Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to all of you. I’ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we’re discussing the Edmonton Oilers’ lack of pushback, Kris Knoblauch’s line combos, mistakes last summer, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.
Oct 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch during the first period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
1) Yves asks – We’ve talked about the scoring, we’ve talked about the defence, and we’ve talked about the goaltending, but not about the coach. How can Kris Knoblauch improve his decision-making to help his team on the ice?
Jason Gregor:
I’d like him to not go to 97/29 early in games and we saw that the past two games. He has been quite patient with some players who aren’t contributing much, and has now held a higher standard.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I would like to see him rely less on the nuclear option and give some lines more opportunities to build up some chemistry. Give Jeff Skinner two straight games with just Leon Draisaitl, give Adam Henrique a run with Connor McDavid. Things like that. Other than that, I’d like to see him demand more physicality from the group.
Liam Horrobin:
The errors seem so blatant by the players that putting this on coaching doesn’t feel right. The system is strong, we’ve seen it work, but the players are now not capable of executing. Fans don’t like putting McDavid and Draisaitl together but, at the end of the day, nobody else can score.
Baggedmilk:
I think Kris Knoblauch can only do so much when a lot of the mistakes that are happening are by the players on the ice. While I’m not suggesting he’s a perfect coach, he’s not the one out there on the ice making mistakes. And while I can’t say for sure because I’ve never been in the Oilers’ dressing room, I’d bet he’s not asking his team to not score any goals either.
Jun 7, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch takes questions during media day in advance of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
2) Hank asks – When Kris Knoblauch came in last season, he talked about wanting to have guys on the same line to build some chemistry. This year he seems to be mixing up the lines every other period. Do you think the constant line blender is factoring into the problems we’re seeing?
Jason Gregor:
I don’t think so. The lack of scoring plays a role. He didn’t change much when they were winning, but in the recent funk he had no choice.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
It’s not the biggest problem, but it’s certainly a contributing factor. Look at the game against Dallas, for example. They went down 1-0, but stuck with consistent lines and ending up getting a 5v5 goal from all three lines in their top nine. It’s worked before and it worked last season in the playoffs. Give guys consistent linemates and see who can fit where. You can’t get answers by flipping guys all over the place.
Liam Horrobin:
No, I think the problem is the forwards aren’t good enough and the roster has been constructed poorly.
Baggedmilk:
I do think there’s something to finding chemistry with the same linemates over a stretch of time, but when no one is scoring, it’s tough to sit pat and hope things get better. That said, I would like to see a little more consistency with who is playing where on a night-to-night basis.
Jan 7, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Trent Frederic (11) fights with Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry (90) during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
3) Allen asks – What is everyone’s opinion on the lack of fight in the Oilers’ game right now? You’d think a team that’s losing this much would start to get pissed off at some point but there’s a real lack of emotion with this team right now.
Jason Gregor:
I’ve been saying this all season, they don’t have a lot of players who have that element. It is why the Frederic addition was so needed. Even Max Jones to a lesser extent, because at least he will be physical. I’d like to think Stan Bowman recognizes this and we will see a bit more energy/emotional players in the lineup next year. Kane coming back will help.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I agree. There is no emotion on either the positive or negative side of things. When they score they never seem overly excited and when things aren’t going well, no one seems pissed off until the end of the game. I’d love to see them show more fight and not just roll over when things go poorly.
Liam Horrobin:
I don’t like it either but recently the Oilers have been in tight games. Taking a penalty for roughing when you’re looking to make a comeback won’t go over well in the dressing room.
Baggedmilk:
I definitely want to see more emotion out of the group. As much as I fully believe they’re pissed off about losing, I’d love for that to bleed out onto the ice a little more. I’m not saying be undisciplined and run around the ice looking for trouble, but I would like to see more scrums and emotion to keep everyone engaged.
Jan 23, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
4) Lisa asks – What makes you believe that the Oilers can turn it around the rest of the season other than simply saying they’ve done it before?
Jason Gregor:
The 30 game stretch where they were the best team in the NHL is a reason. And they still have two of the best players in the world, and they can take over games. When Frederic is in the lineup and then Kane, you could argue this lineup, with Walman, will be more skilled than last year’s.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
They are fighting some bad luck. Their shooting percentage is bound to spike at some point and I really think that a lot of these guys in their top nine that are struggling are snake bit to some extent. Pucks are bound to start going in. Also, this team needs to create their own luck at some point by going to the net and getting second chance opportunities.
Liam Horrobin:
This same team was the best team in the NHL for 30 games and now they’re the worst. Eventually they’re going to balance that out and find their way back to at least the middle.
Baggedmilk:
There was a two month stretch THIS SEASON where the Oilers looked practically unbeatable. They can do it again.
Dec 7, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Mattias Ekholm (14) knocks a puck away from St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway (81) during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
5) Oilers fan in Van asks – Hindsight is always 20/20 but did Jeff Jackson make a bigger mistake than we recognize by not bringing back as many pieces from the Stanley Cup Final team as he could? As we’re now finding out, the Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Warren Foegele, and Ryan McLeod were probably more important to the team than we may have initially thought.
Jason Gregor:
Holloway is the one I’d have kept. Foegele wanted more opportunity and didn’t feel he’d get it here. They couldn’t afford Broberg, and the acquisition of Walman fills his spot.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
Yes, he did. Skinner over Holloway is a really tough look. I still don’t mind the McLeod for Savoie trade because I believe in Savoie’s upside, and they brought back Henrique back as well. But losing Holloway really, really stings. He should be playing full time in their top-six right now.
Liam Horrobin:
Looking back, Jeff Jackson did a bad job. The fact that re-signing Corey Perry is his best piece of business isn’t a good thing, and that’s not a shot at Perry either. It’s incredibly disappointing to see the damage he’s caused to this roster. The players you mentioned weren’t perfect but they played roles on this roster and still haven’t been filled.
Baggedmilk:
I was excited about what Jeff Jackson got done on July 1st, so I think it would be unfair of me to pretend like I wasn’t. That said, there’s little doubt that the bets he made on Viktor Arvisson and Jeff Skinner haven’t worked out as hoped, especially when we had to lose Dylan Holloway to make them happen.
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