The Dog Days: The Right Side

How about them Bluejays, eh? As summer rolls on, many hockey fans have turned to watching baseball or other summer sports, patiently awaiting for the arrival of NHL training camps. As always, it’s a grueling process that every fan suffers, but its the waiting that makes the opening faceoff that much better. The hard thing about this particular year, though, is the fact that the Oilers have done so much, and the anticipation to see the finished product on the ice is through the roof! With that being said, let me try to give you your daily fix of Edmonton Oilers. This will be part 3 of my roster reflection series “The Dog Days” and we will be taking a look at how the Right Wing stacks up. The right side has probably been one of the least talked about positions as a whole on this Oilers team. While they have guys that garner noteworthy news like Jordan Eberle and Nail Yakupov, the position as a whole is rarely looked at in an exclusive manner. The depth chart is actually pretty decent as well as holding some interesting questions. Ok, enough with this intro, let’s get right into it…

Jordan Eberle

Lets start it off with World Junior legend, Jordan Eberle. The 25-year-old from Regina first gained popularity for his heroic efforts for the Canadian junior squad but has since gone on to have a pretty decent NHL career to date. Drafted 22nd by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2008 NHL draft, Eberle made his NHL debut in the 2010/11 season. His rookie season with the big club went smoothly as he netted a decent 43 points, not at all bad for a rookie. From then on, however, Eberle would go on to post some high numbers. Coming into the 2011/12 season, Eberle was able to avoid the infamous sophomore slump, posting career highs in goals (34) and assists (47). Despite the impressive season, many believed that it was just a one-off and that Eberle was due to regress in the following years. The inference delivered to a point, while Eberle hasn’t been able to achieve similar totals, he has had successful seasons since, including two impressive 60pt campaigns. This past season he managed 24 goals and 39 assists, good for 63 points in 81 games.

It would be a lie to say that Jordan Eberle hasn’t delivered on expectations. He was touted as creative scorer, and a creative scorer is what Edmonton got. An aspect that wasn’t expected of Eberle has been his durability in the big leagues. In 5 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Eberle has only missed a measly 20 games. His ability to escape injury, despite his small stature and skill set, has helped Eberle maintain a consistent pace. This consistency is perhaps the most valuable asset that Eberle brings to the table, who doesn’t seem to be susceptible to streaky play. The slick right-winger occupied the team’s top line and, with the help of Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Benoit Pouliot, put up his third 60 point season. The coming season will most likely see him in the same spot, and he will be expected to deliver another high scoring season with those slick hands of his. An interesting thing to look out for, come training camp, is how Todd McLellan chooses to utilize him. As I mentioned, Eberle finished the season with RNH and Pouliot as linemates, a duo that looked fairly well, but with the arrival of McDavid, we could very well see Eberle paired with the 18-year-old phenom in an attempt to cash in on what could be his prime years. Until we see this change, I have Eberle penciled in as the teams #1 RW.

Nail Yakupov

Second up, is the heavily scrutinized Nail Yakupov. One could say that Nail hasn’t had the prettiest of NHL careers. A tale of woe to date, Nail entered the league with sky-high expectations, being drafted 1st overall in 2012. Some articles were already touting Yakupov as the NHL’s next best scorer, I remember reading that he’d be a 40-50 goal scorer by now. The expectations have, so far, been proven to be too tall for the Russian forward, despite an eccentric rookie season in which he notched 31 points, Nail has somewhat hit a snag. Coming into his sophomore season with a new coach, Dallas Eakins, there were some tell-tale signs that the coach/player situation wasn’t to pretty. Nail started to slump, and with the slump came some demotions, demotions that turned into time in the press box. This harsh decline combined with the expectations have even prompted many to, prematurely, call Yakupov as a bust, a title I believe he far from achieving. In his latest season with the Oilers, Yakupov swiftly turned his play around under a new coach, intern Todd Nelson, which brought more discussion on how Eakins had utilized him. He’s on the upswing, and the 2015/16 season will be a make or break for Nail Yakupov.

We saw glimpses of what Yak could do in the late stages on last season. The kid can shoot the puck and, with the combination of players, has the potential to score a lot of goals. He has been juggled around in terms of where he plays on the roster, spending time on all four lines at some point, but he is undoubtedly a top 6 talent and I fully expect him to roll on the 2nd line. Their will be some challenges for the 21-year-old. One of those will be having to, once again, get used to a new center, as Derek Roy will not be returning. It’s a challenge, but it may not be as difficult as it sounds. As it stands, I have Connor McDavid pinned as the teams second line center, and if that does come to fruition, then Yakker is in luck. Don’t get me wrong, Derek Roy is an exceptional centerman, and he played a big role in the turnaround of Yakupov but, his skill set doesn’t come close to that of McDavid’s. Yakupov has always been an elite finisher, and if McDavid’s transition to the NHL goes as smoothly as everyone thinks, then we see a major breakout season for the young Russian. His fellow winger will most likely be Taylor Hall which will only add to the quality of talent that Yakupov will be working alongside. This is a golden opportunity for him and, even though I think this will be his year, only time will tell if Nail Yakupov can return to the level that made him a first overall pick.

Teddy Purcell

Coming third in the depth chart is everyone’s favorite Teddy, that being Teddy Purcell. The former Tampa Bay Lightning forward was acquired last summer prior to free agency in exchange for Sam Gagner. At the time, the trade was seen as rather so-so by many Oilers fans, including myself. Mostly because the Oilers were already thin at the center position, something that cost them dearly. Despite the depth situation, the Oilers weren’t getting a bad forward. 3 seasons removed from an impressive 65 point campaign, Purcell has proven to be a consistent point producer and added some good depth on the RW. Along with that steady rep, he brought some size in to the lineup stacking up at 6’3″ and 203 pounds. At the time he seemed like a decent bottom 6 guy to bring in. Even with all this, his first season with Edmonton turned out to be rather underwhelming. He put up a respectable 34 points but he also played a soft game, even with his size. The Oilers were already ripe with players who played a non-physical game. Not to mention that the team was paying a hefty price for Purcell, with a 4.5 million cap-hit. He was subject to buyout speculation earlier in the summer and is entering his final year of the deal, so the Oilers are hoping for some a some more rugged style of play before they, most likely, dump him next summer.

When it comes to what Teddy Purcell could provide in the coming season, it isn’t to cloudy. Other than having a more qualified center to play with, in the likes of Anton Lander, Purcell will basically be playing in the same role with the club. Holding down the third line RW spot, Purcell is a great depth forward and if he plays to the top of his ability, could anchor a real good scoring line as Lander is just hitting his stride and Korpikoski brings some great speed. I don’t see a major change coming to Purcell’s soft game but I think there is a possibility that he can improve his current style, given that his linemates do the same. I believe there is another 40pt season left in the Newfoundlander. Really, other than that, we should be expecting more of the same from Purcell, there is room for improvement, but it really could go both ways.

Rob Klinkhammer

Known as ‘Colonel Klink” by many Oilers fans, Rob Klinkhammer has gained some fans in his brief 40 games played as an Oiler. acquired from Pittsburgh in the David Perron trade, Rob Klinkhammer was inserted onto the Oilers “Wagon Line” with Matt Hendricks and Boyd Gordon. Prior to being traded to Edmonton, Klinkhammer was having trouble finding steady place to play. Starting the 2014/15 season with Arizona, Klink played 19 games in the desert before being shipped to Pittsburgh, a stint that only lasted 10 games. That problem seems to have been solved in Edmonton however, as the club announced a 1 year contract extension with him. Klinkhammer has never been known as a highly skilled player, more so being used in a bottom 6 role. His career highs all stem from the 2013/14 season where he recorded 11 goals and 9 assists, good for 20 points.

In terms of what Klinkhammer’s impact on the team, it honestly isn’t that significant, that isn’t to say that he isn’t a valuable member of the team. Alongside guys like Hendricks and Gordon, Klinkhammer played some heavy hitting hockey and has even helped win some games, scoring the winner in the marathon shootout against San Jose. Coming into 2015/16 Klinkhammer’s role will stay status quo, staying on the fourth line and being used as a grinding force. Like Purcell, he will have a chance to up his level of play with some more capable linemates. Mark Letestu will center his line, and given that Letestu is a more offensive skill than Gordon, we may see a slight increase in Klink’s production. He will serve as a useful off-ice character throughout the season. Not much else to say about his 2015/16 outlook.

That about does it for this edition of “The Dog Days”. Just to further clear up the formatting of this series, I like writing two complete paragraphs for each player discussed. The first being a look at the history of the player and a little about how they play. The second touches on what they bring to the team and what we could possibly expect from them in the upcoming season.

Please feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comments!

I am always open to constructive criticism, as long as you put it in a respectful and knowledgeable format.

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