Recent Blog Posts - Oil Drop

Time For Koskinen - Smith To Shine
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Heading into the 2019-20 season, the Edmonton Oilers chances of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs laid at the feet of two men. Ultimately, the play of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith would determine how things play out and through the team’s first 57 games that is exactly what has occurred.Thou...
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Jump On The Leon and Connor Express
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Jump On The Leon and Connor Express
With their perfect record no longer being a talking point, the Edmonton Oilers can officially settle into the 2019-20 campaign. Five wins in six games has re-invigorated fans across Oil Country and for the first time in ages, there is a sense of positivity creeping into the equation among the mas...
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Oilers Need The Good Mikko Koskinen
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Oilers Need The Good Mikko Koskinen
Be it tonight against the New York Islanders or in a couple of days from now when the Edmonton Oilers pay a visit to the New Jersey Devils, Mikko Koskinen will get a chance to start his first game of the 2019-20 campaign. No matter which one he winds up playing, it is apparent the towering guardi...
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Early Returns
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Early Returns
It hasn’t always been pretty but grading victories is not something the 2019-20 Edmonton Oilers can concern themselves with. Two games, two wins and both coming by the narrowest of margins. As expected, the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has done the so-called heavy lifting but ...
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Time To Silence The Critics
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Time To Silence The Critics
If he could, James Neal would like nothing more than to erase last season from the history books. Unfortunately, that isn’t how things work, not even for a ten-time 20-goal scorer. Like it or not, he now has something to prove and the Edmonton Oilers are banking on the 32-year-old pulling out all...
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Decision Time
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Decision Time
With the Edmonton Oilers pre-season schedule officially over, the time for Ken Holland and Dave Tippett to decide who will be part of the equation in Wednesday’s season opener has arrived. Chances are both will lean towards a more experienced lineup but lets us hope that won’t be deciding factor ...
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The Anton Burdasov Experiement
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The Anton Burdasov Experiement
After spending the past ten seasons on a variety of different teams in the KHL, Anton Burdasov has decided to take a crack at trying to land his dream gig…playing in the NHL. Though the hope of securing a one-way deal from an organization did not come to fruition, the Russian winger signed a PTO ...
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Ethan Bear Is Ready To Shine
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Ethan Bear Is Ready To Shine
Of all the young defencemen in the Edmonton Oilers system, Ethan Bear has become a forgotten man of sorts. Be it the free-agent signing of Joel Persson, highly-touted prospects Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov or AHL holdovers Caleb Jones and William Lagesson, the list of blueliners looking to ...
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Defence, Defence And More Defence
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Defence, Defence And More Defence
You have to give him credit. On the day the Edmonton Oilers announced Dave Tippett as their new head coach, many in the mainstream media were asking if he’d be bringing his defence-first system to the Alberta capital. Instead of stating the obvious, the Moosomin native suggested he wasn’t that ki...
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Benson Time
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Benson Time
It’s been just over three years since an article appeared in this very spot suggesting the Edmonton Oilers might have stolen Tyler Benson with 32nd pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. While they and every other organization not named the Chicago Blackhawks missed the boat on Alex DeBrincat, the for...
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The Oilers Are Deeper But Did They Do Enough?
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The Oilers Are Deeper But Did They Do Enough?
Following what was yet another disappointing campaign for the Edmonton Oilers, it should have surprised no one to see Ken Holland waste little time in tinkering with the club’s roster. Though one can argue with certain moves that were made along the blue line and between the pipes, the collection...
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The Jesse Puljujarvi Saga
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The Jesse Puljujarvi Saga
Isn’t it funny how things can go so wrong over the course of three short years? The date was June 24, 2016, and the setting was the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo. It was on that day the Edmonton Oilers were handed the good fortune of having Jesse Puljujarvi fall into their lap at the No. 4 position ...
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Improving The Penalty Kill
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Improving The Penalty Kill
Of all the issues that have hampered the Edmonton Oilers in recent years, perhaps the most perplexing has been their continued struggles on the penalty kill. Over the better part of the past three seasons, they have been among the league’s worst when shorthanded. Ken Holland is banking on that tr...
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A Pitch For Jake Gardiner
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A Pitch For Jake Gardiner
We are roughly four weeks into NHL free agency and defenceman Jake Gardiner is still without a home. Be it concern surrounding his health and/or the want for a contract at a healthy number with term, something is up with the former Toronto Maple Leafs rearguard. With that said, this would be the ...
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Holland Makes First Impactful Move
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Holland Makes First Impactful Move
To suggest Peter Chiarelli left the Edmonton Oilers in cap purgatory and with a badly flawed roster would be kind. Ken Holland knew cleaning up said mess was part of the deal when he took the gig as the club’s general manager and that it wasn’t going to be easy. Though he still has plenty of work...
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