Oil Spills: A podcast on the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are playing consistently well enough to hold down a position high in the NHL standings thanks to a number of factors, including a much-improved defence. Oscar Klefbom is leading the NHL in average time-on-ice and looking more and more like a true No. 1 defenceman, while Ethan Bear has been the surprise of the season on the blue line and has fit right in among the Oilers’ top-four blue-liners. Host Craig Ellingson talks to Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson about the Oilers’ defence and about what the team might need to make it a legitimate playoff contender. Immediate answer: A top-six winger and a better third-line centreman, pieces that Oilers GM Ken Holland is surely mulling even though the trade deadline is far off.

The rumour has been persistent since early in this NHL season, that Taylor Hall — former Edmonton Oilers star — would welcome a trade away from the New Jersey Devils, who have faltered on the ice thus far. And his rumoured preferred destination? The Oilers.   Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest about the rumours and what a Taylor Hall trade to Edmonton would mean for the team.

After playing Eastern Conference teams for more than half of their games through the first third of November, the Edmonton Oilers will face their fellow Western NHL squads exclusively for 10 straight games through the start of December. The stretch includes six road games and seven clashes with their Pacific Division siblings. What it could mean is we’ll see some separation from the pack by the Oilers, who sit first in the Pacific and second in the West heading into the first of these 10 games or find Edmonton jostling with their rivals to stay in the playoff mix. Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson talks to host Craig Ellingson about the Oilers and their upcoming slate of Western games and about how they got to this point: with improved defensive play, the emergence of Ethan Bear, solid goaltending by the tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith, and the continued scoring prowess of Leon Draisaitl — the NHL’s leading scorer — and Connor McDavid.

Win some, lose some. Recent games are suggesting the Connor McDavid- and Leon Draisaitl-led Edmonton Oilers are human after all. After a torrid start to the 2019-20 NHL campaign, the Oilers have lost games they probably should have been in on — and have won games they likely should have lost. Considering the team is still getting very good goaltending, however, from both Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen — and that Draisaitl continues to play at the very highest NHL level alongside McDavid, plus we're seeing more secondary scoring — there is reason to believe these aren't last season's Oilers, which saw things go sideways come mid-December. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski join host Craig Ellingson to talk about the recent up-and-down, Jekyll-and-Hyde-type performances — both at home and on the road, from a bad loss to Florida at Rogers Place to a clunker in Detroit, a commanding win in Columbus and an unlikely OT win in Pittsburgh to a totally dominated home-ice loss to Arizona.

The Edmonton Oilers' so-called 'bottom six' forwards have yet to score a goal — and most have yet to notch even an assist — almost a month into the 2019-20 NHL season. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski talk to host Craig Ellingson about the team's secondary-scoring woes.

The Edmonton Oilers are flying high to start the 2019-20 NHL season, but even teams that touch the top of the standings can see their star players fall off a bit as seen in recent games. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl didn’t crowd the scoresheet in a win over Detroit and in a shutout shootout loss to the Jets, which once again underscores the need for the Oilers to conjure goals from their secondary lines. Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest about McDavid, Draisaitl and the forwards as well as the team’s continually solid goaltending.

The Edmonton Oilers' strong start to the 2019-20 NHL season is certainly a pleasant surprise to the team's fans. Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson talks to host Craig Ellingson about how the Oilers can keep producing at this level, barring setbacks due to injury, including getting production from the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian on the first line as well as power-play production from James Neal as well as reliable goaltending and a maturing defence that has handled Adam Larsson's absence well.

We’ll take Connor McDavid at less than 100 per cent if that’s what it looks like given his performance in the Edmonton Oilers’ first two games of the NHL regular season. McDavid and linemates Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian were in fine scoring form against the Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings as the Oilers start the 2019-20 campaign with a pair of home wins. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest join host Craig Ellingson to talk about McDavid and the Oilers’ start, goalie Mike Smith’s wandering ways and the impact of Adam Larsson’s long-term injury to the team’s defensive corps.

A new season, a whole lot of new faces at forward to play alongside Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins et al. And as usual when new players are added to the Edmonton Oilers’ mix, it remains to be seen if the moves and gambles made by the general manager and the coaching staff will result in more sparks. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski join host Craig Ellingson to talk about the start of the 2019-20 NHL season for the Oilers.

Connor McDavid was rusty handling the puck but his knee, injured at the end of last season, looked fine in preseason action against the Arizona Coyotes as the NHL star saw his first action since he tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest join host Craig Ellingson to talk about McDavid, and the state of the team in training camp on both offence and defence, particularly the fight among forwards for spots among the bottom six and how the blueline corps might look with an injury to Joel Persson.

Joel Persson has some definite offensive skills the Edmonton Oilers could use on the blueline. The Swedish defenceman is one of the brightest of the new faces at training camp this year, and if one exhibition game means anything (it doesn't) to go with his one-way contract, he will be on the team's opening-night roster along with another new face, be that an AHL prospect or even Evan Bouchard, who finished up in junior last year. Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Rob Tychkowski and Derek Van Diest about the blueline corps, plus they wonder aloud what it would mean to the Oilers if star Connor McDavid missed any time — even a measly half-dozen games, let's say. It could certainly be disastrous to their season as he factored in on half the NHL team’s offensive output a year ago. McDavid is expected to sit out the pre-season while his knee, which he injured in the final game of 2018-19, is still on the mend.

Goalie Mike Smith will bring a puck-handling savvy, veteran presence and a strong second-half showing with the Calgary Flames last season to the Edmonton Oilers in 2019-20 to split duties with Mikko Koskinen, who was shaky down the stretch.  Hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest and host Craig Ellingson discuss how things could play out in Edmonton’s net this year.

The Minnesota Wild chose another rookie in Bill Guerin to fill their general manager’s chair less than a month after firing Paul Fenton, who lasted in the job just 14 months as a first-time GM. Guerin ticked off many boxes for Wild owner Craig Leipold, whose team plays in the rabid U.S. ‘State of Hockey.’ But Guerin apparently wasn’t even a finalist, if he really interviewed at all, for the Edmonton Oilers job that went to Ken Holland in early May. Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson talk about Guerin, the one-time Oilers power forward, and why he suits an NHL GM position.

The Edmonton Oilers don't have a bonafide No. 3 centre heading into September's training camp. Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson talk about what the Oilers could do to address the issue.

Yes, James Neal had a forgettable 2018-19 campaign for the Calgary Flames. But in swapping Milan Lucic for him in a July trade, the Edmonton Oilers may have made a masterful move. Host Craig Ellingson and hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest talk about the possibilities of Neal as an Oiler, particularly if the perennial 20-something goal-scorer regains his scoring touch alongside the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins this coming NHL season.

What’s with the ongoing drama between the Edmonton Oilers and Jesse Puljujarvi's camp? Hockey beat writer Derek van Diest talks to host Craig Ellingson about the Finnish winger and his trade demands. The fourth-overall pick from the 2016 NHL Draft requires a new contract, but given his paltry pro performance thus far in his career, his market value is relatively low.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson talk about the Edmonton Oilers’ rivals in the Pacific Division and the moves they’ve made early in the summer and what to expect from them before the start of the 2019-20 NHL season.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson talk about what the Edmonton Oilers could do this summer to acquire a winger to play among the NHL team's Top 6 forwards, particularly someone who could pair up on the second line with centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson talk about the challenges Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland faces this summer in his quest to find a winger who can play among the NHL team’s top six forwards for this coming season.

An NHL goalie and a forward with some scoring prowess are high on Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland’s shopping list as this summer’s NHL free agency comes closer. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski talk to host Craig Ellingson about free agency and about the Oilers' bounty from the recent NHL Draft, which saw the team take defenceman Philip Broberg in the first round.

It’s NHL Draft Week — but let's call it NHL Convention week, with general managers gathering from across North America for the two-day event June 21-22 this year in Vancouver. Not that GMs have waited to see their colleagues in person to make a whole lot of signings ahead of free agency, which is due to start July 1, and make a few trades beforehand. Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson joins host Craig Ellingson to talk about the trade market for Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland and what fans might see the Oilers do with their six picks in the NHL Draft, particularly their eighth-overall selection.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson talks to host Craig Ellingson about the potential of a Milan Lucic-for-Loui Eriksson deal between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, about where forward Jesse Puljujarvi stands with the Oilers as the NHL Draft — a.k.a. NHL GMs trading convention — approaches, and about who/what the Oilers might target with the eighth overall pick in the June 21-22 draft.

Hockey beat writer Rob Tychkowski joins host Craig Ellingson to talk about the Edmonton Oilers hiring Dave Tippett as the NHL team's head coach. Specifically: Tippett will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins's eighth head coach in nine years. RNH, the Oilers' longest-serving player, was taken first overall by the Oilers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. How Tippett differs as a coach from immediate Oilers predecessors Ken Hitchcock and Todd McLellan. Hitchcock finished this past season as head man after McLellan was fired 20 games into the 2018-19 NHL campaign. What 'style' of coaching we might expect to see from Tippett, who had the reputation as a defensive-minded coach in Arizona and Dallas. The limits of what changes we can expect to see in the Oilers next season based on coaching alone.

This week, hockey beat writer Jim Matheson and host Craig Ellingson are talking about coaches and the Edmonton Oilers. There are old ones. Specifically: Craig McTavish, the Oilers’ bench boss for the first eight NHL seasons of the 21st Century, lately senior vice-president of hockey operations, and now a former member of the organization after he left last week to coach in Russia. Ralph Krueger, head coach of the Oilers in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, who was hired last week by the Buffalo Sabres as coach after leaving his chairman’s job in soccer's English Premier League with Southampton. He had recently said he wasn’t interested in returning to the Oilers. And did you know Duane Sutter was once an NHL head coach? For parts of two seasons with the Florida Panthers in 2000-01 and 2001-02. He was let go from his job as Oilers' head of pro scouting earlier this week. And a new one. The Oilers are expected to hire a head coach very soon, perhaps by the end of the week. Odds are it'll be former Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett, who's been working with Seattle's expansion franchise, and not Todd Nelson.

Hockey writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest talk to host Craig Ellingson about what lies immediately ahead for new Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland: Hiring a new head coach and assessing his team’s player assets.

Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson, Rob Tychkowski and Derek Van Diest talk to host Craig Ellingson about the Edmonton Oilers' hiring of Ken Holland as general manager.

Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Rob Tychkowski and Derek Van Diest about the ongoing Edmonton Oilers' search for a new general manager, which is rumoured to have been whittled down to a handful of candidates. They also talk about: Connor McDavid's odds of winning the Hart Trophy as the player deemed most valuable to his NHL team after he was named one of three finallists. The future of Oilers blueline prospect Evan Bouchard, who scored two goals in two playoff games for the AHL Bakersfield Condors after being assigned there once his junior team's season ended. The topsy-turvy, unpredictable NHL playoff picture following the first round.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson talks to host Craig Ellingson about the playoff picture in the NHL’s Western Conference, which has seen three of the top four seeds eliminated — No. 3 seed San Jose Sharks will play a seventh game against the sixth-seeded Vegas Golden Knights — and about ‘what could’ve beens’ if the Edmonton Oilers had somehow, someway made the post-season and scored the chance to play top-ranked Calgary. They also talk about: - News that Ralph Krueger, who was once the head coach of the Oilers before being unceremoniously dumped in the 2013 off-season, is not interested in Edmonton's general manager's job. - One-time Oilers player Marc Habschied, currently head coach of the WHL powerhouse Prince Albert Raiders, and his long career in hockey. - And former Oilers bench boss Todd McLellan, who was recently hired by the Los Angeles Kings.

Hockey beat writers Rob Tychkowski and Jim Matheson join host Craig Ellingson to talk about why the Edmonton Oilers should really start the process of hiring a new general manager by first putting in place a new president of hockey operations. Also: - Former Oilers star Jordan Eberle has three goals in his first three playoff games with the New York Islanders. Eberle was traded to the Islanders from Edmonton after his first NHL playoff experience in 2017 with the Oilers, a scoreless 13-game affair for him. - There's no rule that says an NHL team needs to make public what a player injury might be, but playing coy on Friday about what ails Connor McDavid's leg backfired on the Oilers after they were given the social-media gears about a definite lack of detail in their information delivered to fans and media.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson defends his column in which he says the Edmonton Oilers should simply lift the ‘interim’ general manager tag from Keith Gretzky — brother of the Great One, Wayne, who is also an Oilers executive — arguing he knows the players in the organization better than anyone and has developed a solid reputation scouting and plucking talent from the amateur ranks. Matheson's stance swims against popular opinion, as evidenced by a recent Postmedia Oilers reader survey that found just 14% would hire Keith if they ran the NHL team. His take is also anything but hot with the hordes on social media.   In this episode, Oil Spills host Craig Ellingson talks to Matheson about his thoughts on Keith Gretzky, on the state of Oilers management and executiveness in general, on the Oilers’ draft slot at eighth and about the start of the NHL playoffs.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun talks to host Craig Ellingson about the Edmonton Oilers’ search for a general manager and perhaps a president of hockey operations, too. Also: The Oilers’ goaltending situation as the season draws to a close, how Mikko Koskinen’s inconsistent play has brought to the surface the need for a reliable backup — maybe even a 1A — for next season. How to grow a professional women’s hockey league in the wake of recent news the Canadian Women’s Hockey League is folding.

Oilers Entertainment Group chief executive officer Bob Nicholson’s recent comments about Edmonton Oilers forward Tobias Rieder — Nicholson blamed Rieder, who hasn’t scored a goal all season, for the team’s failure to secure a playoff spot — turned Nicholson into a lightning rod among many Oilers fans, a figure onto which they turned their frustrations over yet another losing season — 12 of the last 13 of them out of the NHL playoffs.

Host Craig Ellingson and hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest focus on the ever-slimmer playoff hopes of the team. They’re pretty much hopeless, practically, but because the NHL’s Western Conference has a lot of mediocre teams this season — the Oilers among them — Edmonton still has hope this late in the campaign. At the same point last year, the Oilers were well back of the playoff pack and out of the race. They also talk about Connor Mcdavid and his Hart Trophy odds — they think they should be high, but like last year, the Oilers are out of the playoff picture, so chances are he’ll miss out — and about the Cinderella story that is the Arizona Coyotes, the relatively no-name team has decent odds of staying in and winning a wild-card playoff spot and if there are any lessons in that team for the Oilers.

Postmedia reporter Trevor Robb speaks with hockey writers Derek Van Diest and Rob Tychkowski on the possibility of the Edmonton Oilers making the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring. The Oilers have pulled within five points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 13 games left to play. Is there really an opportunity for the Oilers to get into the playoffs? They are playing their best hockey of the season, currently on a 7-2-1 run. The team is starting to turn skeptics into believers. And even the Hockey Gods seem to be cooperating. Either way, it's nice to have the Oilers play meaningful games in March.

Forwards Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian have been playing well for the Edmonton Oilers of late, scoring regularly as the team tries to claw its way back into the NHL wild-card playoff spot convsersation as the regular season ticks down. What have they done to elevate their games? Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest about Draisaitl and Kassian, and about the effect Andrej Sekera has had on the Oilers defence since he made his season debut last month and about the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers’ minor-league affiliate that recently claimed a 17-game win streak in the AHL.

The Oilers made no deals on trade deadline. Derek Van Diest and Jim Matheson discuss why that may be.

The Edmonton Oilers are indeed sellers for the 2019 NHL trade deadline coming up on Feb. 25. They dealt goalie Cam Talbot to the Philadelphia Flyers for Anthony Stolarz in order to clear salary cap room for defenceman Andrej Sekera, who returned to the Oilers lineup from injury. But can the Oilers under interim general manager Keith Gretzky reasonably do much else besides give players away for middling draft picks to try to clear salary off the books? Other questions: should Gretzky — brother of the Great One, Wayne — be seriously considered to become the permanent GM of the Oilers? And it’s unlikely Ken Hitchcock will be back next season as head coach — what sort of coach should the Oilers target this time around?

The Edmonton Oilers can win games away from home, but over the last bunch of games, they can’t seem to win at their own arena, Rogers Place. The question, of course, is why? Just another thing that’s in the water? Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski talk to host Craig Ellingson about home-ice challenges plus the prospects of the Oilers getting defenceman Andrej Sekera back in the lineup soon, about the recent success of the AHL Bakersfield Condors and about ex-Oilers coach Dallas Eakins probably being in line to become the new head coach of the Anaheim Ducks next season.

We’ve been watching this dance in slow motion for weeks now, with the Edmonton Oilers on the edge of it — both before and after their extended break during and after the NHL all-star game. It’s the great turtle derby being contested by half the Western Conference. One thing is for sure — at some point, a couple of these teams are going to break away from the pack. And the question in Edmonton is: Do the Oilers have the right team to do it? Host Craig Ellingson talks to Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest about the great Western Conference Wild-card Turtle Derby of 2019 and what it’ll take for the Oilers to rise above it. And the danger for the Oilers all of this: Making a trade for help now that could sacrifice the future becoming all for naught.

With Peter Chiarelli out and Keith Gretzky in, for the interim, as general manager, the Edmonton Oilers have an existential question to ask of themselves: Are they really all in on making the 2019 NHL playoffs — which would surely mean trading away future prospects in the form of young players or draft picks — or are they willing to ride through the storm, no matter the cost?

The Edmonton Oilers are losing ground in the multi-team race for the wild-card playoff spots in the Western Conference as the NHL heads for the all-star break. A pair of weekend home losses — to the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes — saw the Oilers slip a few points behind the pack while their rivals won games. Opportunities to get at the forefront of the wildcard race: Gone. Lost. Considering the Oilers changed coaches just two months ago, and considering they’ve won eight of their last 20 games, the focus is squarely on the makeup of the team an the man who put it together, general manger Peter Chiarelli. Mind you, GMs are always in the spotlight of Canadian NHL teams, but considering even his most-recent deals and moves — never mind the big ones from the past involving the likes of Taylor Hall, Griffin Reinhart and Milan Lucic — Oilers fans’ voices are reaching a fever pitch in calling for Chiarelli to be fired. Hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun talk to host Craig Ellingson about the sputtering club.

Inconsistency has dogged the Edmonton Oilers for the last month — indeed, since the team lost both Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell to injury from its defensive corps a month go, with Klefbom yet to return — resulting in them sitting on the cusp of a wildcard playoff berth in the Western Conference. And while the Oilers have been stuck in a win one or two, lose one or two type of rut as of late, at least the half dozen other teams also in the wildcard hunt have been plagued by inconsistencies, too. For now. Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Rob Tychkowski about the continued sputtering by the Oilers, about talk of the team sending out serious feelers in the trade quest for a top-line forward, and about the high number of shots they’re giving up each game.

So, what’s it going to be — the bad Edmonton Oilers we saw play the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, or the Oilers that shut down the Anaheim Ducks the very next night? Saturday’s wretched shutout loss to the Kings showed the Oilers’ definite lack of motivation — not a playoff attitude, head coach Ken Hitchcock said after the game — while Sunday’s win over Anaheim showed the Oilers can play well when they want to. Podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to NHL beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest about the Oilers’ inconsistent, Jekyll & Hyde weekend performance and about the grabs and holds and shots Oilers superstar Connor McDavid endures many times per game.

Part 2 (of 2) of our mid-season look at the ongoing hot-button topics surrounding the Edmonton Oilers. Jim Matheson, Derek Van Diest and Craig Ellingson talk about: - the surprising Alex Chiasson, who came into Oilers training camp as a tryout replacement for Scottie Upshall, earned a contract and is on a scoring tear. - the impact of injuries to defensemen Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell - the play of forward Jesse Puljujarvi, who has looked better since being called up from Bakersfield to work under Hitchcock. - and the hot seat Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli occupies and has been since last season.

Part 1 of a look back at the Edmonton Oilers’ season so far — a mid-season report of sorts as NHL teams near the halfway mark of the 2018-19 schedule. Jim Matheson, Derek Van Diest and Craig Ellingson talk about three simmering, ongoing subjects surrounding the Oilers, including: the rise of Mikko Koskinen to become the starting goaltender. the Nov. 20 coaching change that saw Ken Hitchcock replace Todd McLellan as head coach. the ongoing saga of Milan Lucic, who has struggled to score this season and last.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson talks to Oil Spills host Craig Ellingson about the Edmonton Oilers’ successful stretch of games under head coach Ken Hitchcock, taking points in 10 of 13 games — eight of them wins — since he replaced Todd McLellan on Nov. 20, 2018. The team finally looked, shall we say, human in Vancouver on Dec. 16 in a 4-2 loss to the Canucks, a team behind them in the NHL’s Western Conference standings. While it’s important to win such games if you’re a team such as the Oilers, it is unrealistic to suggest if they do lose that things are horribly wrong. If the Oilers keep lulls and jags to a minimum, they should be able to maintain their status among playoff contenders in the Western Conference. They also talk about the goaltending platoon of Mikko Koskinen and Cam Talbot and why it makes sense for Hitchcock to keep using Talbot, who is now Koskinen’s understudy, on a regular basis.

The Edmonton Oilers have enjoyed a successful start to the Ken Hitchcock era, with the adjustments brought in by the legendary NHL coach tightening things up defensively and creating more scoring opportunities. Their play is also being bolstered by the solid goaltending by the tandem of Mikko Koskinen and Cam Talbot, and has led to a flurry of wins. All this success with a bit of a blast from the past as former Oilers captain Andrew Ference recently sounded off on the team’s dressing-room culture of a few years ago and how it might explain why things are what they were back then when Dallas Eakins was coach — and even how they are now. Podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest about the team’s play under Hitchcock and talk to David Staples of the Cult of Hockey blog about the ‘atomic bomb’ dropped by Ference on a recent podcast with NHL insider Elliott Friedman.

We found out what a superstar-less Edmonton Oilers team is like, and it wasn’t pretty when Connor McDavid sat out his team’s game on the road against the Dallas Stars when he fell ill. While it was just one game, short of expecting McDavid to be the ultimate iron-man, illness and injuries do happen, and the Oilers certainly looked like they were running on a lower-octane fuel minus him. What it did was magnify the team’s current lack of depth on the wings. Podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writer Derek Van Diest about McDavid’s absence and about the NHL’s approval of a Seattle team for the 2021-22 season — a new rival for the Oilers playing in the Pacific Division.

Ken Hitchcock has had a good glimpse at what ails his new team, what works and what doesn’t early in his tenure behind the Edmonton Oilers bench. With other teams who had gone through a ‘rebuild’ phase at the same time as these Oilers finally realizing success — like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres — is there anything Hitchcock, the third-winningest coach in NHL history, can do to jumpstart flailing Edmonton? Oil Spills podcast host Craig Ellingson talks to Oilers beat writer Rob Tychkowski of the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun about Hitchcock and the work the head coach done over the past week while on a three-game road trip to California. Are we watching a repeat of the sputtering Oilers show we’ve been watching now, 2016-17 aside, for more than a decade now. Is it too much for even Hitchcock to handle?

Todd McLellan is out, Ken Hitchcock is in as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. The move comes after the team lost six of its last seven games heading into a road trip to California, sitting a game below .500 and sitting outside the NHL playoff picture. Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Jim Matheson and Derek Van Diest about the coaching change, why it happens now and what we might expect from Hitchcock, an Edmonton native and one of the winningest head coaches in NHL history.

The Edmonton Oilers have come crashing back to earth after a good showing in October, when they posted a 6-4-1 record while beating strong teams such as the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators and the Washington Capitals, the defending Stanley Cup champions no less, along the way. Heading into their Nov. 13 home game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Oilers had lost four games in a row in rather convincing fashion, harkening back to memories of last season’s adrift squad. Host Craig Ellingson talks to hockey beat writers Jim Matheson, Rob Tychkowski and Derek Van Diest about the backsliding Oilers and why they’re struggling.