With Oilers Rookie camp now well underway and one young gun’s game under their belts, Edmonton’s pre-season has hit its stride.
But on a team with back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances, the kids will quickly be overshadowed by the veterans, as only one of two of the prospects will be on the big club this season.
Who else may join them that is not already on the roster?
That and more in this edition of…
9 Things
9. I note that the Prime Minister appeared on Bob Stauffer’s Oilers Now program this past week. The week previous, it was opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. Bob may need a new slogan: “Where the Who’s Who come to talk hockey”. More Sports Radio talk in a minute…
8. Recent Edmonton Oilers farm hand Olivier Rodrigue is back looking for work. The goaltender had signed a KHL contract for this upcoming, but an injury sustained prior to the season resulted in his deal being terminated. As I understand it, the decision was mutual. At 25, Rodrigue’s career appears at a crossroads.
7. The Oilers rookies fell short in their comeback attempt Friday night against the Flames rookies, losing 6-5. Among the observations from the game was just how bare Edmonton’s cupboard is when it comes to defencemen. Beau Akey was easily the best defender for the Oilers on a night when Calgary often overmatched the mostly undrafted D-men on the other side.
6. Oilers forward Connor Clattenburg had a noisy evening. He threw a couple noticeable hits. He picked two fights against Calgary players that had the size and reach advantage on him. And he also converted a turnover into a nifty goal. Clattenburg’s road to the NHL will be difficult. But he did not hurt his chances with this performance. More on the kids coming up…
5. The Summer radio ratings (NUMERIS, R3/25) are out. I put the least amount of weight in this of the four annual books as audiences tend to be scattered and fill-in hosts are often on the air. Oilers Now on 880 CHED (4-6pm) attracted a total daily audience (FC 2+ CUME) of 33,924. 27,716 for Inside Sports. Dustin Nielson’s new rated morning show on CRUZ-FM will not register until R4/25. Sports 1440 is un-rated.
4. There is some consternation over the suggestion that D-man Jake Walman could be offered a long-term contract between six and eight years. I really value Walman’s set of skills. And his skating in particular makes me less wary of a longer-term deal’s pitfalls. Quite frankly, if that term can keep his cap hit lower, it makes Edmonton more competitive in their Stanley Cup window. Worry about the last year or two of that contract down the road.
3. A lot of attention is rightly focused on a pair of twenty-one-year-olds at Edmonton Oilers camp. It will be critical from a cap management standpoint alone for at least one of Matthew Savoie or Ike Howard to crack the Oilers’ opening night lineup. I see Savoie as having the inside track due to his versatility. He spent a full season in the AHL on the PK. That skill, one Howard simply does not have, will give him a valuable opportunity for additional minutes.
2. While Edmonton’s D-men had a challenging Friday, the forwards are a slightly different story. Matt Savoie was the best Oiler on the ice. He scored twice and his gritty, two-way game was on display all night. While both he and Ike Howard certainly had some chemistry together on the first line, and Howard’s skill showed, it was clear that one of them had spent the previous season in pro hockey playing against men. It is just one game, however, small sample. I also saw F Viljemi Marjala good. Goalie Samuel Jonsson made some terrific saves but was under siege for most of his forty-ish minutes.
1.The National Hockey League will clear to play all five of the five players accused in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. Among them, Sherwood Park’s Carter Hart. The players will be eligible to sign with an NHL club on October 15, and eligible to play again by December 1. Hart would be free to sign with any club. But the Oilers, given some their challenges in goal, will almost certainly be among those who at least investigate the possibility.
You may well already have an opinion on Hart and his potential suitability as a member of the Oilers. Here is mine:
-Carter Hart was acquitted by a court of law. There is simply no legal reason not to potentially pursue this. Now, you may argue that his indiscretions are deserving of a suspension. I would agree. By the time he is eligible to resume play, he will have missed out on 2+ years of his pro career. You may argue even further that the club should pass on him for ethical reasons. And if Hart had not expressed regret and remorse for his actions, I would agree.
-Caution, on the ice. It will be almost two full years since the now twenty-seven-year-old Hart played an NHL game. There is zero guarantee that he will be able to return to his previous performance. That was a career 2.94 GAA and a career .906 SV %. Good, not great. He had fallen off from his first two years in the league. He was also playing in front of a bad team.
-In practical terms, the Oilers would need him to be on a two-way contract. You otherwise would have a goalie who had not seen a competitive puck in twenty-four months taking up a roster spot with the big club.
-In the end, it is Stan Bowman’s job to turn over every rock in an effort to help the Edmonton Oilers win a Stanley Cup. I would suggest he is not fulfilling those responsibilities if he does not at least investigate this.
Carter Hart may not end up as a fit for the team for any number of reasons. But decide that after you have all the hockey facts. Not before.
This article is not AI generated.
Recently, at The Cult…
STAPLES: The Oilers rookies cannot quite complete the comeback against Calgary
LEAVINS: Top Prospect focus on Ike Howard
COOPER: Top Prospect focus on Matt Savoie
Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.
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