Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to you. As always, I’ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them off to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we’re discussing the defensive group, second line offence, Oilers predictions, 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.
Jun 10, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) celebrates scoring with defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game two of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
1) Gregg asks – We’re only days away from the season opener, and I’m asking what everyone’s ideal defensive pairings would look like with this current group and if the fanbase is overreacting by being nervous about the current players.
Jason Gregor:
Ekholm-Bouchard, Nurse-Emberson and Kulak-Stecher to start. But I’d be open to switching Stecher and Emberson to see how it looks.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
The top pairing is obvious. Despite a lack of playing time together in the pre-season, I’d still roll with Nurse and Emberson to start the year. Give them five games to see if they can get comfortable together. Then I’d have Kulak play with Stecher, who has earned the spot more than any of the other players in camp.
Liam Horrobin:
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Emberson
Kulak – Stetcher
Nurse – Emberson
Kulak – Stetcher
I don’t love it but it’ll be fine. They need to find a 2RD at the deadline and then bump Emberson to the third pair. It’ll be beneficial to have Emberson play top four minutes for the bulk of the year but they’ll need more depth for the playoffs.
Baggedmilk:
I’ve got Ekholm/Bouchard, Nurse/Emberson, and Kulak/Stecher. Obviously, with Josh Brown hitting waivers yesterday, that leaves Stecher as the 3RD with Travis Dermott being the guy they keep as the 7D.
Oct 4, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson (33) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) celebrate Bouchard’s goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
2) Brenden asks – It’s only the pre-season, and the results don’t matter much, but is anyone else concerned about the lack of productivity by the second line of Jeff Skinner, Leon Draisaitl, and Viktor Arvidsson?
Jason Gregor:
None whatsoever. It is preseason.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
Nope. Literally have not thought one second about it. Similar to the d-pairings, give them five regular season games together and if they still aren’t producing much, then I’ll be concerned. Remember, Connor Brown looked great in the top six last pre-season and then didn’t score for over half the season.
Liam Horrobin:
No, they have 82 games so get the lines sorted out and they will. Those three players are all good enough that it won’t take them long to figure it out.
Baggedmilk:
Not in the slightest. It’s going to take some time and reps together to develop chemistry. Even then, we know the lines are going to change 1 million times between now and the playoffs.
3) Ed M. asks – I know hindsight is 20/20 and that JJ was expecting Broberg to be the No. 2 RHD, but did he blow it by not bucking up just a little for Vincent Desharnais? We don’t know how much below $2M the Oil offered Desharnais, but the D would look much better with Bouch/Desharnais/Emberson than the current status of Bouch/Emberson/Brown. Should the Oil have bucked up for Vinny?
Jason Gregor:
If they paid Desharnais $2m instead of the $787,500K for Stecher they’d have $1.1m less in cap space. It was a risk, but I think for the first 50 games Stecher should be fine, but they will need an upgrade at the trade deadline.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I don’t think so. $2m is a bit rich for a guy that was still getting healthy scratched at points during the playoffs. I like that they left themselves some flexibility to go and add a piece ahead of the trade deadline and I think Stecher/Emberson can give you similar quality to Ceci/Desharnais.
Liam Horrobin:
I don’t think so. They didn’t trust Vinny to play in playoff games so paying him $2 million wouldn’t have been good cap management. With that said, Brown doesn’t look like he’ll be a good replacement for Vinny.
Baggedmilk:
I think the $2 million price tag is a little too much for Vinny, but at the same time, I can totally understand where this question comes from. Brown got put on waivers and Stecher is a fraction of Desharnais’ size, so Edmonton’s defence is going to run with a much different look this season, and only time will tell if they got it right or not.
4) Oilers fan in Van asks – What is your BOLDEST prediction for the 2024-25 NHL season? It could be about the Oilers or any other team in the league.
Jason Gregor:
Boston misses the playoffs.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
The dichotomy of Alberta: Edmonton wins the Presidents Trophy and Calgary comes last in the league.
Liam Horrobin:
Three teams from the Pacific Division make the playoffs and the Vancouver Canucks won’t be one of them. My guess is Edmonton, Vegas, and Seattle.
Baggedmilk:
Connor McDavid gets 50 goals AND 100 assists this season. I also think the LA Kings miss the playoffs and Vancouver gets closer than you’d expect to missing.
Jun 7, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) takes questions during media day in advance of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena.
5) Matthew asks – We’ve all seen the clip of Connor McDavid telling the team to “dig in” during the Stanley Cup Final, and I’m wondering if seeing him like that changed your perception at all? Should the NHL do more of these to showcase the personalities of its players?
Jason Gregor:
Didn’t change mine at all. He’s ultra-competitive, that clip didn’t me show me anything I didn’t already know. Those types of documentaries are to gain new fans. The hockey diehards will enjoy them as well, but best way to get new fans interested is to connect them with the personalities. NHL needs to do more of it.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
Yes, the NHL should do more things like this to properly market it’s star players. I never had a doubt about McDavid’s ability to be a leader before this, but I was surprised by how vocal he was.
Liam Horrobin:
Good question. It didn’t change my perception because I assumed someone was saying something after those terrible games in Florida. Shouldn’t be that surprising that the captain is the one stepping up. And yes, it would be great to get that behind the scenes access from a national platform. We all remember watching Oil Change back in the day! Watching Dustin Penner get traded whilst playing ping pong is something I’ll always remember.
Baggedmilk:
The NHL generally does a horrible job of marketing its stars, and I thought he Amazon docuseries was a refreshing look behind the scenes. As for McDavid, seeing him get that fired up in the room only made me love him more. The guy wants to win, and sometimes that means you need to scream at some people to get everyone on the same page.
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