Good morning, everyone, and a happy 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’ goaltending rotation, NHL stars getting younger, Andrew Mangiapane trade returns, 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.

They went 5-5-1 in January and 5-6-1 if you include the New Year’s Eve loss. Not close to good enough. Too inconsistent. Their only saving grace is that Vegas also struggled, so they are still in the race for first in the division.

They have not won enough. In their home games this month, they are 5-5-1. Over the last 3 seasons, their points percentage on home ice is .661. They are usually a dominant home team, and after their sluggish start to the year, this stretch of their schedule was their chance to make back all those points, and they didn’t do it. They needed two more wins to call this stretch a success.

The record being as poor as it was is one thing, but it’s the way they went about most of those games, looking nothing short of apathetic.

I don’t think they were anywhere close to good enough. Rogers Place is supposed to be a place where other teams struggle. Didn’t look like that to me.

Never happens. Florida has won the last two Cups, but they still make mistakes in the regular season. So do many other teams. There will always be mistakes in hockey due to the need for split-second decision-making. Edmonton should not have as many; that is fair, but no team in the NHL goes through an 82-game season without many costly mistakes and bad starts.

I think you’d be surprised at how many mistakes teams like Florida and Colorado still make. It is annoying when they start games slowly, and their defensive zone play has been very sloppy as of late. I think it’s an execution issue more than it’s a maturity issue or anything like that.

There isn’t, never has been, and never will be a perfect hockey team. There’s going to be down nights, costly mistakes, and bad starts that make a team look inexperienced. Hockey, much like life, is one big learning process.

I think I get most annoyed not by the mistakes themselves, but by how they keep repeating the same ones. You’d think they’d learn a thing or two by now, but I also understand that no team is ever going to be perfect.

They haven’t had much cap space in previous years, either, and found ways to make trades. I expect the same will happen this time. I think they will have one decent trade and one depth trade.

I think it’s going to be nibbling around the edges, but they should still be able to get some good players. Are they in the market for someone like Panarin? No. But Bobby McMann, Boone Jenner, and other players in that price range would help deepen their lineup, and the Oilers can afford them.

As long as they have McDavid and Draisaitl, every year is a year to go all-in. I expect nothing different.

Swing for the fences. Make it work.

It is the same for all teams. Recently, the Oilers haven’t played great coming off breaks, so I understand your concern, but every team has the same break. The only teams with fewer players than the Oilers are Calgary, Chicago, Columbus, and NYI, so the rest of the team should be well-rested. Of course, McDavid and Draisaitl are the Oilers’ two best players, and McDavid might need one of the first two games off as the Oilers play BTB coming out of the break, but the rest of the roster needs to carry their weight in those games in ANA, LAK and SJS.

I think it’s coming at a fine time. It gives some of their veterans a chance tor rest up and get fully healthy so they can hopefully go a tear down the stretch.

A break like this is going to be good for this team. They looked apathetic for much of January, and getting a chance to step away, then lock back in for the stretch run of the season could pay off.

I’m with Gregor that everyone is in the same boat regarding the break. As Oilers fans, we just feel extra bad about it because of how they came back from the Christmas break and also last year at the 4 Nations.

I enjoy other sports more than hockey, to be honest. The playoff rounds in hockey are where I get locked in, but I love watching any of the skiing/snowboard events, especially ski and snowboard cross. Those are awesome. Short track speed skating is outstanding. I will watch almost any of the events, especially when a Canadian is competing. This year, more than ever, due to so much BS going on in North America and our province, I will be even more invested in Canadians.

I love the skiing and snowboarding events. I’m also a big curling guy so watching a local guy like Marc Kennedy go compete for a gold medal will be a lot of fun.

I’m going to be absolutely dialled into every sport, but one that I’m kind of fired up for is ski mountaineering. It’s making its debut, and based on a quick Google search, is a combination of hiking and skiing up a mountain. I’m tired just thinking about it…

I love the Winter Olympics. I would never sit down and watch a biathlon on a Saturday morning, but I sure as hell will for the Olympics. I’m excited to have NHLers back for hockey, but I’m also looking forward to ski jumping, moguls, snowboard halfpipe, and speed skating… I’ll basically have my TV on with the Olympics in the background for three straight weeks.

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