Ryan Rishaug talks Oilers loss against Stars, goalie troubles & more with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now

Ryan Rishaug talks Oilers loss against Stars, goalie troubles & more with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now

Oilers Now digital content is sponsored by Legacy Heating and Cooling. No payments and no interest for a year. That’s how you build a legacy. Hello Ryan. How you doing? Fantastic. Bobby, how’s how’s Oiler fandom out there? How’s the show been? Little lively on the old chats and such. Yeah, it’s lively. I mean, you know, we said that ultimately performance was going to dictate the course of action for the general manager. I think first off from my perspective and I’m going to give you the floor here. That wasn’t solely on the goalies last night. Like that was a putrid performance defensively in my opinion. Your thoughts? Yeah, and I mean a lot of goalending chatter has resulted from last night’s game and I think that’s a great point you make Bob. It’s important to delineate that like it’s not as a result of last night’s game. Um so where do you want to go first? You want to go last night or you want to go goalies? What do you want? Let’s go last night first and let’s bridge into goalies. Yeah. So, you know, uh, flat, um, no compete, no gamesmanship, and, you know, people are, you know, people will say, Bob, that the first trip back from a long road trip is always going to be hard and that maybe you could have circled that one on the schedule and said, “That might be a tough night.” And under a lot of circumstances, I I have some time for that argument. But here’s the thing. Back-to-back Stanley Cup finals. Uh, it was a let down. Hard for the group to get engaged. Okay, sure. We’ll buy that one off the start of the year. Lots of hockey, fatigued and tough road schedule to start. Okay, sure. So, you’re gonna Okay, you you give them a little bit of leeway because of that one. Well, they’re nowhere near where they need to be, right? The sense of urgency had to be at a point where you got to push through. You got to find a way to have a better performance in that game last night, Bob. the the the excuses and those I won’t even say excuses those reasons that was done five six seven games ago this Stanley Cup backtoback years fatigue this group needs to recognize the sense of urgency required for the moment now this is no longer about starts this is no longer about 25 games into the season so the idea that first game back after a long road trip you don’t have the rope to indulge in that kind of excuse they didn’t have two of their three best players they had no jam They had no pop. They had no energy. Uh and that was a concerning concerning loss for the Oers last night. And I’m not going to eat that first game back on a long road trip. This team needed to recognize the moment, Bob. They were turning a corner. Some positive things that happened and then they go do that. I’m with you. I love their compete against uh Tampa Bay. Second of a back difficult back to back on a lengthy road trip. Loved how against they played against Florida. fully recognized. Tampa Bay was down three defenseman. Florida had several of their top players out. For the Oilers, I think that game meant more than Florida. And that said, Florida got after it once they fell behind 4-1. Edmonton needs to remember Colorado and Dallas have something to prove, too. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how Colorado didn’t end up in a conference final any of the last three years, especially given how that good they were in that Stanley Cup year. Dallas is a team that’s made it to the conference final three straight years and hasn’t been able to push through. you know, they were looking for something and they did bring it last night. So, um, while I have empathy for the fatigue that the team was going through on the trip, the fact is you got a day off and I was really disappointed in the effort last night. And you said something lack of compete, lack of physicality. A 20-year-old kid brought it and that’s about it. Well, here’s the thing, Bob. Like to me, this is a bigger issue with this team. And I think Chris Knobblock is is a very good coach. I think he’s had really good results. I think in the playoffs, he knows, you know, this team goes hard in the playoffs, right? Like, and I don’t believe that we’re in the vicinity of starting to have conversations about coaching. I don’t think we’re there and I think it’ll be a while before we’re there. I think they have belief in this coach. So, I want to sort of say that first and foremost. But my concern with Chris Knobblock’s style has been he does not command a level of gamesmanship and competitiveness from his team. He’s not a coach that through fire and brimstone, through his actions, through the way he handles things in his lineup. He makes it crystal clear to his players, if you show up ready to step outside your comfort zone, ready to play with a ton of gamesmanship. I’m going to reward physicality. I’m going to reward energy. I’m going to reward all these things. That’s not a tone that he has set with this group, Bob. And as a result, I believe what they have is a docile group. And what the the result game to game during the regular season is if you come out and you have a flat start or make some mistakes, you have a bunch of guys who don’t feel like it’s their responsibility to step outside their comfort zone and do anything different other than try not to make mistakes and skate harder, right? Nobody is looking down the bench saying, “I’m going to go make a difference next shift.” And you know what that looks like, Bob? That looks like when one player hops over the boards, throws two body checks, and bangs in a goal, he looks like the most dominant power forward on the team. That’s how much of an outlier it is. When Clattenberg has one shift like that, everybody’s like, “Wow.” That’s because this group is so docile. It’s on the players to change it, Bob, but I believe the coach has allowed it to be bred within them. I think that’s fair. And a further illustration of that would be you go back to the second game of the year. Noah Phillips scores his first NHL goal. And I don’t know if Noah should have been the first star, but he was selected first star, but also late in the game, Alec Regula walked himself right into getting and and I don’t think Alec Regula has been the same player since he got belted by a Vanderane. Like he has not gotten a level since he’s come back from that obviously a concussion. He’s not been at the same level. That happens sometimes. But Noah Phelp was the guy that went in there and cross checked a Vander Kane and jumped in and helped defend his teammate a bit and it’s a Vander Kane and then Noah Phelp was out of the lineup the next game and I don’t think Noah Phelp has ever been the same since he got taken out of the lineup. So there’s and that’s why you were there last night. I asked the question about Connor Clattenber and for the record we know that Nan Hopkins and Captain I mean you saw Kappa in practice at the DCA. I went down to ice level cuz I wanted to see him in his turns. I wanted He was flying man. He’s he’s he’s they’re going to have to make a move. And I’m thinking to myself, well, I know how this works this year. The obvious moves are the moves that get made and nobody wants to hear that right now, especially on a show called Oilers Now. But I think and I feel like, and you can make an argument Clattenberg’s probably not ready yet. He’s he’s an exciting guy for the future in the organization, but based upon the lack of energy in that performance last night, a meritocracy, he should be playing. Well, Bob, and it’s it doesn’t necessarily just need to be about whether Connor Clappenberg is ready to be a full-time NHLER right now. I think part of it, and credit to him, he’s made this part of the conversation. He is some of what this team needs right now. He’s some of what this team is missing right now. I know there were penalty troubles and such after, but how many shifts did he get for the rest of that period after he scored that goal? Yeah. Like, when you’re that flat as a group and he goes and does that, why not elevate him? Why not make sure make a point of getting and show everybody if you’re going to show up and play that way that’s going to be meaningful and you’re going to be rewarded. The other thing Bob like and and you know again with Chris Noblock I think an important quality for a head coach is you need it’s like you have your foot on a gas pedal and when you step on that pedal your team needs to be able to go and pick it up a little bit, right? You don’t do it all the time, but you have to have your foot on the pedal and be able to command more from your group like and and it’s you get it out of them, right? I think good coaches can do that. And if you do it too much, then the clutch slips, right? It’s like you just nothing happens. You can’t overdo it. I don’t sense Chris Knobblock has his foot on a pedal and can actually extract more energy, competitiveness, enthusiasm from his group on a game-to-ame basis. And I believe that is a quality that a good head coach needs to develop. I think he’s absolutely capable of it. I just don’t think he’s prioritized it. All right. Uh Epstein’s mother is Texas on the Ashley Final Four text line. Come on, you two guys talk about the goalies. Ryan, yeah, let’s do it. Do it. Go for it. Yeah. So, I believe in this moment, Bob, it is more likely headed in the direction of Stuart Skinner not finishing the season with the Oders than at any point in his time as an Edmonton order. I think right here, right now, I’m not saying a trade is imminent. I’m not saying it’s, you know, and you’ve got other people, you know, you’re talking about Bennington, talking about Jarry. Those are out there for a reason. I think that Stan Bowman came in willing to take a patient approach to seeing what Steuart Skinner has this year. Yep. I think Bob, if you just shine a spotlight directly on Steuart Skinner and focus on him and his play, ignore the defensive play around him, ignore everything else, just focus on Steuart Skinner. The narrative this year needed to be, oh, he looks pretty good. Yeah. Yeah, he’s dialed some areas of his game in. Oh, look, he’s This is a little different. That’s a little different. Oh, look, he’s, you know, clear. Okay, there has been some development there. There has been some growth there. That had to be the narrative on Stuart Skinner and it hasn’t been. It just hasn’t been. The growth hasn’t been there. And as we said, Bob, one of my first appearances on your show this year, I don’t believe Stan Bowman’s letting it ride into another playoff year with a subpar Steuart Skinner. So, I it’s 25 games in. Skinner has not shown th those signs. And I actually will say, I don’t normally buy into this, Bob. I actually will say I do sense it’s starting to affect the team’s play. Yeah. And I think when you get to that point, you start to it it’s I think the die is getting cast here. Again, I I’m of the belief that performance dictates the course in action that the manager takes. I did not envision that this team 25 games into the season would have the worst save percentage in the NHL. And depending upon what happens tonight with a couple teams in the league, possibly the worst goals against. They’ve given up the most goals. They played the most games. It’s the worst save percentage in the league. And we’re a third of the way through the season. And I’m I I got to tell you for the maybe for the first time. I’m feeling the same way you are. Last night on the show, Bob, like it’s the first time. And people ask just like you, they’re hammering on us, hammering on us on the goalies. And I have been steadfast. Skinner’s got some runway to show that he’s found something. He’s got some runway. I think now more than ever it’s kind of like okay unless it’s a dramatic turnaround here I think we can see which way that this is going. The issue becomes what’s the deal though, Bob? Right. Like Tristan Jarry, I I understand some good regular seasons. And how many playoff games does he have in his life? This is a team that if it gets where it wants to go, is in a Stanley Cup final. Does he have seven playoff games he’s played? Yeah, I mean, he did have success in junior obviously, but that’s junior. That’s a different level. Uh Tristan’s battled a little bit of injury. He’s just come back as you know, uh from uh injury to start get the start tonight for the Penguins. Penguins are dealing from a position of strength. I wonder just because of the price point and and that was always part of the factor for me with Skinner as well. The $2.6 million cap hit. We know Jarry as an example is at 53, Biddington’s at six. I mean, we’ve had people say, “What about Seros?” So, I mean, that’s incredibly problematic because of a cap for me to do. I I I wonder whether or not if we’re looking at a couple moves here if they do indeed decide to go down the path of making a switch in goal. Yeah. Like, what are we looking at, Bob? I mean, is it is it Brett Kulak? Is it? I mean, if you want to even consider Biddington, you got to find another 3 million to move out or you’re getting them to eat a pile of money, right? So, now you’re paying to have them which they don’t want to do and which they don’t want to do. And by the way, don’t know if you know this about Doug Armstrong or not, Bob. He drives a pretty hard bargain early in the season. He’s notorious for prices being high. He’s not throwing the Edmonton Owners a lifeline. He’s not doing that. So the price he will make it hurt and it will hurt and Bennington is not going to get way better results during the regular season than Steuart Skinner would have. You could run those two for the rest of the regular season. I’m not sure how much difference there would be. Now you could say come playoff time, Bennington, there’s something that that guy has. There’s an element that he has. You might, you know, and you might get that high-end performance from him. The other thing too, Bobby, he moves the puck in a way that would move the dial for this blue. Yeah, he’s he he he does handle the puck very well. It’s interesting. We were in St. Louis, Ryan, and before the game, Bennington and Skinner were stretching by one another, and and I’ll be completely honest, when we took ours now group last year to the Four Nations faceoff. I was not pleased that Bennington was the goalie. I’m I’m going to tell you that right now. Yeah. And he made me eat my words because he flat out Yes. Conor McDavid got the GWGNOT in the Four Nations faceoff final. There’s only one reason why they got there. It was phenomenal. Bennington was unreal. The one thing I’ll say, we talked, Bob, we talked during that tournament. I was there covering it. They’re going to make goending change, right? And but and Cooper stuck with him. He stuck with him. He stuck with him. And the guy was unreal when it mattered the most. He fights. He’s having a full year this year in St. Louis. He fights and he can handle a puck. There’s no question about it. And you know what, Bob? But what I was saying earlier about the group being docile, Jordan Bennington does not allow that kind of stuff to continue. He will chirp you in practice. He’ll hack you in the back of the legs. He gets into it in games. He ups the compete level of your group game to game. So between that and his big game pedigree, that to me makes more sense than anything else that I have seen. But again, got to make the money work. But look at Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s stealing from a position of strength and Dubis has a reputation of being a guy that will make deals. So you got to factor that in as well. Uh SOS, I mean Nashville to me that’s an offseason one. I know we’ve had PE Deon Levi. Buffalo’s just Buffalo’s got three goalies as well. UPL’s not happy about the situation there. I’ve had some people say to me Lion’s the guy to go get. They’re not trading Deon Levi. There is one guy I’d look at in the offse and that is Sebastian Kosa because Detroit’s got a guy coming out of Michigan State uh that was a second round pick and goal that might be their goalie of the future. I’d contemplate that as well in the offseason. So the question here that Oiler fan will bring to us if and when this trade happens is should they have done it earlier? Should they have, you know, the fact that Stan Bowman held Pat into this season, Bob, I think a lot of people were frustrated with that, but I want to address that. I think it’s important to say there’s a riskreward with Stuart Skinner. If Stuart Skinner had made meaningful improvement this year and actually moved the dial like they hoped he’d be able to, new goalie coach, you know, lost a bit of weight, changed his mobility, those sorts of things. Had that worked and you would have been able to say comfortably, we’re going to ride this guy with a Stanley Cup contending team, 3.6 million for your goalending. That is worth the risk they took letting it ride this year and giving him some time because if they’re moving on from Stuart Skinner Bob because the game just isn’t there, they can say they’ve done everything they possibly can. They’ve given him every opportunity, right? Cuz if he goes on and is awesome somewhere else, if it’s Devin Dubnick 2.0, you got to be able to look back at it and go, man, they did everything they could to give this guy. And that is the riskreward of this last season that Steuart Skinner’s been given to find it. There’s a higher probability that had they gone and gotten a 5 and a half to $6 million goalender in the offseason, they don’t get in on Roselvic. Yeah. Right. I mean, unless we’re assuming that they would have moved a guy out like uh Majapani, right? We know they wanted to sign both or sorry, moved a guy out like Koulak. We know they wanted to sign both Majapani and Rosavik. right on both of those guys. One of them’s panned out and to date the other guys really struggling to find his game. By the way, Bob, is it worth it for a slight uptick in net? Whatever the difference between, say, Skinner and Bennington would be over a seven game playoff series, right? Whatever that margin is there. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Brett Kulak’s been one of the most consistent best defenseman in the playoffs the last three years in a row. 23 minutes last year per game and now he’s going to be gone. So, the idea that okay, sure, you’ll have maybe a better goalie in there, but uh who’s playing defense? Like, this is such a balancing act. You have to be careful what you wish for, right? Yeah, the goalending probably is going to need to be addressed here, but at what cost? Right. All right. It’s 524. Ryan, good stuff. Uh Got Your Back podcast. You roll four times a week. What do you got coming up there? Yeah, you betcha. We’ve got uh we’re going to do an offnight podcast tomorrow night and so we’ll do that. There was a Struties World that dropped earlier today. People can go see that on our platforms as well. I also had a really good conversation with Sir Gino Rea over on tsn.ca today. So I encourage people to go take a look at that. It’s always sporting between Gino and I. Thank you for your time, Ryan. Right on, Bob.

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