Is everyone trained up to expect a new episode of BLTN to drop every Wednesday yet? Are we into the routine yet? Excellent, that’s what I thought.

Kicking off this week’s podcast, I got started with a quick update on the BLTN contest hoodies that I promised over the last few weeks as well as a recap of my trip to Vancouver. While I didn’t get a whole lot done on my mini vacay, I also didn’t really realize how much I needed a break. Steering the podcast back toward the Oilers, it’s hard not to be excited about the upcoming season given the sky-high expectations we have for our boys but also because many of us truly believe they can take the next step. And with the first pre-season game on the calendar for Sunday, the excitement for a new season is really starting to pick up.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in Oilers land, though, as some news came out today that a few key pieces are still battling some bumps and bruises. From Mattias Ekhlolm missing the first few days with a hip flexor issue to Sam Gagner only practicing, the speedbumps are coming in early but only time will tell how disruptive they will end up being. Turning back to some good news, the team also announced this morning that Charlie Huddy and Doug Weight would be the two former players that will be inducted into the Oilers Hall of Fame and I couldn’t think of two more deserving candidates. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with a fresh round of voicemails to get your take on everything that’s been going on since last week’s episode. Oh, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.