Good morning, everyone, and a happy holiday Monday to you all. As per tradition, I’ve got a brand new mailbag set to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their takes. This week, we’re discussing the Oilers signing Alex Formenton, Jake Walman bouncing back, Rogers Place stories, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.

I don’t see the lines remaining the same for long stretches. But I could see these lines to start the season…

Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl
Howard-RNH-Hyman
Formenton-Dickinson-Kapanen
Dach-Samanski-Frederic

The power play top unit remains the same while Dickinson/Kapanen and Formenton/Samanski and Podkolzin/RNH are top three PK units, with the top two being used the most.

Drai – McDavid – Podz
Hyman – Nuge – Savoie
Howard – Dickinson – Kapanen
Frederic – Samanski – Joseph

Assuming everyone is healthy.

Podkolzin makes the most sense to me on the nuclear line, but I wonder if he has more to give as a driver of a second or third line, picking up from his playoff performance. Could you go…

Hyman-McD-Drai (or flip the wingers)
Howard-Nuge-Podz
Formenton-Dickinson-Kapanen
Dach-Samanski-Frederic   (Joseph)

I would have Matt Savoie up with Connor and Leon, and move Vasily Podkolzin down with Nuge and Hyman.

Availability and health would be the top priority. Being in the lineup would be the best thing he could bring, after that just consistency.

A consistent player would be nice. During those early days, he was a strong two-way defenceman and last season he was just bad defensively. Granted, the entire team struggled, however, we need to see that swagger get back into his game. I would personally find ways to play him with Evan Bouchard more.

Like Oasis’ third album, he’s gotta Be Here Now. Be Healthy Now. When he’s moving his feet to make a first pass, he’s effective. Let’s see a little swagger and snarl in his game. Lean on his strengths, keep plays alive in the offensive zone, blast the shot from the blueline, and otherwise move his feet.

The biggest thing is that he stays healthy. He started off hurt last year and then never really got back into his rhythm after that. He’s going to be a huge piece of the Oilers’ back end, and they need him to actually be on the ice. To me, his health is the biggest thing hands down.

I don’t think so. Veterans only played 2 or 3 games in the past. Babcock has told the players all summer what systems he wants to implement, and they will have 10 days, with four preseason games (two max for vets) to get ready. The Oilers also have ample practice time early in the season with no back-to-back games and four times they have two days between games and once they have three before the end of October. Also, until the end of October they have 14 games and only two are against teams who had more points than them last year. They have a very favourable schedule early on and they should take advantage of it.

We probably shouldn’t overreact to either a good or bad start to the season. Evidence shows they don’t truly matter in the long run. However, Edmonton has a fairly straightforward first four games, so a good start is very much on the cards.

I hear your point Taylor and tend to agree. There’s a tendency for everyone to be sloppy to start.

The schedule is light on worldbeaters in the first 10 games, so there’s an obvious onramp to a good start, but how quickly does everyone get going? Not to mention the obvious question marks in goal. Home and home with Vancouver. Home to Seattle. At Anaheim, San Jose, and Los Angeles. Home and home with Utah. So the schedule is light, there are no back to backs, and there is time. I always find myself being cautious, but asking for a good start isn’t an unreasonable request. But, ya know, October Oilers and all.

I think October could be even more chaotic than it normally is because of the compressed training camp, and I, for one, am very much looking forward to it. Bring on the chaos! Why not?

Looking at the UFA list and basing it solely on your question of PK skill and speed here is their shorthanded time on ice per game the past five years… Bunting (0:00), Perron (0:00), Regenda (0:00). Tarasenko (0:01), E. Kane (0:18) and Kurashev (0:31). Adam Henrique (1:39) and Curtis Lazar (1:06) did kill penalties, but neither skates as well as Formenton. So, based on free agent market I don’t really see another player who had PK’ed that much in the NHL and could skate as well. Doesn’t mean Formenton will work out though.

Luke Glendening is someone Tyler brought up. He’s a good skater with penalty-killing pedigree. The difference is one is 26, and the other is 37. There’s upside with Formenton in comparison to the rest of the free agents. Obviously, the rest don’t come with as much baggage, if any, in comparison.

He’s killed penalties. He’s skated real fast. Formenton’s total physical package and the past pedigree is what management is banking on. The question I have is whether Formenton today is better than other tweener options already in the organization, like Edouards Tralmaks, Max Jones, Owen Michaels, Aku Raty, Quinn Hutson, et al. He could be, certainly, if he produces anywhere near his 2021-22 level.

DJ Smith must think so. He coached him years ago and is going to run the PK. I think the trust and familiarity, not unlike how Stan Bowman trades for players he’s drafted or had in Chicago, made this happen.

I still don’t think he should be here in the first place.

My son’s U9 team played in a hockey tournament there. The kids loved it. That would be one as would the game six win in the Cup Final of 2024. That was the loudest game in the 10 years that I attended.

Game 7 versus the LA Kings with my Dad. We bought tickets an hour before puck drop and had the time of our lives. Honourable mention to Connor Brown’s first goal with the Oilers. Shoutout BM.

Best game? Game 7 against LA in 2022 for the things I do remember and the fun I don’t….

Best moment? The final seconds against Dallas in 2024 when they won the West…Rogers was so loud it was unbelievable.

Other: Paul McCartney played Rogers in 2018. What a show and perhaps the last time a Beatle will be in Edmonton.

Oh, man, so many. The Klefbom ‘TING” game. Game 7 against L.A. The “Nuge Game” against Calgary in the playoffs. Connor Brown’s first goal with Liam. Game 6 against Dallas in 2024. So, so many. I love that place.