Edmonton Oilers

Is generating at least three shots per game in the AHL a sign of NHL success? Do the OKC Barons have a good chance to win their way to the Calder Cup Finals?

While the Oilers have no shortage of problems in their top-nine forward group, things get really ugly afterward. How should the fourth line and the reserve forwards change next season?The Scoring ChancesI’ve taken the scoring chance numbers I recorded this season and split the Oilers into three groups: the top line, the middle six, and everybody else. Top Line (Hall, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle): Out-chance opposition 53-to-47 Middle Six (Gagner, Yakupov, Hemsky, Paajarvi, Smyth, Horcoff): Out-chanced 58-to-42 Everyone Else: Out-chanced 64-to-36 The top line is fine, the middle six needs a significant overhaul, and the rest of the forward corps is an absolute trainwreck. Most of the discussion this off-season has dealt with the middle six; we’re focused on “the rest” here.The IncumbentsThe chart above shows how the incumbents performed; Ryan Smyth is included as he’s doubtless bound for a lesser role on next season’s team – his performance is also split into games where he played wing and games where he played centre.On The OutsideLet’s start with the ‘definitely gone’ crowd. Darcy Hordichuk never really got a chance and was replaced; he won’t be back. Lennart Petrell’s contract is up and despite excellent work on the penalty kill, he shouldn’t be back and likely won’t be. Eric Belanger has another year on his deal but seems likely to be bought out. Chris VandeVelde was very carefully used by Krueger (he actually led the Oilers forwards in offensive zone starts), couldn’t score in the minors, and his contract is up.Anton Lander should start 2013-14 in the minors; not only does he give the Oilers depth but he hasn’t done anything to force his way on to the NHL roster. Ben Eager likely starts there too, assuming he isn’t bought out, given his demotion earlier in the year. Mark Arcobello too seems bound for the minors, assuming he gets another contract.The ModelAssuming the Oilers run 14 forwards next year, what positions will they play? Obviously, there will need to be one winger for each side and a centre in the starting lineup. There are two spare slots: one will likely go to a tough guy and the other is the reserve forward. Given what happened this year, that reserve spot should probably go to a centre. So ideally, next year the Oilers enter the season with two centres, two wingers, and they probably leave a spot for an enforcer.Ryan Smyth will get one of the winger spots; Craig MacTavish has already said he’ll be back, and he was significantly better at left wing this season than at centre. Mike Brown is under contract for another year; he often seems a ‘stick optional’ player around the puck but the Oilers have employed far worse players at the enforcer position; he’ll likely get the job. That leaves one winger spot for Teemu Hartikainen and Ryan Jones; Hartikainen has scored in the minors and might yet have upside, while Jones is an unrestricted free agent. The Oilers could trade Hartikainen, but given his minor league performance I would argue it makes sense to give him another chance: his trade value isn’t likely to be especially high and they may as well see if he has more to give. I like Jones on the fourth line, despite a poor year, but the Oilers need the versatility offered by a centre so it likely makes more sense to go out and get one rather than keep Jones.That leaves two centre spots open. I was surprised how decent Jerred Smithson’s scoring chance numbers were; it’s basically a result of the Smyth – Smithson – Brown line going +17/-13 down the stretch (with Brown occasionally skipping shifts in favour of a different winger). Smithson’s long-term record isn’t all that impressive, but as a reserve centre he might be fine – he’s big, wins faceoffs and kills penalties. If the Oilers can get him cheap and don’t see somebody else they like more, he’d be a somewhat okay 13th forward.That leaves the fourth-line centre position open, and that’s one the Oilers should be able to address via free agency. Somebody re

How did Edmonton Oilers coach Ralph Krueger do when it comes to handing out ice time to his players?

OTTAWA - Paul MacLean’s few words spoke volumes about what he thought of his team’s performance in their 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 Wednesday night.

The Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars will play a pre-season game at the home of the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate, on Sept. 27. It will be the fourth NHL exhibition contest played in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City – The Oklahoma City Barons, in partnership with the Edmonton Oilers, have scheduled an NHL Preseason Game in Oklahoma City on Friday, September 27. The NHL Showcase presented by Mercy, features the Dallas Stars against the Barons pa...

It took absolutely forever for the Edmonton Oilers to embrace Mother Russia at the draft, and we're still wondering if it's a short term detente. Last season, the Oil plucked brilliant winger Nail Yakupov #1 overall, and incredibly, may have an opportunity to draft another elite talent from the same part of the world this summer.In historic terms, two Russians drafted by the Oilers in the first round? in successive seasons? Impossible. And yet, it could happen a month from now. Since 1979, Edmonton has draft 346 players. Of that group, the following were drafted out of Russia or have direct ties to Russian hockey: L Igor Vyazmikin, 252nd overall in 1987 D Vladimir Zubkov, 208nd overall in 1988 C Anatoli Semenov, 120th overall in 1989 C Sergei Yashin, 141st overall in 1989 G Evgeny Belosheiken, 232nd overall in 1991 L Alexander Kerch, 60th overall in 1993 F Oleg Maltsev, 241st overall in 1993 D Ilya Byakin, 267th overall in 1993 R Dimitrius Sulba, 162nd in 1994 D Sergei Yerkovich, 68th overall in 1997 G Alex Fomitchev, 231st overall in 1997 L Oleg Smirnov, 144th overall in 1998 R Maxim Spiridonov, 241st overall in 1998 D Alexei Semenov, 36th overall in 1999 L Alexei Mikhnov, 17th overall in 2000 D Alexander Ljubimov, 83rd overall in 2000 F Evgeny Muratov, 274th overall in 2000 D Ivan Koltsov, 106th overall in 2002 F Mikhail Youkov, 72nd overall in 2003 D Roman Tesliuk, 44th overall in 2004 L Slava Trukhno, 120th overall in 2005 F Alex Bumagin, 170th overall in 2006 R Nail Yakupov, 1st overall in 2012 L Daniil Zharkov, 91st overall in 2012 24 Russians out of 346 draft selections. About 7%. If we excluded the Russian kids (like Yakupov and Zharkov) who played their junior in Canada, the 24 Russians are now reduced to 16, or 4.6%. Minute.Maybe the Russian Yakupov can change all that.RUSSIA--WOMEN WITH HATS!It might get some getting used to--poor old Rod Phillips got all the Finnish names, maybe Jack Michaels will get all the Russian ones--but today's news that Valeri Nichushkin will forego his KHL contract and is willing to sign with his drafting team is a huge item. Jonathan Willis put it very well this morning: Willis: Now, not only is it more likely that the Oilers still have the option of picking Monahan when pick number seven rolls around, but if Nichushkin somehow does slide he should be more attractive both to them (long-term, a 6’4” winger with high-end talent certainly could be a fit on the Oilers’ depth chart) and to other teams if they decide to trade the pick down as general manager Craig MacTavish has suggested. I think today's news is huge. The Oilers were staring at a Monahan v. Zadorov decision--and that was best case scenario. If we assume the draft goes like this: Colorado: Seth Jones Florida: Nathan Mackinnon Tampa Bay: Jonathan Drouin Nashville: Sasha Barkov Carolina: Elias Lindholm Calgary: Sean Monahan The Oilers can either draft Nichushkin or trade down/the pick and get much better value. Nichushkin's offensive numbers aren't killer, but a look at his KHL player card reveals a time-on-ice total that suggests he was playing depth minutes:The numbers tell the story. The young man played 8 minutes a night during the regular season, scoring 4 goals in 18 games. Moved up the depth chart for the playoffs, and he played 12.5 minutes a night and scored 6 goals in 25 games. Buddy averaged 10 minutes a night in basically half a season and scored 10 goals in a very good Russian major league.Oh. And he's 18, 6.03, 201.WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?The reports on Nichushkin's freedom are manna from heaven for the Edmonton Oilers. Absolutely music! The Oilers must make sure it's true, and then act accordingly.Can Edmonton ever become hockey's Moscow west? One thing: we don't have to explain the weather!

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Canucks have fired the most successful head coach in club history. Alain Vigneault lost his job after the Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks — a year after the heavily favoured Canucks were dumped 4-1 in the opening round by the Los Angeles Kings.

The Oklahoma City Barons (Edmonton Oilers) are set to face off against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit Red Wings) in the AHL Western Conference Final. The winner of the Best-of-7 series, which begins Friday night in Grand Rapids, Michigan, w...

This just in from Hockey Prospectus amateur draft expert Corey Pronman: “Valeri Nichushkin tells RSport.ru he has decided to transfer to North America.