Some Oilers Randomness
By baggedmilk
7 years ago
With the summer news drought in full swing I wanted to talk about a few interesting Oilers clips that I found over the past few days. We’re going to talk a little bit about Connor for Captain, Zack Kassian’s summer, and Adam Larsson’s first impression.
Is there anything worse than the summer lull when you’re excited about the upcoming hockey season? All together now – “NO.” Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way it’s time to go through some Oilers tidbits from around the web. You ready? You may as well be into it, or else I’ll post this article twice.
Connor for Captain?
Over the weekend, Connor McDavid was playing in Taylor Hall’s charity street hockey tournament and was asked what he thought about the possibility of being named the next Oilers’ captain. As you would expect, Connor responded humbly and thoughtfully. From NHL.com:
Obviously. If I was ever the captain at any point I think it would be one of the greatest honours and one of the accomplishments that I would definitely take the most seriously.
A pretty unsurprising answer, right? Connor is always so measured when he answers questions it’s like you would think that he’s been playing in the NHL for decades. Expecting him to say anything new or crazy about being named a 19-year old captain wouldn’t make much sense — you know he wasn’t going to add fuel to the rumour. To me, this kid has the demeanour that will lend itself well to dealing with the added pressures of being named captain in a Canadian market. Ethan Moreau, he is not. Can Connor wear the C without having it become a distraction to his game? I think so. But what else did he say?
I don’t want to comment on it too much, but obviously it would be an unbelievable feeling.
What? You were expecting something profound? While Connor McDavid is way too humble to say that he could be the next captain of this hockey team, I’m not. I think he’ll be the man to lead this team out of the darkness whether he wants to admit it or not. Jordan Eberle was also asked about the Oilers captaincy this weekend. From Fan 590:
I think you see a lot of teams going toward not having a captain. I’m a strong believer in guys that lead by example. I’ve played with Connor and he’s an exceptional player and I think he’ll be the future of hockey. It doesn’t matter if he has (the captaincy), or I have it, you just want a collective group of leaders. I think we do in Edmonton.
What’s the deal with not declaring Connor the captain now, Ebs? HUH?! Is this just Eberle tabling the possibility that the Oilers may go captainless next season? Maybe? Am I looking too far into it? I’m assuming that Connor will be captain sooner than later, but if the Oilers don’t want to rush it then it may make sense to go without for another year? Eberle followed up with:
Ultimately, one day, I think he will be our leader.
Do you think Connor McDavid will be named captain this summer? Next year? Do you think it will be someone else? Let me know in the comments below.
Zack Kassian’s Summer
“I came in with a unique situation. I’m very thankful & excited to be back here for another year.” @zkassian9https://t.co/p7y9VySnCa— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 25, 2016
Zack Kassian is definitely a player of interest going into this season. Last year, Kassian came to Edmonton (traded for Ben Scrivens) under interesting circumstances of which I’m sure you’re all well aware, and I’m curious to see if there’s anything left to his game that we don’t even know about. Yesterday, Kassian was at the Oilers charity golf tournament and chatted with Tom Gazzola about starting off his second season in Edmonton.
First and foremost, it’s exciting just to get the opportunity. I came in with a unique situation, and very thankful to be back another year. But at the same time, I’m coming in and I’m looking for this to be my last stop. I want to sign long-term here eventually. It’s one of those things where I’m coming into camp for the first time in awhile and taking my job very seriously, and I want to be the best player I can be.
Who knows whether or not Kassian will be able follow through on the things he says, but you have to appreciate the words that are leaving his face hole. Kassian knows he doesn’t have many (any?) chances left in the NHL and having him describe that he wants to make the most of his time in Edmonton was refreshing to hear. We could see a motivated player, this season.
On the Oilers going into the year, Kassian said:
It’s exciting. We’re looking like a team. You know what I mean? We have a mixture of players and personalities. In order to win in this league and be successful, you need that. You need different personalities. You need different types of players. The acquisitions we’ve made I think show that. I think we’re really looking to gel as a team first and foremost. All the good teams seem to stick together and get along well off the ice, and I think we have the fit for that now. I think we’re looking forward to get going. Everyone I’ve talked to is very excited and can’t wait to get going.
It’s obvious that Chiarelli wants to build a team that is capable of standing up for themselves and for each other, and Kassian echoed that sentiment above. How many times have we read about the Oilers being easy to push around? How many times have we seen it? Will that change this year? I hate to sound pessimistic but I may have to see this one to believe it… I guess the Oilers have conditioned me to be cynical.
What else did Kassian say?
I think this is the first year I’m going in – I feel like I’m 19 playing for the Spitfires or Petes again. I think it’s one of those things. I’m so excited to start the season. The love for hockey is back. I sleep, eat, and breathe hockey now. I’m very excited to get this opportunity to get the ball rolling. No matter where I play, I’m going to give it my all.
With Kassian’s apparent dedication to fitness on display it will be interesting to see how/if it affects his game on the ice. Depending on where you’re reading the info, Kassian has lost about 10-15 pounds and that should help him get up and down the ice a little bit better. There were times, last year, when Kassian looked out of shape as a result of missing the first half of the season, and I hope that having a full summer to train (plus training camp) will contribute to better results on the ice.
What do you expect from Zack Kassian this season?
Adam Larsson Plans to be Adam Larsson
“It’s going to be a good fresh start for everyone.” @AdamLarsson3 discusses joining the #Oilers this season.https://t.co/brGNORWWov— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 25, 2016
After the dust had settled from the trade that sent Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson I started thinking about the player the Oilers got as opposed to the one they sent away. One of my first thoughts was that Larsson may always find himself in a tough spot as some fans will always think of him as the only guy they got back for Taylor Hall. If Larsson struggles to find his footing there will be fans that turn on him whether it’s merited or not. Larsson was in town for the Oilers charity golf tournament and spoke to the media for a few minutes about the trade that brought him to Edmonton:
It’s in the guys up top’s hands. Obviously, it’s big shoes to fill but he’s a forward and I’m a d-man. It’s different. I know New Jersey got a really good player and I’m happy to be here.
I found it interesting that Larsson obviously knows that Taylor Hall casts a big shadow in this city, and quickly pointed out that they play different positions. Larsson also spoke about the start of his NHL career and how his role changed in New Jersey.
My first year in the league, I played a lot of power play. These past four years have been a lot of defense and penalty kill.
Earlier this month, I wrote about how Larsson only played 11 power play minutes last season, and how even a marginal bump in PP time could mean more points on the scoresheet. Larson obviously knows that his offensive game needs work, but thinks that there’s room to grow.
I think I can take a bigger step. The next step is more offense and, maybe, some power play time.
Larsson was also asked about playing on a team that has more offensive options than he may have been used to in New Jersey.
It’s going to be a lot of fun. Looking at the group, it’s a really young group. Especially now, with the new rink, it’s going to be a fresh start for everyone. Coming here with this group, I don’t think I could be any happier to play with these guys.
When he was asked about how he sees himself as a player, Larsson said:
I see myself as a two-way defenseman and you kinda have to realize that it usually takes a little bit long for d-men to be where you want in this league. I didn’t really get stressed because I didn’t get the role I wanted. But it takes time to realize that you’re still young and learning and I think that Jersey did a good job for me.
While Larsson said that he hasn’t had many conversations with Todd McLellan about his role with the Oilers he is expecting more of the same, in terms of usage. Not that I would expect anything else, but it was refreshing to hear Larsson talk about his game needing work. I don’t think he agrees with the idea that he is nothing more than a shutdown defenseman, and I’m hopeful that he can expand on his role.
Will Larsson find another gear offensively? Let me know what you think in the comments.
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