The Fifth Liners

Winners Buffalo Sabres  In two short days, Dan Bylsma 's new reign in Buffalo already seems a lot brighter. Not only did they selected hot prospect Jack Eichel second overall, but they also pulled off an excellent trade with Colorado swapping Ryan O'Reilly and Jamie McGinn for Nikita Zadarov, Mikhail Grigorenko and J.T Compher. The day before they also acquired Robin Lehner and David Legwand in a trade with Ottawa for the 21st pick! Already their depth quality looks far more impressive than last season. With a top line included, Kane, Bogosian and Eichel, this might be a time to scale back on the Sabres related jokes on this blog. Edmonton Oilers Having the first overall pick, selecting Connor McDavid was a guaranteed high point. But new GM Peter Chiarelli also smartly acquired the services of goalie Cam Talbot for New York. While old team the Bruins (we'll get to them later) took a hit, Edmonton is now in the beginning stages of building a team that is actua...

Unless there is some kind of minor miracle at 2015 NHL Draft this Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers are set to select Connor McDavid at the first overall pick. His selection was highly sought after for all NHL sides last season. Maple Leafs fans in particular were fervent supporters of 'Tank Nation' which celebrated each loss which brought them closer to the chance to select the Ontario native. When Edmonton won the first pick from the NHL Draft lottery, many fans expressed disappointment of the Oilers once again getting this selection. Particularly as it seemed it has become a little too familiar with the same underwhelming results being produced. The hype around McDavid has been at fever pitch for some time, many experts have already compared him to legends Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux ! His OHL jersey has already been selling for a pretty penny at auctions and many are convinced he is already a superstar. But in the midst of this hullabaloo, many seem to be forgetting one v...

So once more, the Edmonton Oilers are looking towards a new man to lead them back towards the promised land. That man comes in the shape of former San Jose coach, Todd McLellan . After recently being given the chop in California after a seven year stint, this guy has been given the tough challenge of actually getting something out of a beleaguered Edmonton side! When former boss, Dallas Eakins was given the boot back in December, the damage had already been done to their season as Edmonton as usual limped home dead last in the Western conference to claim another wooden spoon. But what does McLellan offer that other coaches will not? Well for one he brings a consistent play off run with him! In his seven seasons in charge he led San Jose to over six playoff appearances (including two conference finals). His record of  311-163 from a possible 434 regular season games is a fine record to take across to Alberta. Eakins was an ambitious experiment that sadly went array. His youthfu...

Once more fans of the Edmonton Oilers, will be celebrating as their side have received first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery! Seems Connor McDavid will be spending some cold winters over in Alberta in years to come! Buffalo Sabres were no doubt disappointed to land the second overall pick, but will no doubt take consolation that this will probably mean Jack Eichel will be in the state of New York! In what could be one of the biggest depth quality drafts, it could well mean that each team has some great talent for the future. My only real doubt with this decision is that Edmonton has had its fair share of number one picks in the last few years, and still nothing has come of it! People paint McDavid as if he is the next Sidney Crosby of hockey, I just worry that this team is the wrong fit for his talents? Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are starting to show the leadership qualities required for the Oilers- but Nail Yakupov has only shown glimpses of what he is capable o...

In the Edmonton Oilers , 5-4 defeat last night away to Columbus- there was a one moment of impressive trickery from Jordan Eberle ! With the score tied at 3-3 in the beginning of the third period, Eberle impressively created a no look pass between the legs to set up Nail Yakupov to brief push the Oilers in front. I don't know which was a bigger shock, something creative from Edmonton or Yakupov remembering where the goal was? Take a look below

This week Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows received a three game ban for this hit on Montreal Canadiens winger Alexei Emelin  But it appears that after the Canucks 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place last night (thanks Derek Dorrsett!) it seems that Oilers captain Andrew Ference will be hearing the phone ringing from the League quite soon in the coming days after his frankly awful hit on Canucks player Zack Kassian ! See below... Now when you consider that Burrows got a three game ban for his offense, should the league be tougher on Ference who is a previous offender? Burrows' hit was admittedly a careless one as he went in late and this type of extremely hard contact could have resulted in some serious damage to Emelin. Receiving a three game suspension though seemed slightly rash by league standards as we have seen more serious hits only receiving a one game ban. But Ference however, had been scrapping with Kassian all through the match and his inte...

On June 27/28 all eyes will be on the 2014 NHL Draft  at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia and the big question to all experts will be who is going to be the first name called out by the Florida Panthers. All though there is huge speculation about which player it will, this is one event teams always need to think about carefully because they young men could well be the future of a franchise and will have to be chosen carefully- no one wants another Alexandre Daigle or Patrik Stefan after all! So as we analyse the top picks, which one will great;y benefit which team? Here I will look at the first six picks (partly to include Vancouver). 2014 NHL Draft Order 1. Florida Panthers Sam Bennett: The Panthers badly need an offensive spark as their goal numbers have still remained dangerously low, something that number 2 pick Aleksander Barkov has so far failed to raise. So far 18 year old Ontario kid Sam Bennett has been listed as the top North American prospect in the NHL draft...

Last night, Florida Panthers fans were given rare positive news when it was announce that they won the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft after their name was picked from the Draft Lottery. After another  poor season last year, the Panthers management should already been looking towards the next superstar of the franchise- and this draft year there is a lot of quality on show such as Canadian centre Sam Bennett, defenseman Aaron Ekblad or Sam Reinhart. Plus lets not forget top European prospect Kasperi Kapanen. But does one play change an entire franchises luck? In the case of the Colorado Avalanche the answer to that question is indeed yes as last years number one pick Nathan Mackinnon has proven to be an excellent choice and is one of the favourites for the Calder Trophy this year after an excellent rookie season. However, there is a flipside to that coin, and some teams have failed to raise their game even after more than one first overall picks- yes I am referri...

Today it was announced that Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Ben Scrivens has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2014 third round draft pick, meanwhile regular goalie Devan Dubnyk has also been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks! Trading Scrivens is either a stroke of genius by Edmonton or pure silliness by LA because this player has been one of the finds of the season since he deputised so superbly for regular Kings goalie Jonathan Quick back in November, and so far he holds a record of 7-5-4 with a 1.97 GAA! This also included 10 shutouts and two first star performances (one of which I witnessed against the Rangers at the Garden). Being Quick's backup is a bit like being Petr Cech's number two at Chelsea, which is unless something drastic happens, you don't even consider leaving the bench!  So in that light, this move will give the guy game time, which he is not assured of at LA. But also it weakens the Kings b...

In the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers last night at the United Center, there was one moment that was guaranteed to make Hockey fans chuckle as after 2.36 of the second period, Hawks accidentally Patrick Kane looked on in horror as his shot he hit against the boards crept slowly into their own empty net on a delayed penalty! In a tight game, this moment is one that Conn Smyth winner Kane will wish to forget, check it out below

The Edmonton Oilers hold a proud hockey history and fans in this part of Alberta still love their team, but this year has been nothing short of a horror show! All looked promising at the end of last saw season when former GM Steve Tambellini was given the the chop and was succeeded by head coach Craig Mactavish, who in turn appointed young Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins as the new coach of the Oilers. A new era seemed to be born and many experts expected bug things. Tragically we are STILL waiting for the results to come and even with no less than three 1st overall picks, their play just isn't coming together. So far Edmonton are 14th and last in the Western Conference, they have only 11 wins and a whopping 18 loss! Depressingly this over 17 goals more than the Nashville Predators but they have three more wins. But the real question here is what is cause of this continuing slide? The answer is not an easy one, continuing injuries haven't helped their cause, in particul...

After shamefully forgetting to include the Phoenix Coyotes on my Most Improved Teams list recently, I thought I would make amends by recapping their impressive 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers Rexall Place last night! Mike Ribeiro was the stand out as he turned a 1st star performance with a goal and two assists! But it was Mikkel Boedker who put Phoenix ahead on a powerplay after 03:37 of the first period, but David Perron soon levelled the scores for the Oilers after 9 minutes after making the most of a breakaway. Into the second period and Ribeiro skillful set up Radim Vrbata to put Phoenix ahead after 06.58 played and then Shane Doan's tip in pushed then 3-1 ahead. Perron then pulled one back on a power play for Edmonton with 52 seconds left to give the home side hope! The Coyotes took control in the third period as they scored three without reply with Ribeiro putting them further ahead after 4 minutes and Keith Yandle then made sure of things when fired past Oilers goal...

Ilya Bryzgalov has finally found a new home after reaching a verbal agreement with the Edmonton Oilers for a one year deal. After enduring a tough 2012-13 season where he was released from his multi year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Russian goalie will be keen to make up for lost time! Curring Bryzgalov has features in over 425 NHL games and has recorded a win-loss record of 208-149-45. His career NHL goals against average stants at 2.55 with a save percentage of .913. The goaltender also has 30 career NHL shutouts since being selected 44th overall by Anaheim in 2007!

Former NHL forward Jason Arnott has called time on a glorious 18 year career that has taken in the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals to most notably the New Jersey Devils. He last played for St Louis in 2011/12, but has not played since. He did sign a contract with the New York Rangers in January this year but was not cleared by the team doctors. Since being drafted 7th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, he has gone on to record 417 goals and 938 points in 1,244 career games. The highlight of his career was a Stanley Cup win in 2000 with the Devils where he score d the championship clinching goal in game 6 against Dallas! Upon announcing his retirement, Arnott said in a statement "I would like to thank everyone who helped me throughout my NHL career, including my family, friends, teammates and fans. Playing in the NHL was my dream and I am very proud and appreciative of the fact I was able to play at the highest level for 19 years wit...

The Vancouver Canucks season is finally underway and John Tortorella's first home game at the Rogers Arena couldnt have gone any better as the Canucks brushed aside the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 with the Sedin Brothers proving the standout! After being torn apart by San Jose on friday night, this win sees their season getting back on the right tracks. But many Canucks fans must have thought they were in for another frustrating night when Jeff Petry gave the Oilers the lead after less than two minutes played! But there was to be a silver lining for the Canucks soon after as Brad Richardson seized on a breakaway chance to bury a shot underneath Oilers keeper Devan Dubnyk and then with only 90 seconds left in the first, Dan Hamhuis buried a spectular slap shot from distance before Jannik Hansen scored to push the Canucks into a 3-1 lead! The second period saw Vancouver truly take control as Daniel Sedin scored on a powerplay off an assist from his brother Henrik after only 7 minutes be...

The Edmonton Oilers have been dealt another blow before the new hockey season starts as it has been announced that centre Sam Gagner will be out indefinitely with a broken jaw! Already short of one center due to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being out for at least the next month as he recovers from a broken shoulder! It is rumoured that Taylor Hall will temporarily replace Nugent Hopkins at center, but there is no word from the Oilers management as to who will fill Gagner shoes this season! It will be interesting to see how Craig MacTavish and Dallas Eakins deal with this one! 

David Booth is set to return from injury for the  Vancover Canucks for the first time since March 16th and is expected to play in their pre-season friendly against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place according to the Canucks website. Acquired from the Florida Panthers in 2011, Booth so far has 29 points in 56 games with Vancouver but only managed 1 goal and 3 points last season due to an ankle injury sustained against Detroit.

As Mike's previous two post pointed out, the NHL will be a very different place come the 2013-14 season with the Eastern and Western conference have undergone a dramatic re-alignment and now it has become far more simplied with the East sporting two separate divisions with the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions and the West also having two divisions with the Pacific and Central Division. With new leagues come new rivalrys are long gone are the days of the dull Southwestern Division and sadly Vancouver will not fight for a sixth straight Northwest Division. But what will the big match ups be? Let's take a look in more detail. Atlantic Division  This division promises plenty of thrills with the Detroit Red Wings , Boston Bruins , Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens doing battle for a playoff place- there is no love lost between Leafs and Habs fans and this fixture never fails to entertain. But the clash that will have everyone talking will be when the Ottawa Senators...

With the new schedules come the new divisions, instead of being three divisions in each conference, there's now only two. With the changes will come new rivalries, which Alex will talk about later.  Let's start with the Western Conference. The Western has 14 teams while the Eastern currently has 16. This accommodates for the expansion in the west that the NHL has been looking for. Detroit and Columbus have moved over to the Eastern while Winnipeg makes the sensible move west.  Pacific Division Anaheim Ducks Calgary Flames Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Vancouver Canucks Dallas leaves the old Pacific Division, but three of the Canadian teams; Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary have joined it from the disbanded Northwest Division.  Central Division Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets With Colom...

David Perron will be become another exciting addition to the new starting Edmonton Oilers franchise as it was announced today that he had been traded from the St Louis Blues in exchange for Magnus Paajarvi and a 2014 second round pick. This brings to an end a successful six year period for Perron who has impressed there since being draft 26th overall in 2007 and leaves behind stats of 198 points in over 340 games. Although after hitting the 50 point mark in 2009, his hockey career was halted by a severe concussion in the 2010-11 season that caused him to miss a number of games, but Perron has come back strongly initially but only registered 25 points in 48 games last season! But although it was widely believed that the Blues would win a Stanley Cup with their side getting ever impressive, this hasn't been delivered and at only 25, Perron is hungry for success and with Edmonton's young offensive line, this move could see his dreams come true finally!