We’re halfway through this Edmonton Oilers-less gap in the schedule while the 4 Nations Face-Off is underway, and that gives me a chance to clear out my brain of all its delicious contents. In today’s Random Thoughts, I’m looking ahead at Canada vs. USA, the NHL trade deadline, the Oilers’ chase for their first division win since 1987, and whatever else was on my mind.

I don’t know if I can remember the last time I’ve been this excited about a hockey game in mid-February. That’s not to say that I don’t love me my Oilers hockey during the coldest chunk of the year, but Saturday’s matchup between these two historic rivals is on another level entirely. Canada vs. USA? Does it get better than that? Even if we ignore the political noise surrounding the game — I know that’s basically impossible at this point — we’ve got a matchup between two incredibly skilled teams that will be highly motivated to compete and win.

Maybe it’s because we haven’t had a best-on-best tournament in forever, or perhaps the drama outside of the sport is fueling the hype, but I cannot wait to get down to Greta and lock in for what promises to be a fantastic night of hockey. As someone who admitted they weren’t overly excited about the Four Nations tourney, it’s amazing how much my tune has changed now that we’re up and running. Even though the winner of tonight’s contest still has plenty of work to do actually to win the tournament, everyone in the hockey world will be focusing on Canada vs. USA, and I’d bet the farm that the boys on both sides will be fired up to put on a show.

I’m watching Team Finland take on Team Sweden as I write this article, and even though I don’t care much about either side outside of loving Mattias Ekholm with all of my heart, it’s hard to ignore how hard these two countries are going at each other. It’s not like the game is overly physical, but you can tell how much this one means to the players on either side based on their reactions to every goal that’s been scored. Having these natural rivalries play out in sports is so much fun, and Finland and Sweden doing their thing was yet another example of why this tournament is working.

This was one of those high-scoring games where goaltending seemed like a luxury instead of a necessity, and that’s always fun to watch when you don’t necessarily care about the outcome. That said, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pulling for Finland to win and gave a healthy fist pump when Mikael Granlund scored the overtime winner, given that they’re the clear underdogs in this tournament. On paper, they’re outclassed by the other three teams in the tourney, but that didn’t stop Team Finland from putting on a show. Besides, how can you not love a good Finn?

Back in the day, the Edmonton Oilers won six straight division titles from 1981–82 through 1986–87. It was the kind of run you’d expect from a team ripe with Hall of Famers, but that’s where the fun stopped. The Oilers haven’t won a division title since 1987, a drought that includes their most recent two Stanley Cup wins, two trips to the Stanley Cup Final, and is the longest division title drought in all North American major professional sports. None of that history really matters to me here in 2025, but I will say that ending that streak has to be the goal for the final 27 games of the season.

Now that we’re Stanley Cup contenders, it’s hard to argue the value of having home-ice advantage in the playoffs, and I will go to the grave believing that Edmonton would have won Game 7 back on June 24th if the game was at Rogers Place instead of in Florida. Of course, we saw with the Canucks last year that winning the division won’t guarantee you playoff success, but I’ll be damned if it wouldn’t help our boys potentially take the next and final step. With the Oilers and Golden Knights currently tied for first place atop the Pacific Division, you’ve gotta think this race will go down to the wire and finding a way to put Vegas in the rearview mirror has to be the only thing that matters when we get back to business. The opportunity is there, but we need everyone in blue and orange to level their games up and dig in to help the team get there.

The closer we get to the trade deadline, the more nervous I get that the Oilers will only nibble around the edges with whatever acquisitions get done. At this point in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s career, I’d like to see the Oilers be a little more aggressive at the deadline than they’ve been in recent memory outside of the Mattias Ekholm acquisition from 2023. I know Edmonton doesn’t have many assets in the bank to spend at the deadline, but we’ve got some guys with new deals kicking in next year that almost dictate that we have to unload the clip.

I’m also fascinated to see how Stan Bowman navigates his first trade deadline as the Oilers’ General Manager. If you look at his history in Chicago, he had his fingerprints on a range of trades, but I also find it hard to compare the situations. Different lineups, different depth charts, different needs, and very different times. Will he feel the need to do something bigger than expected, or will he be satisfied with adding some depth and seeing what happens? We’ve seen Bowman dig through the bargain bin a few times so far in his tenure, but we’re less than a month away from his last chance to improve the roster in a meaningful way. I’m nervous about that. Are you?

When I was in Montreal this week for a couple of days, a lot of people told me to get a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz’s Deli. If you don’t know about Schwartz’s — I certainly didn’t — it’s a spot that opened up in 1928 and is famous for its smoked meat sandwich. It’s one of those iconic local spots that everyone talks about, and after eating the sandwich shown above, I’m here to tell you that the hype is real.

The only problem I had with the sandwich is that I’m now a four-hour plane ride away from getting another one. As much as I’m happy to be back home in Edmonton after 39 hours in Montreal, I can’t stop thinking about this damned sandwich. Every bite melts in your mouth, and while I thought spending $14.50 on this thing was a little much when I ordered, I’d legitimately consider selling Gregor’s house and spending the profits on smoked meat sandwiches now that I’ve had one.

Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!