Happy Festivus, Nation!

4 years ago

If you’re a Seinfeld fan like I am you probably know that December 23rd is Festivus, a day where we’re all encouraged to air our grievances and celebrate feats of strength. And since we’re Oilers fans, I’m sure that we can all use this opportunity to get a few things off our chests.

Before we get into this year’s Festivus festivities, I wanted to remind everyone that airing your grievances does not mean that you’re being less of an Oilers fan. In fact, I’d argue that complaining about the team you love and spend so much of your life watching because you only want them to get better is the ultimate form of fandom — I’d even go so far as to say it’s our duty. It’s our unwavering dedication to the Oilers that gives us this right, and the grievances listed below are only my way of trying to help the team get better. With that out of the way, let’s get to it.

THE GRIEVANCES

While everyone’s grievance list will look different, here are five things that I’d like to have corrected in 2020. Is it realistic that all of my demands be met? Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be voiced and heard. Got it? Good.

Secondary Wingers

Would anybody disagree with me when I say that we need more scoring wingers? No? I didn’t think so. Right now, the Oilers are getting beat up pretty good at even strength and I can’t help but think that an extra winger with some finish would go a long way. I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to have another guy that could score in the top-six or even the top nine for that matter? I mean, James Neal has certainly helped, but the bulk of his goals come on the power play, and I strongly believe that an upgrade to the skill on the wings would go a long way.

Dead Cap Space

According to our friends at PuckPedia, the Oilers have $4.8 million dollars in dead cap space this season as a result of the three buyouts (Pouliot, Sekera, Gryba) and the retained salary on the Lucic trade. Next season, Eric Gryba comes off the books but the team still has $4.5 million in dead cap space on their books and it’s incredibly annoying when you consider the calibre of player (oh, I don’t know, say, a winger?) that you could probably get for that money. Every time I check on the Oilers’ cap situation, there is this dead space waiting to slap me across the face.

The Backup

Listen, I’m not here to drop a deuce on @Mike Smith or the way he’s played for the past month and change, the numbers speak for themselves on this one, but I will say that what’s happening right now is a problem and I wonder how much longer Ken Holland will allow this continue. Is the plan to let him try and rebound? Play Koskinen for 42 straight? What’s going on here? You get it.

I COMMAND YOU TO SHOOOOOOT

As weird as it seems to criticize the team with the league’s top two scorers on it about they operate on offence, I just can’t help myself. It drives me crazy how often the Oilers pass up chances to shoot the puck, and I hope they somehow manage to banish the trend in 2020. As of this morning, the Oilers fire an average of 29.1 pucks on net per game which ranks 27th in the NHL, and I’d like to see them pump those rookie numbers up a little bit. I find that the boys are too often looking for a perfect passing play rather than throwing the puck on net and getting greasy in the crease area.

Taking the Bait… Again… As Always

If there’s one thing that annoys me about Oilers fans is how easily we can, at times, get lured into rooms full of bear traps that are sprung on us by news outlets and social media. Whether it’s Leafs or Canucks fans saying that Matthews/Pettersson/whoever is better than McDavid or that he’s only a few losses away from bailing on the franchise, we Oilers fans have a real problem with letting things slide. I don’t know what needs to happen so that we can avoid walking into these no-win situations, but I think it’s something we can strive to be better at in 2020. And for the 1000th time, we all know that Connor McDavid is the best player on the planet so there’s no need to care what anyone else thinks.

Bonus Grievance

Where the hell was the TipStache during Movember, Dave? I can’t help but feel like this December slide could be your fault. Give us the TipStache!

FEATS OF STRENGTH

Since no Festivus season is ever complete without celebrating some feats of strength, I looked back at the last 12 months and listed some of the best things that have happened with our beloved Oilers. Here are a few feats of strength that come to mind when I think back to the past year, and I’d love to see your lists down in the comments section:

I’m going to start where I always start and thank the Hockey Gords for every single day that @Connor McDavid is an Edmonton Oiler. Can we take a moment to do that now? Okay, everybody quiet. *moment of silence* Good. McDavid is, on a nightly basis, enough of a reason to watch Oilers games and I say that fully admitting that there have been some painful nights. Ahead of tonight’s game against the Canucks, Connor has already put up 61 points (21G, 40A) in only 39 games and it’s the kind of pace that the NHL hasn’t seen in years.
@Leon Draisaitl finished the 2018-19 season with 50 goals. I mean, the dude was on fire last season and was one of the few bright spots we got to enjoy and that’s why I wanted him to have him right up there with Connor at the top of the pile.
Since being placed on Connor McDavid’s wing to finish off the 2018-19 season, @Zack Kassian seems to have found his place on the first line and I hope that he never ever walks away from the table based on the heater he’s on.
I am happy to admit how wrong I was about @Mikko Koskinen so far in the 2019-20 season. I still don’t like the three-year contract Chiarelli gave him, I don’t think there was any need for it at that time based on how his season was going, but he’s been absolutely fantastic in net for the Oilers this season. Now, the question will be how many games he’s able to start this year as his backup seems to have fallen off a cliff of late. Last year, he started too many games in the back half and his play suffered as a result, and I’m hoping that whoever is backing him up in 2020 can provide some quality starts so that the guy can have a break.
Are 16 goals better than three goals? That’s a thing, right? I mean, I’m not very good at math but I strongly believe that I’m right. Ahhhhh yes. Thanks for @James Neal, Calgary! Enjoy the third round pick.
I know I talk about him a lot in Wrap Ups, but how about the emergence of @Ethan Bear at the start of this season? Yeah, I know that there will be bumps along the way as he continues to learn the NHL game, but the way he’s handled stepping in and being thrown into a top-four role has been impressive. Me, I’m a big Bear guy.
Despite the ups and downs of another rollercoaster season, the Oilers are still in the mix for a playoff spot despite the recent struggles from the past few weeks. We can argue about roster construction and whose fault it all is when things go wrong, but the bottom line is that there are meaningful games left to play and for that I’m grateful.

Feel free to leave me your grievances and feats of strength in the comments section because I know there are things that I’ve missed, but that’s one good thing about us all being on this ride together.

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