing weight, but is actually down 26 pounds from when he started training in early June. “I feel leaner. I might feel faster, I can’t really tell (laughs), I’ve never been a great skater. My success has never been about speed, but feeling leaner and lighter hopefully makes me look quicker,” he said.
  Maroon was honest about how in the past he wasn’t as consistent as he needs to be. His focus in preseason is simple. “I am challenging myself to finish like I did last year. I’m still fighting for a job. I want to play in the top three lines every night. I want the job and I deserve the job and I have to show that.”
• Draisaitl has been playing hockey since August, due to Olympic qualifying, and the games are more emotionally taxing than anything. Look for McLellan to give Draisaitl some rest when the WCOH is over, but also a few more days during the season. McLellan mentioned he felt mentally exhausted after the World Cup games, similar to playoff games, and it isn’t normal to feel that way in September. He will monitor Draisaitl’s rest closely this year.
• If you are going to the Oilers game in Edmonton tonight, stop in at Maverick Autographs. I’ll be doing my show there (below Mercer Tavern, beside Transcend coffee) from Vacancy Hall. You can win a signed Grant Fuhn replica Stanley Cup and more.
• Football fans: go to draftkings.com/gregor1260 for your chance to win part of $1.25 million. Free with first deposit. Also, would you be more interested in playing if it was for the NHL? Let me know. We likely will get an NHL pool going.

TONIGHT

• Trouba trade: Can it work for Oilers?
• Training Camp: Day One
• Lucic: A new attitude is needed
• Questions on defence: Part three
• Questions on defence: Part two
• |Hendricks: “We need to be a confident group”|
• Questions on defence: Part one