With the Edmonton Oilers’ first three-game win streak of the season and the excitement packed into those games, if you could bottle all that energy into a morning drink, coffee companies would be out of business.

The Oilers pulled off their first comeback from a three-goal deficit in the third period since 2022 with a huge victory over the San Jose Sharks. With that in mind, in this edition of Oilers Thoughts, we’ll dive into Evan Bouchard’s clutch factor from last game, Kasperi Kapanen’s promotion to the top line, a look at Josh Samanski’s play so far, and the latest trade chatter surrounding Bobby McMann and Jack Roslovic’s proposed extension.

For the second time in three games, the Oilers tied the game with under a minute left. One instance was against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 24, when Evan Bouchard played hero. He made a game-saving sprawl with the net empty late in the game to keep the puck in the zone and assisted on both the game-tying goal and the game-winner.

The other came last game against the San Jose Sharks, when Mattias Ekholm kept the puck in with the net empty, and Bouchard’s heroics emerged again as he blasted the puck home to tie the game with under a minute left. The Oilers went on to win in overtime, with Bouchard also assisting on the game-winner, making him a major factor in two of the team’s latest come-from-behind victories.

With ten points in his last three games, Bouchard now sits atop the defencemen points leaderboard at 59. But beyond the numbers, he’s flexed that clutch gene a couple of times over the last week, and at this point we can safely say his clutch ability isn’t a one-off — it’s just part of his DNA.

That said, he’s shown that clutch factor many times before, with two other instances in particular instantly coming to mind. Like in the 2024 playoffs, Game 4 of the second round against the Vancouver Canucks, with the game tied 2-2, Bouchard scored with 38 seconds remaining. Then, last season in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings, with the Oilers’ net empty, he picked off Quinton Byfield and blasted home the game-tying goal with 28 seconds left.

I’ve mentioned this recently — there isn’t a player I’d want more on the blue line than Bouchard with the game on the line, and I recently said the only exception might be Cale Makar. But call it recency bias; I’d like to rephrase that. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. There simply isn’t another D-man I’d want manning the blue line with the game on the line other than Bouchard. He’s the definition of clutch.

Kasperi Kapanen has dealt with injuries this season, which have limited him to just 16 games. But one admirable trait is that each time he returns to the lineup, it’s almost like he hasn’t missed a beat— he has jump, is tenacious, and continues to make plays. He has ten points in those 16 games, putting him on pace for 51 points in a full 82-game season, and he leads the team with a 63.6 per cent goals-for percentage (14-8) at 5v5.

That said, head coach Kris Knoblauch’s hunch paid off in the last game against the Sharks. He mixed the lines to start the third period, and to some surprise, he put Kapanen on the top line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and the move paid off almost instantly. The Finnish forward started the play in the neutral zone, eventually got the puck to Bouchard, who hammered it, leading to Draisaitl poking it in to kickstart the Oilers’ comeback.

Based on his recent play, he looks set to remain in the top six for the near future, likely alongside Draisaitl on the second line. Whether that works long-term remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Kapanen is playing highly motivated and that bit of success he had on the first line last game might just fire him up even more.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann’s name has been circulating in trade rumours. Bob Stauffer and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman recently discussed on Oilers Now that McMann would be a good fit in Edmonton, and when David Pagnotta was asked on Oilersnation Everyday whether he believes the Oilers have a legitimate interest in McMann, he responded, “Yes, I do.”

There’s a lot to like in the Wainwright, AB native. He has size at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, and plays a physical game, ranking second on his team in hits with 113. His cap hit is very attractive at $1.35 million per season, he’s posted three straight seasons of at least 15 goals, and he’s on pace to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the second season in a row. He’s also an Alberta boy and can produce at 5-on-5, with 21 of his 28 points coming at even strength.

But one of his biggest strengths, and what I like most about him, is his speed.

His max skating speed this season, according to NHL EDGE data, is 24.25 MPH, which ranks in the 99th percentile across the NHL and is the fourth-highest top speed recorded in the league this season, with Oilers captain Connor McDavid currently sitting at number one, hitting 24.61 MPH this season.

McMann’s 17 speed bursts above 20 MPH rank in the 98th percentile, and his 152 speed bursts between 20–22 MPH also rank in the 98th percentile. If the Oilers were to swing a deal for him, adding that kind of speed to the bottom six would be a definite plus.

Stylistically, not only can he make plays, but he can also score off the rush, and according to data from All Three Zones, he’s near the top of the league at turning controlled entries into scoring chances. That said, I feel he would be a good pick-up to help drive play on the third line.

Alternatively, the player he has played the second-most minutes with this season at 5v5 with this season is Auston Matthews. With that experience playing alongside star talent, perhaps he could click with McDavid on the first line, which would allow Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to move down to the third-line center role if the team wants a new look.

Moreover, in talking to a die-hard Maple Leafs fan, he said, “It’s giving Zach Hyman vibes all over again”— in potentially losing a solid player to the Oilers, only for them to get even better. Nevertheless, if a deal can be made to acquire McMann without giving up key players in the pipeline like Isaac Howard, Quinn Hutson, or Josh Samanski, sign me up.

Josh Samanski played just under eight minutes in his first NHL game on Jan. 26, nearly scoring his first NHL goal before being denied by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Jackson LaCombe. He also made some nice passes out of the zone, and I felt he settled in even more against the Sharks.

Last game, he went 3-for-3 in the faceoff circle, threw a hit, and overall made the most of his limited 8:11 of ice time. The German centerman also made some heady plays, showing confidence while transporting the puck through the neutral zone. He flashed some offence with a nice move on one rush and demonstrated good puck management by getting the puck deep on another.

Additionally, his line with Matt Savoie and Jack Roslovic was on the ice for a goal against, though it wasn’t their fault, as it came off a Ty Emberson turnover. Despite that, according to Natural Stat Trick, the trio outshot the Sharks 4–1 and posted a 62 per cent Corsi.

It’s a small sample size, but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far from the soon-to-be Olympian, and I can only imagine we’ll start to see more offence once he gets more reps under his belt at the 3C spot. Nonetheless, there appears to be some real upside with the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who can skate.

Shifting back to the rumour mill, there’s recent chatter from Stauffer, once again on Oilers Now, that the team may be looking to extend Jack Roslovic, who just turned 29, to a four-year deal worth $4 million per season.

Taking a look at responses online, it seems Oilers fans are on the fence about a potential deal like that. Those who are against it are perhaps hesitant about longer-term contracts because of Trent Frederic’s deal, which, in its first season of eight, hasn’t necessarily worked out.

But just shifting perspective, when you look at $4 million per season through the lens of Frederic making $3.85 million and Andrew Mangiapane at $3.6 million, $4 million for Roslovic — who’s actually been very productive in stretches this season — you think, ha, that’s not a bad price! However, would I prefer two years less on Roslovic’s proposed four-year term? Sure.

Roslovic was very hot in November, registering 14 points in 13 games before missing a month of action due to injury. Since returning on Dec. 21, in 19 games, he’s only put up four points, due to a mix of needing time to get back into the rhythm and also because he’s mostly played center. That said, Roslovic’s most productive stretch this season came playing mostly on Draisaitl’s wing, and I feel that’s where he’s best suited and where you’ll get the most out of him.

Still, even when he’s not producing points, All Three Zones’ analytics show that the 29-year-old’s zone entries are among the best in the league, with 2.26 controlled entries per 60 minutes, helping to push play the right way for the Oilers.

That said, with Kapanen playing so well, it doesn’t look like there’s room for him in the top six at the moment. Still, he’s a solid insurance option if the team wants a top-six shake-up or faces injuries. Plus, on the power play, Roslovic’s 4.21 goals per 60 minutes rank first on the team, and his shot-first mentality adds an extra dimension when called upon on the man advantage.

A knock on him is that he might not be the best playoff performer, having been scratched or sat out on previous teams in the postseason. But if he catches fire and goes on a strong postseason run this year, there could be several teams looking to sign the pending unrestricted free agent at a higher price point, which would likely price the Oilers out.

So overall, at $4 million for four years and with the salary cap rising, locking up a top-six player with a shooter’s mentality who has clicked with Draisaitl seems like a reasonable extension for Roslovic.