What, me worry?

Yes, I am invoking the words of the immortal Alfred E. Neuman to help sooth the jangled nerves of Oilers fans worried about Connor McDavid and the team’s future.

That and more in this edition of…

9 Things

9. Oilers goaltending prospect Daniel Salonen registered a 6-0 shutout for Rauman Lukko this past week. That is his first win in Liiga. Salonen was selected #191 overall in this past June’s NHL draft.

8. Seemingly lost in the conversations this fall is winger Mattias Janmark. He has shown up to camp in excellent shape. And he ticks some valuable boxes as a fourth line winger: Moves very well, good PK man, etc. My sense is that Kris Knoblauch has time for veterans like Janmark. We will see.

7. The Athletics’ Pierre LeBrun reports that UFA Jack Roslovic had an offer from the Edmonton Oilers at some point this summer. But the twenty-eight-year-old turned it down. Since then, Roslovic has switched agents. And he remains unsigned. Hmmm. The right-shot center was 22-17-39 in 81 GP for Carolina last year.

6. Edmonton unveiled its brand-new alternate jersey in an elaborate social media blitz Saturday, including Mattias Ekholm, Matt Savoie, Ike Howard and others. The Oilers will don the jersey first October 28 versus Utah. The design and colour scheme remind me of the silks the Alberta Oilers wore in the WHA in 1972-73. And I particularly like the oil derrick crest on the shoulder.

5. With Zach Hyman out until early November, someone else will need to take his net-front slot on the Oilers first unity power play. In the very recent past, it would automatically have been Evander Kane or Corey Perry. Now, it would seem to be a competition. I am expecting Adam Henrique. A six-time twenty-goal scorer, Henrique is adept in tight and moves the puck with alacrity.

4. It is a bit of a stretch for him to make the NHL roster this fall. The Oilers left side with Ekholm, Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak is strong. But left-shot D-man Atro Leppanen has impressed early in this camp. Kris Knoblauch noted after Saturday’s scrimmage that Leppanen processes the game at an NHL level at least on the attack. The knock on the twenty-six-year-old is how well he defends. I’ll be watching for that once exhibition gets underway.

3. Another guy who has turned some heads early is David Tomasek. That will happen when the coach staples you to Connor McDavid’s line. The twenty-nine-year-old was the top scorer in the Swedish Elite League last season. Tomasek is bigger than I anticipated and has a hell of a shot. For me, the test will be how he adapts to the North American game. Different ice. More physical game. Not as much time. But Tomasek is versatile (can play top or bottom six, center or wing) which sure does not hurt his chances.

2. There are a million rumours out there, especially in a hockey-mad Edmonton. The latest is around Yegor Chinakov buzz. The twenty-four-year-old right winger has seemingly been in and out of the doghouse in Columbus and at one point requested a trade. The kid is solid (6’1, 201) and has offence (16-13-29 in 53 GP for the Blue Jackets). Chinakhov is currently on the second season of a two-year deal with a cap hit of $2.1m. But The Oilers are up against the cap. Chinakhov has had some injury issues. And I doubt Don Waddell would give up a former first round pick for free. I’ll believe it when I see it.

1.There is a sentiment out there right now that the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup window is rapidly closing. And to be fair, some of Edmonton’s key players are starting to get up there: Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, et al. But I would suggest to you that there are mainly two things really driving that dark-cloud commentary right now: One group of people who are understandably nervous of just how committed Connor McDavid is to Edmonton, and another who just hates the Oilers. They are tired of seeing them win more playoffs series than (basically) Florida and would like nothing better for the Oilers to fail worse than their own teams. That sound about right?

The first thing I would say is that this club has both Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard locked up, long-term. Draisaitl was the best skater in the league last year. Bouchard a top attacker who has enjoyed great, successive playoff performances. Any team that has those two elite players for the foreseeable future is going to be competitive. Then, there is the welcome structure and process which Stan Bowman has delivered. Cup contenders trade picks. It happens when you have a winning team. But the asset management we are seeing with those acquisitions is strong. Trent Frederic has already been extended. And Jake Walman’s agent was in Edmonton on Friday.

Then, in lieu of those top picks, we see the signing of top European free agents, two of which I have already mentioned earlier. You are not left waiting to see if a gamble on an 18-year-old draft pick pays off. These are men who have been playing against men in good leagues. To my eye so far, new Sr. Director of Player Development Kalle Larsson has been a sharp hire. This is the kinds of stuff that bodes well both now and into the future.

And finally…there is McDavid. And look, I get it. Any town that lost Wayne Gretzky will be nervous over 97’s extension. But consider this: Hockey players talk. Do you really think all these guys would be extending and negotiating to stay in Edmonton if they did not think Connor would be around to play alongside?

In the meantime, there is no question where McDavid will be this year. His renewed quest for Lord Stanley’s mug is just about to begin.

So, until that big piece of business is finally done…try to enjoy the ride.

The Oilers first two exhibition games, split-squad home-and-away affairs against the Calgary Flames are today (Sunday). My Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples and me will have coverage after both.

This article is not AI generated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, at The Cult…

STAPLES: The Oilers make a smart move to solve the mystery of Darnell Nurse

LEAVINS: What signals we should read into Day One of Oilers training camp

Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

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