KHAIRA UP!
By Lowetide
8 years ago
The Edmonton Oilers recalled Jujhar Khaira today, he will join them in Los Angeles—driving distance from Bakersfield to LA is 180 kilometres, and no worries about the busy LAX. For Khaira, his skills match some of the Oilers needs, and he could draw in as a center—something Anton Lander has been unable to do for much of the season in Edmonton.
During the time he was in Edmonton, Khaira played the wing (and was effective). This time, with the Oilers using Matt Hendricks out of position and unlikely to employ Anton Lander (who was running as 4C during practice in Leduc today), maybe the big man gets a shot at pivot.
Khaira is an interesting prospect, because a lot of what he brings to a game is somewhat unique among Oilers and Condors forwards. At 6.03, 215, he is aggressive, has speed and is willing to battle for pucks. He hit (26) and hit hard when he was with Edmonton, and Todd McLellan is likely looking for that approach in the coming games (no idea if he plays in California).
All of this information on Khaira was available in his draft day scouting report via Red Line:
- We believe this kid could be the
biggest/best sleeper of the entire draft. Prince George is so far off
the beaten path teams don’t even travel there for WHL games, much less
BCHL contests, so he gets zero exposure. But this kid is big, mean,
aggressive, nasty, and guess what… he can score too. Does the dirty work
in the corners, bangs bodies and wins battles, and loves to initiate
heavy contact. Powerful stride with great balance and gets leverage on
his hits. Has surprisingly soft hands and puck skills with playmaking
ability. Creates lots of space for smaller teammates and makes everyone
braver. Very raw defensively.
That last portion (the underlined item) gives us an idea about what Khaira has been working on, but based on the first 12 games of his NHL career the young man has learned some lessons. It is an open question as to who he will replace in the lineup, but one thing is certain: He is tracking very well compared to other OIlers third-round selections in recent history:
- 2000 D Alexander Ljubimov
- 2001 D Kenny Smith
- 2002 L Brock Radunske
- 2003 F Mikhail Zhukov
- 2003 R Zack Stortini (257 NHL games)
- 2005 D Danny Syvret (59 NHL games)
- 2005 F Robby Dee
- 2006 D Theo Peckham (160 NHL games)
- 2009 D Troy Hesketh
- 2009 R Cameron Abney
- 2010 C Ryan Martindale
- 2011 G Samu Perhonen
- 2011 C Travis Ewanyk
- 2012 F Jujhar Khaira (12 NHL games)
- 2012 L Daniil Zharkov
- 2013 C Bogdan Yakimov (1 NHL game)
- 2013 L Anton Slepyshev (11 NHL games)
During his dozen games in Edmonton, Khaira played with some talented forwards. HockeyAnalysis.com tells us that (among his 121 5×5 minutes) he enjoyed time with:
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (59 minutes, 51% Corsi for 5×5)
- Jordan Eberle (55 minutes, 48.4 % Corsi for 5×5)
- Source
He performed very well in the AHL after being sent down, and is 16GP, 5-10-15 in the AHL since January 1. Who will he replace? I hope it is Lauri Korpikoski, but suspect it might be Iiro Pakarinen. Jujhar Khaira has a lot of things the current Oilers regime values, and his second recall could last the rest of the season.
ALSO,
More to come. Top Khaira photo by Mark Williams.
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