Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to all of you. I’ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we’re discussing the 4 Nations final, pressure on Stan Bowman to make a splash, the Edmonton Oilers’ schedule, 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.
Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Connor McDavid (97) celebrates scoring in overtime to win with defenseman Devon Toews (5) and defenseman Cale Makar (8) and forward Mitch Marner (16) against Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Jason Gregor:
Yes. I expected players to play hard and I the CAN/USA prelim games exceeded my expectations.
Baggedmilk:
Blew my expectations out of the water. I wasn’t really excited about 4 Nations before the tournament started, but that changed almost immediately after I was lucky enough to see Canada take on Sweden at the Bell Centre.
Cam Lewis:
It was well beyond my expectations. I figured we would see games that were higher intensity than we’ve ever seen at an All-Star Game but nothing more than a regular season energy. Instead, we got a whole bunch of games with playoff atmospheres. It was a great success for the NHL.
Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates a goal by forward Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the first period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
2) Tiff asks – How can the NHL improve their next best-on-best tournament outside of increasing the number of teams from four to eight? What else can they do for the World Cup of Hockey in 2028 to make that event even better than this last one?
Jason Gregor:
Not much that I see. Every World Cup or Canada Cup and even 4 Nations was exciting.
Baggedmilk:
Get rid of the silly rule about injury players and replacements. It didn’t make sense that guys weren’t allowed on the ice for practice when a guy like Cale Makar was a gametime decision because of illness. Oh, and make the final a best of three. That would be awesome.
Cam Lewis:
Not having the games staggered out could help. After Canada beat Finland on the final Monday of the tournament, it took all of the meaning away from the game between Sweden and the United States. It would have been much more exciting if those two games were played at the same time.
3) Jeff asks – Do you think Stan Bowman feels any pressure to make a bigger splash at the deadline knowing the pressure his team is under to compete for another Stanley Cup?
Jason Gregor:
He wants them to compete for many years. I don’t expect him to go overboard on one year. I’m not sold he can fix all that ails them. They have too many players not playing up to their capabilities right now. Some might never get there again.
Baggedmilk:
Given the way the first two games back from the break have gone, I’d like to see Bowman take a very real look at the team’s goaltending situation. I still don’t think it will happen, but I really wish he would.
Cam Lewis:
This might be recency bias after two ugly games back from the break, but it seems the Oilers could use some help. Whether that’s pressure or not, there are some pretty clear holes to plug on the roster before March 7.
Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Viktor Arvidsson (33) shoots on goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
4) Tristan asks – If you had to pick one player who needs to pick it up the most down the Oilers’ stretch drive, who would it be and why?
Jason Gregor:
Evan Bouchard. He plays a lot and can impact the game. The odd part of his struggles is his best assets are puckhandling and passing and right now those are where the glaring errors are coming from. He is capable of playing better, and I suspect he will.
Baggedmilk:
Viktor Arvidsson. He gets all of the opportunity in the world to contribute on an offensive line, but he has yet to show us that he can still do that.
Cam Lewis:
Life would be a lot easier for the Oilers if they got a nuclear stretch from Connor McDavid. Otherwise, two names that stand out are Evan Bouchard and Stuart Skinner. Both have had rollercoaster ride seasons and the team needs them to settle in as the playoffs approach.
Feb 7, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal scored by forward Corey Perry (90) during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
5) Andrew asks – When the Mailbag goes up, the Oilers will have only 25 games left on their schedule. What record do you think they need to lock down a Pacific Division win over that span?
Jason Gregor:
I’d say 16-7-2 which would give them 106 points.
Baggedmilk:
Given how awful they’ve been in their first two games back from the break, they’re making the job harder on themselves with each disappointing outing. To answer the question, though, I think they’ll need a .700 win percentage at this point.
Cam Lewis:
Last season it was 109 points and it was 111 points in the two seasons before that. I’ll say the Oilers need to finish their season with 110 points to lock up the Pacific Division. They have 72 points through 57 games, so they need 38 points in 25 remaining games. Let’s say an 18-5-2 record gets it done.
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