The opening week of the season started with a bang for Oil Country. Waking up Monday morning to the news that Connor McDavid committed for two more years at arguably the best contract in the NHL was the best way to kick off the week. That was quickly followed up with Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm signing extensions. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to keep the good times rolling, blowing a 3-0 lead to the Calgary Flames, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I am grateful the NHL season is back, giving us plenty to talk about. Here are a few extra thoughts from the week.

1. One bad decision defined what was otherwise a decent performance from Stuart Skinner against Calgary. Unfortunately, the costly mistake came early in the third period and completed the Flames’ rally from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game. Skinner is a veteran goaltender now, with more than 200 games played in the regular season and playoffs. He’s seen a thing or two, and he should have seen Blake Coleman charging the net and covering the puck. Instead, he allowed the man who usually kicks pucks into the net to score the easiest goal of his career. If the spotlight on Edmonton’s local goaltender was bright before, it’s blinding now. Hockey is a simple game, and Skinner needs to keep it that way. Stan Bowman didn’t acquire Connor Ingram just to add another contract to the list, after all.

2. It wasn’t only Skinner’s fault on Wednesday. Many players were passengers in what should be the easiest game of the year to get up for. Darnell Nurse struggled, especially on the first goal. He should have known dumping the puck in and changing was the obvious play to make, not trying to dangle the defenceman while alone in the offensive zone. Trent Frederic played well on his last shift but was largely invisible. Alec Regula clearly needs more game time to adjust to the pace. Did Kasperi Kapanen play? It wasn’t an impressive night for too many players. Luckily for them, there are still 81 games to go.

3. The Jack Roslovic news mid-game was unexpected, to say the least. Initially ranked as the ninth-best free agent for the 2025 class, he was still unsigned. Watching teams take the ice must have been enough for him to realize a one-year, prove-it deal was the best he was going to get. Bowman improved his team by adding a former first-round pick with more than 100 career goals, including 22 last season in Carolina. The Oilers’ general manager also pointed out that they liked Roslovic’s five-on-five production — an area the team wanted to improve.

4. The team announced yesterday that Jake Walman is going on injured reserve, meaning they don’t have to send anyone down or make a trade to create a roster spot for Roslovic. Unfortunately, Walman is out for an extended period, but the competition level in Edmonton is extremely high. Wednesday was a sloppy game, especially from the bottom six, who had little positive impact at five-on-five. The decision to bring in Roslovic has to be a wake-up call for those players that you can’t take a shift off. If you do, pack your bags, buddy — you’re going to Bakersfield.

5. Waking up Wednesday morning to see Mattias Ekholm sign a three-year extension was a surprise. The money is fine, and so is the term. Considering Cody Ceci is earning more than Ekholm next season, it’s hard to complain as an Oilers fan. Ekholm performed well against Calgary, which is highly encouraging. Honestly, I was worried about how he would look. Of course, there are still 81 games to go, plus the playoffs. Fingers crossed, he can avoid aggravating previous injuries. The other side of his deal is that eventually, a $4-million defenceman will be third-pairing value. As he ages, he’ll likely fall down the lineup, and when you see that figure next to his name on PuckPedia, you won’t even be bothered.

6. It’s looking likely that Brett Kulak is the next man to get a new contract. Ryan Rishaug reported yesterday that, following the Ekholm extension, conversations are ongoing, but nothing is imminent. You may recall that the summer after the Oilers acquired Kulak from Montreal, the Stony Plain local tested free agency before re-signing with Edmonton. Evidently, Bowman doesn’t want that to happen again — but what is Kulak worth? The best thing about him is that you know what you’re getting every night. He’s a reliable blueliner who defends hard, is consistent on the penalty kill, and can chip in offensively now and then. With the money thrown around in free agency for below-average defencemen, Kulak has an excellent opportunity to get paid before it’s too late. If I were the Oilers, I’d lock him up for a few more years instead of overspending on a mystery box.

7. David Lewandowski is red-hot right now for the Saskatoon Blades. He’s a fourth-round pick from this past NHL Entry Draft, from Düsseldorf, Germany — the same hometown as former Oilers prospect Luca Münzenberger. In only five games, Lewandowski has tallied 11 points for the Blades, including an impressive five-point outing earlier this week. Saskatoon has a strong team this year, and Lewandowski is one of their standouts. Don’t be surprised if he keeps it going.

8. The NHL has the most ridiculous schedule of any league in the world. You’ve all heard me complain about the matchups at the start of the season, but the NHL has hit a new low. There are no Friday night games scheduled, 16 on Saturday, and only one on Sunday. What is going on? How can the NHL think this is a good idea? It’s the opening weekend of the season, and two of the three days have only one game combined. I genuinely believe I could schedule an NHL season with my eyes closed, hands tied behind my back, and still do a better job. I won’t even suggest how to improve this weekend’s schedule — it should be obvious to everyone.

9. Do you ever feel old? This week has been a reminder that I turn 30 next year. It began with Georges Laraque’s son, Marcus, scoring his first WHL goal. Then Wednesday rolled around, and they announced that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is in his 15th (!!!) season with the Oilers. That can’t be right! Even Leon Draisaitl’s 400th career goal felt like it came too soon. What’s next — Connor McDavid playing with his son in the NHL?

10. Every Oilers fan should have their fingers crossed that the Buffalo Sabres have another dreadful season. Jeff Marek wondered about the future of Tage Thompson on Oilersnation Everyday, and Alex Tuch has already been linked to the Oilers as a pending unrestricted free agent. Thompson would be a tough swing due to the new cap rules, but his $7.14-million cap hit through 2030 is reasonable. Tuch, 29, earns $4.75 million, so it’s doable for Bowman. The likelihood of Buffalo being bad? Well, they lost 4-0 in their home opener to the New York Rangers, so it’s fair to assume there could be a fire sale sooner rather than later.