Friday Afternoon Oilers Links

Happy Halloween Oilers fans! The news cycle is dying down as the Oilers prepare for the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night, so today we start a new weekly feature here at the Rig, Oilers afternoon links!

Nikitin Returns (Oilers Website): Good news for the Oilers on the injury front, as defender Nikita Nikitin returned to practice on Friday morning, and will be a game-time decision for the Oilers. Chris Wescott from the Oilers official website breaks down his return and the potential impact.

Some Finnish In OKC (OilersNation): Our friend Lowetide takes a look at the man who could surprise as a call-up down the line. Finnish forward Iiro Pakarinen was signed as a free agent in the summer, and has made an impact down on the farm in his first pro season. Lowetide takes a look at the forward and asks if we might see him moving forward.

Rub Some Dirt On It Kid! (Copper and Blue): A topic which has flown under the radar the last week, Tom Renney revealed that he was fired because of a difference in mentality, or as Renney put it a difference in values. Derek Zona breaks down the latest round of information, which basically looks at the Oilers lack of taking injuries seriously. It’s totally unsurprising, but is still pretty alarming. This piece is really telling, and well worth the read.

Highway Robbery (Edmonton Journal): Just about a year ago, the Edmonton Oilers made a surprising trade, sending defender Ladislav Smid to the rival Calgary Flames for two prospects, including goalie Laurent Brossoit. Smid was a top-four defender for Edmonton, and the deal was seen as a massive loss at the time, but one year later, Edmonton is looking like they made out like bandits. Smid has struggled in Calgary, and the trade looks better by the day. Jonathan Willis examines it.

Enjoy these links and great articles from some of the best around the Oilers blogging community! Back next Friday with more links from around the internet!