I joined Jessica Ng on CBC Radio Active to talk about the Edmonton Oilers, the dismissal of Jay Woodcroft and the hiring of Kris Knoblauch as head coach. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, November 13)

Topics we covered:

• The key drivers behind the dismissal of Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson.
• Accountability of the players who have struggled this year and if the coach had “lost the room”.
• More importantly – the accountability of the general manager Ken Holland whose roster construction and salary cap management played a major role in the team’s results this season.
• What to expect with Kris Knoblauch behind the bench, and what the reasonable expectations are for the team.

Thanks again to the team at CBC Edmonton for putting it all together!

I joined Jessica Ng on CBC Radio Active to talk about the Edmonton Oilers, their poor start, some of the key underlying issues and the path forward. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, November 6)

Topics we covered:

• The Oilers current situation, how far they’ve fallen in the division and the uphill climb from here to even compete for a playoff spot.
• The goaltending, and how poorly they’ve performed this season.
• Jay Woodcroft’s chances of being let go, and if that would accomplish anything.
• Rushing Connor McDavid back from injury to play in the Heritage Classic. Suspect he was also hurt in training camp based on his numbers and shooting percentage.
• What roster changes are even possible to get the Oilers back on track.
• The role Ken Holland has had in these results and his poor management abilities.

Thanks again to the team at CBC Edmonton for putting it all together!

Data: Natural Stat Trick

Other notes:

• The Oilers are currently taking the tenth highest rate of penalties.
• Among 58 goalies who have played 150 minutes (about 3-4 games), Campbell ranks 50th with a save percentage of 87.3%. Skinner ranks 55th with an 86.1% save percentage.
• McDavid’s shooting percentage this season has been 8.70%, all situations. His career shooting percentage is 15.5%. He’s not 100% healthy, and I think he was hurt before the game against Winnipeg.
• The Oilers penalty kill is allowing a league-average rate of shots against, but has one of the worst team save percentages – so they’re allowing the sixth highest rate of goals against.
• Depth scoring at even-strength is bad, scoring only once without one of the top-six forwards on the ice; their shooting percentage is around 1%. In the first ten games last season, the Oilers depth scored four goals; shooting percentage around 7%.

I joined Nancy Carlson on CBC Radio Active to talk Oilers, the poor early-season results and what’s needed to turn things around. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, October 17)

Topics we covered:

• The expectations heading into the season, and why the poor start has become a hot topic.
• The Oilers goaltending, and what we can expect from Skinner and Campbell.
• The key underlying issues at even-strength, but why there’s also reasons for optimism.
• Expectations for the next few games with stops in Nashville and Philadelphia, before hosting Winnipeg on Saturday night.

Thanks as always to the team at CBC for putting it all together.

I joined Jessica Ng on CBC Radio Active to talk Oilers and preview their fifth game against the Los Angeles Kings. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, April 25)

Topics we covered:

• How the Oilers have started in each of their first four games, and what needs to improve.
• The Oilers overall performance, what they’ve done well and where they’ll need to improve. Had posted an article last night on this as well.
• Why Stuart Skinner should remain as the starting goalie for the Oilers.
• The Oilers scoring issues, and how the Oilers depth players can make an impact.
• The penalties being called and why we should expect the volume of calls to drop. Referenced this piece by Cam Charron from The Athletic.
• The idea of Dylan Holloway getting some minutes in the playoffs.

Thanks as always to the team at CBC for putting it all together.

I joined Min Dhariwal on CBC Radio Active to talk Oilers and their performance heading towards the playoffs. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, March 29).

Topics we covered:

• The Oilers win against Vegas last night.
• The outstanding play of Leon Draisaitl, and his improvement over the season.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the career-year he’s having.
• Issues around goaltending and why it’s a weak spot heading towards the playoffs.
• How the Pacific division is shaping up with the Oilers competing against the Golden Knights and Kings for top spot.

Thanks as always to the team at CBC for putting it all together.

I joined Jessica Ng on CBC Radio Active to talk Oilers and the deals they made at the NHL trade deadline. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, March 3).

Topics we covered:

• The acquisition of Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bjugstad, and the key elements that they’ll bring to the roster.
• Ken Holland’s overall approach with the trade deadline.
• Fan reaction to the trade deadline and the overall outlook of the Oilers heading towards the playoffs.

Thanks as always to the team at CBC for putting it all together.

I joined Jessica Ng and Min Dhariwal on CBC Radio Active to talk Oilers and the different storylines around the club. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2023, January 30).

Topics we covered:

• The Oilers playing Matt Berlin, their emergency back up goalie, against Chicago on Hockey Night in Canada and the general excitement around EBUG’s.
• What makes EBUG’s so unique and compelling, and some of the recent examples of them getting into NHL games.
• The team’s recent success, and the key drivers. Touched on some of the key items from my recent article.

Thanks as always to the team at CBC for putting it all together.

I joined Rod Kurtz on CBC Radio Active to discuss some of the Oilers off-season activities ahead of training camp opening this week. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2022, September 20)

Topics we covered:

• Disappointment with issuing a PTO agreement to Jake Virtanen and why the Oilers can expect a backlash – on and off the ice.
• Dylan Holloway’s performance at the Young Stars tournament in BC.
• The positive impact Jay Woodcroft can have on the team this year.
• What to watch for at training camp, including the defensive prospects like Broberg who will be pushing for a roster spot.

Thanks as always to the great team at CBC for putting it all together!

I joined Rod Kurtz on CBC Radio Active to recap the Oilers season and what the priorities should be this summer. Full segment is here: CBC Radio Active (2022, June 7)

Topics we covered:

• The Oilers series against the Avalanche, where the team struggled and what their opponents did well.
• The impact Jay Woodcroft has had on the team, reasons for their success and why it should be the Oilers top priority to bring him and Dave Manson back full-time.
• Priorties for the management team this summer, including integrating analytics into their decision-making process, avoiding long term deals with free agents who are likely see a decline in their productivity, fixing defence and goaltending. And uncovering the players who can drive offence and improve the team’s odds of winning games.

Thanks as always to the great team at CBC for putting it all together!