Each week, we check in with our readers on social media and e-mail to see what’s on top of their mind, explore the hot topics of conversation and answer hard-hitting questions about the Edmonton Oilers. Here are some of the hot topics from the past week:

When does the buyout window open? Asking for Trent Frederic.

— Ahmed (@NHL_Bouchard) on x.com

Boy, talk about jumping to conclusions using inconclusive evidence.

With absolutely nothing to base it on since Fredric’s arrival in Edmonton at the trade deadline, the Oilers signed him to an eight-year deal in June that pays him $3.85 million annually.

And the initial reaction from the fan base wasn’t initially, “How much?” But, “How long?” The money only became a big issue after it was multiplied by eight. And for what?

Frederic didn’t do anything of substance down the playoff stretch or in the post-season, but that has all been attributed to a pre-existing high-ankle sprain the Oilers had already known about before dishing out draft picks in a three-way trade in efforts to bolster their lineup with Frederic’s toughness and playoff experience.

Instead, the Oilers got — and now bought — a guy tied for 17th in team scoring with two goals, an assist and a minus-10 rating with 32 penalty minutes. That’s 0.8 points per game, which is the lowest it gets on the team, aside from a couple of late arrivals on defence.

Halfway through the schedule, those three points are worth $1.28 million apiece.

According to puckpedia.com, a buyout could potentially still see the Oilers paying Frederic $821 in the year 2040.

Otherwise, it’s 0.5 seasons down, 7.5 more to go. If Oilers management is patting themselves on the back with one hand for creating an environment where Connor McDavid left money on the table to help make the roster better around him, they are using the other hand to burn a bunch of it on Frederic.

#Oilers are first in the Pacific, 7-3-0 in their last 10, have the two best centres in the league, and this fanbase is losing their (expletive deleted) minds saying: “Fire the coach!”; and, “Get rid of the GM!” Unbelievable what never changes around here. The entitlement is disturbing.

— BLH (@BeerLeagueHeroe) on x.com

Is ‘Twitter’ back to allowing only 140-character posts? Allow me to finish the list for you: They have yet to win three games in a row this season; their top-six is actually a top-five plus Vasily Podkolzin; their bottom-six is a ghost town; they haven’t looked nearly the same going 1-2-0 post-break as they did in the previous seven games of this 7-3-0 run; their goaltending situation has been anything but solved since the trading of Stuart Skinner; they looked like anything but contenders to challenge for a third-straight Stanley Cup Finals over the first two months of the season; and if it wasn’t for McDavid (basically singlehandedly) putting this team on his shoulders and marching them through December, they would still be fighting for their lives over a wild-card spot.

Now, while calling for heads to roll among the Oilers top brass is more than a tad excessive, it’s not difficult to understand where the sentiment is coming from.

All is not far from well in Oiler-ville, at the moment. And that’s before the clock even begins to tick on McDavid’s two-year extension …

YOU SAID IT

Dear Gerry:

Calvin Pickard, the Rodney Dangerfield of hockey. He gets no respect.
The main reason the Oilers made the Stanley Cup finals the two previous seasons was his rescue sessions after Skinner had played poorly both times and put the Oilers in what seemed to be impossible situations. And both times, Knoblauch chooses to go with Skinner again after Pickard’s heroics, and the Oilers ended up losing both series, notably on an especially weak second goal two years ago in Game 7 against the Panthers.

Then Connor Ingram shows up. Gets the starts and is showered with praise after two wins in three games.  Pickard’s victory over the best goalie in the league on Saturday gets nary a mention. Apparently, stopping 41 of 42 shots on the road doesn’t even warrant a mention.

Pickard has never been given a chance to go on a run. After any one of his injuries, Skinner was immediately plugged back in the rotation — no matter how well Pickard had been playing — and was given every chance to succeed while Pickard was back on the shelf.

Pickard has given the Oilers one of the biggest bangs for the goalie buck in the entire league over the past three years, with a 38-22 win-loss record, but if you hadn’t watched any games and only got your information from the newspapers, you would never know it.

The very fact that Ingram shows up and is immediately installed as the Oilers’ No. 1 goalie is a slap in the face to Pickard, but then he must be used to that, as it’s been the story since he first got here. — Gary O’Shaughnessy, Edmonton

They know what they have in Pickard, and they know they get it as a steal for what they’re paying him. But there is a big difference between a backup who can come in as a sparkplug and make a difference here or there, even on a big stage, and an everyday starter who can be relied upon to consistently shoulder the load.

Word around Rogers Place is that Ingram is the most technically skilled member of the Oilers’ goaltender stable. And with the injury to Tristan Jarry, the team is taking the opportunity to see what they can get out of him right now. Pickard is already a known commodity and not someone the Oilers see as a long-term answer to their crease question.

For a chance to appear in an upcoming edition, send your questions, concerns and comments on all things Edmonton Oilers related to:

E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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