Monday Mailbag – Getting more out of Kailer Yamamoto

We’re counting down towards the Christmas break and we’ve got a brand new Mailbag is here to help you get your Monday started and also to make sense of everything that’s going on with our beloved Edmonton Oilers. This week, we’re talking about Kailer Yamamoto, the Olympics, Christmas movies, and more. If you’ve got got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk and I’ll get to you as soon as we can.

The NHL can only dictate policy to a point when the problem extends beyond the rink, as is the case with COVID. How I think the NHL should handle the situation isn’t necessarily what I’d like to see, but public health means more than being determined to keep playing come hell or high water, and it isn’t close. COVID doesn’t give a crap if we’re tired of it because it isn’t tired of us. Enough of the COVID fatigue excuses. Buckle down.

We’ve already seen cross-border travel put on pause, mainly so players aren’t stuck vaccinating in a hotel room during Christmas. After Christmas I think the NHL will resume play. The vaccine is working. Players who are getting COVID have little to no symptoms. Once they have three negative tests in a row they are allowed back. I think there is a much higher chance you could see stadium capacity reduced more than the 50% we’ve seen in some places already. But that won’t be the NHL’s decision. It will be each state and province.

I have a funny feeling we’ll get a pause here soon. Maybe even by the time this mailbag is released. There’s just too many players not available.

I’m not nearly smart enough to know the answer to this question, but I imagine there will be a bunch of shifts in the schedule as we move into the new year. Just to get through the year, I can also see the NHL bringing back the taxi squad and further restricting what players can do when they’re off the ice even if it’s not a popular choice. Lots of money at stake here.

What does Yamamoto need to do to produce more offence? Fixed. Show more of what he did against Seattle Saturday. Put pucks on net and get after them. Far from a great game, but an assist and a couple of shots. Getting back on track starts with the player.

He could start by shooting the puck. Getting some power play time for a game with RNH out likely helped his confidence. He got a point. He needs to regain his confidence. Most of that is on him, but the fact the coaches have continued to play him in the top-six is the most they can do. The rest is up to him.

I honestly don’t know what else they could do. They give him top-six minutes and he just doesn’t produce. He’s lucky there isn’t a better option to put next to Draisaitl. I like what he does away from the puck but his lack of ability to create scoring chances is concerning.

The game he had against the Kraken on Saturday was the best he’s played in a while and if he can keep that up then the offence will come. I’m not worried about it.

McDavid could be more selfish at times. He passed up a shot the other night that had to be taken. The good news is he’s more of a shooter now than when he came into the league.

He has gone back to passing on almost every 2-on-1. Looking for Puljujarvi for a hat trick is one thing, but he and Draisaitl were on a 2-on-1 and the D-man basically gave McDavid the lane to shoot and he still tried to force the pass. When he was scoring more goals early in the year he was shooting more. I think the fact he buried the empty net goal, rather than pass to Draisaitl was a good step. Great goal scorers have a bit of a selfish side at times. It is hard to knock McDavid for wanting to pass, but a few more shots, when he’s in a good spot will help. In the first seven games of the season he had seven goals and 39 shots. His last seven games he has one goal and 26 shots. Look for him to start ripping the puck more after Christmas.

I didn’t mind him looking to get Puljujarvi his hat-trick but yes, I do think both he and Draisaitl need to rip the puck more. There are too many times, like when they had that two on one against the Blue Jackets, where everyone in the building knows that they’re going to force the pass. They both have really good shots and should use them more.

I always want Connor to shoot more because he has a lethal shot and it will open up his passing lanes a little bit more. Not that I’m telling the best player in the world how to play, but I just think he’s so much better than everyone else that it makes sense for him to be a little bit more selfish from time to time.

I think the rapid spread of the latest variant has us headed for a shutdown at the NHL level and a no-go mandate from the players for the Olympics. I don’t see a way around it at this point.

The NHL won’t be going. The lengthy quarantine and risk of players missing more NHL games after the Olympics are over is too big of a hurdle.

I really don’t think we’ll get NHL players at the games. With so many games being cancelled and the potential for a3-5 week quarantine in China, it just does not make sense. It really makes me sad because I wanted to see Sid and McDavid at the games together, but it just doesn’t make sense this year.

At this point, I don’t see how the NHL will send a group of its best players overseas to compete in the Olympics when it’s already having problems getting the games played here in North America.

Die Hard.

Can’t pick just one. Some favourites include Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, A Wonderful Life, Elf and Love Actually.

“Shrek The Halls”

There are a bunch of Christmas movies that I really like so I’ll just hit you up with a quick list: Christmas Vacation, The Night Before, Scrooged, 8 Crazy Nights, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas because it’s a classic.

For 90 years and four generations, Cornerstone Insurance has been a family and employee-owned business in Edmonton with all of the insurance products you need for your ever-evolving life. Citizens of the Nation can get a discount here.