The Oilers after 48 Games – The Forwards

Last year was a lock out shortened 48 game season, the Oilers last night played their 48^th game of the 2013/14 season. Today I’ll look at the forwards defense and goaltending (that will be out later tonight) and tomorrow I’ll finish up with the Coaching and Management staff. Let’s look at where the team was last year to where they are today. (It’s not pretty)

The Core Forwards

Taylor Hall

In 2012-2013 Hall finished 10^th in league scoring last season with his 50 points scoring at 1.11ppg clip. It was a wakeup call for the league, letting everyone know that Hall had arrived and is and would be a player teams would have to watch out for from now on.

Hall has continued to be the offensive force for the Oilers this season as he currently sits 16^th in league scoring with 43 points in 41 games. He’s constantly been the driving force when it comes to scoring points and when you listen to Dallas Eakins he says that Hall is the most improved player defensively on this team.

Sam Gagner

Sam had his best scoring season in the 2012/13 season playing 2^nd line center last year, scoring .79 ppg. He played so well that even though the Oilers knew they needed to get bigger at center, they thought that Gagner’s offensive production would outweigh his size and signed him to a 3 year contract extension that count’s for 4.8 million under that cap.

This season Gagner is having a hard time with all aspects of the game, he hasn’t been able to put up many points, just 18 points in 35 games, when compared to last year he’s only putting up the points at a .51ppg clip. A lot can be said about Gags play, but you have to wonder how his season would be going if it wasn’t for that gross slash across the face he took from Vancouver agitator Zack Kassian. It’s really unfortunate because in camp and pre-season he appeared to be set to continue his torrid scoring pace. But as it is Gagners name is now mentioned in just about every trade rumor that involves the Oilers. Tough go for Samwise for sure.

Jordan Eberle

There wasn’t much to complain about in Eberle’s 12/13 season the young RW’er finished third in team scoring with 16-21-37, he played much of the season with leading scorer Taylor Hall whom he seems to have good chemistry with.

His good play offensively is continuing this season and while he ppg is currently a little lower at .65 he’s been coming on as of late and is always a threat on the power play. His, like the rest of the Oilers, defensive play can use some work but he’s maturing and I would expect that he improves in that area as he gets more experience going forward.

Like Sam Gagner, Jordan is being mentioned in trade rumors and if he’s traded would garner quite the return.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

The Nuge played much of the 12/13 season with a shoulder injury and his point production suffered from it. The Oilers young number 1 center only scored 4 goals last season and added 20 assists. That’s terrible from the kid who’s offense I think will someday equal that of Taylor Hall and the other great players in the NHL. That nagging shoulder injury shut RNH down just before the end of last season and we were all told not to expect our little fragile baby Nuge back until at least November but possibly December of the 13/14 season.

Well the Nuge wasn’t the baby we thought him to be and only missed the first 2 games of the season, playing on October 7^th against the New Jersey Devils. Nuge who IMO has been the most improved player for the Oilers this year and currently has 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points, he appears to be getting better on a game by game basis too. I think that the win against the Penguins the other night might have been his coming out party so to speak as he went head to head against Sidney Crosby and won the battle and the game.

Nail Yakupov

Nail should have won the rookie of the year award last season. He led the Oilers and all NHL rookies in goals and had the whole world, except for Don Cherry, talking about him after some outrageously fun celebrations. We all saw last year that the young Russian and Oilers 1^st overall pick was rough around the edges but with experience there was no doubt in my mind the Oilers had picked up another star player at the top of the draft.

This season, ugh, talk about sophomore slump. After scoring 17 goals in 48 games last season, he’s seen himself sitting in the press box on two occasions this year. Coach Eakins has been critical of his defensive play and it’s not just his play without the puck that is suffering. Yak has struggled to fill the back of the net this year, through 45 games he’s only lit the lamp 9 times, and while that’s not bad it’s not up to expectations that’s for sure. The head coach is working with Nail and it seem that the kid is listening, he’s seeing more ice time and his defensive play and offensive production seem to be coming around.

Ales Hemsky

In the 12/13 season everyone thought Hemsky was sure to be traded, but again the veteran winger had some injury issues and missed 10 games with miscellaneous cuts, bruises and general body soreness. But as always when Hemsky was on the ice he was producing right where he should be for your 2^nd/3^rd line RWer. Ales scores 9 goals to go along with 11 assists for a .52 ppg pace.

This season Hemsky has managed to stay healthy (knock on wood) and continues at around the same scoring pace as last season with 7 goals and 17 assists in 47 games. This continued production and if he stays healthy almost guarantees that he’ll be traded before the deadline on March 5^th. Listen everyone knows that I really like Hemsky as I constantly stick up for him when people call him soft or disinterested, but I would like to see him move to a contender where he’ll have a chance at some success, and quite frankly the Oilers have other players that can do what he can do better.

Well There you have it folks, not too much has changed with the core forward group and there production. What has changed is the team’s position in the standing and there are reasons for that, I suspect we’ll get an idea of why as this 3 part series continues.

Thanks for Reading