In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Corey Perry makes his debut for the team on Saturday afternoon. How will be perform in a third-line role? Meanwhile, trade talk has quieted down because of the 15-game win streak, but is there some chatter about defenseman Brett Kulak? Calvin Pickard posted a shutout, and it will be intriguing to see how his strong play affects the team’s plans at the deadline. Finally, how good have the Edmonton Oilers been since Mattias Ekholm‘s arrival?
Corey Perry Makes Oilers Debut
Perry makes his Oilers debut as the club looks to close out their January schedule with a 16th straight win against the Nashville Predators. He will play on a line with Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod, two of the fastest skaters on the team. Holloway praised Perry as a legend, and Perry called himself just somebody who likes to play hockey. He’s excited about being back.
When asked about the speed on his line, Perry noted, “That works.” The Oilers are hoping they can make up for any lack of footspeed Perry might have and if he gets to the net and gets open, he could have some easy looks. As far as team chemistry goes, he called it a seamless process so far, but also that finding chemistry is a “learning process.”
Mattias Ekholm’s Impact on the Oilers
Bob Stauffer pointed out an interesting statistic for the Oilers today. Citing the team’s record since his arrival from Nashville, he’s played in 64 games for the Oilers and has eight goals and 24 assists. He is a plus-minus +43 and averages 20:55 per game. Most impressive, the Oilers are 46-16-2 (.734) with Ekholm in the lineup.
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That’s an incredible amount of success after one player joined the team. Ekholm is extremely underrated and the impact he’s had on Evan Bouchard shouldn’t be understated either. It’s no coincidence that the Oilers struggled early in the year when Ekholm was dealing with a nagging injury. The timing of their win streak and his improved health are certainly linked.
Are the Oilers Prepared to Run with the Skinner and Pickard Tandem?
As I wrote in an article about Calvin Pickard the other day, the adage, ‘It’s a good problem to have,’ holds to a certain extent for the Edmonton Oilers goaltender. The team finds itself in the fortunate position of having multiple trustworthy backup options, presenting a welcome challenge. The question is, are the Oilers comfortable enough with the tandem of Pickard and Stuart Skinner to push forward the rest of the season and into the playoffs?
Pickard’s standout performances make it likely the team won’t be able to pass him through waivers if they want to take another look at Jack Campbell. They also might not be sure he can carry a heavier load until they give him more games. Finding the right balance between keeping Skinner on his game by playing him (while also resting him enough), but testing Pickard will be key for Edmonton moving forward.
Related: Frank Seravalli Lists Kulak As Oilers’ Deadline Casualty
And, the team will need to figure all of this out ahead of the deadline before they choose to spend assets to fill other holes.
Is Brett Kulak a Potential Trade Candidate?
Amidst speculation ignited by Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer hinting at a potential defenseman move before the NHL Trade Deadline, the spotlight is on valuable blueliner Brett Kulak. Kulak’s name has surfaced on trade bait boards, including coming in at No. 11 on NHL insider Frank Seravalli’s board for Daily Faceoff.
Seravalli points out that Kulak is a likely trade chip due to his favorable contract, broad league-wide value, and the availability of a replacement in Edmonton. Noting that the Oilers can call up Philip Broberg and save money on their cap in the process makes the optics of a Kulak trade logical.
That said, Edmonton needs to be cautious about disrupting team chemistry, especially on the blue line where the six defensemen are doing an extremely good job of shutting teams down.