Share this Story: Edmonton training camp tidbits plus clearing up an Oilers rumor that a lot of people had wrong: 9 Things Edmonton training camp tidbits plus clearing up an Oilers rumor that a lot of people had wrong: 9 Things Article content Day 3 of Edmonton Oilers training camp is well in the books and Day 4 is now upon us. Here are a handful of items that may have slid through the cracks, given the avalanche of information that rumbles out these days. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Edmonton training camp tidbits plus clearing up an Oilers rumor that a lot of people had wrong: 9 Things Back to video But also, a paragraph on a misconception around Edmonton this Summer that you may care to reconsider. 9 Things 9. Scottie Upshall was indeed on the ice Saturday. Looks like he’s trying to build up strength and mobility in the knee that caused him to fail his first physical. He was on his skates doing boards, ahead of one of the scrimmages. That would indicate that the PTO is not far off. Speaking of which… 8. I expect Alex Chiasson to get a long look. His experience and bottom-6 skill set could be useful for a club like Edmonton. Plus, Glen Gulutzan has coached him before. But Chiasson’s presence is also an insurance policy if a deal is made toward the end of camp, involving winger. By the way, the same player agency also represents Darnell Nurse. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 7. Two views of Connor McDavid this fall from two slightly different perspectives. One, a former NHL coach who sees a new level of intensity in the Captain in drills long before camp actually begins. Two, a player (Oscar Klefbom) who told SportsNet’s Mark Spector “You think he’s reached his limit. Then he gets ever faster“. 6. Both Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod have not looked out-of-place with pro’s one bit so far this camp. A caution: That’s actually not uncommon. However it has been my experience that as camps go on, as rosters slim, competition gets better and everything ratchets up. Few young players can elevate along with that. 5.Drake Caggiula missed the first two days of training camp with an illness. The Oilers 4LW slot probably has the least certain outcome. As it is, Jujhar Khaira is slotted ahead of him on the 3rd line, Pontus Aberg is nipping at his heels. And the afore-mentioned Scottie Upshall waits in the wings. Caggiula can’t afford to fall behind. 4. Many eyes on Mikko Koskinen. If he can give the club 25 games and a SV% around .910 I think people will quickly forget about his salary. On Day 3, The Cult of Hockey’s Bruce McCurdy was in the stands at Rogers Place: “Fills the net to the crossbar even on his knees. Made 2 splendid saves in one sequence, but leaked out a few iffy rebounds during others“. According to “the book” on this player, rebounds are Koskinen’s kryptonite. 3. One reason Darnell Nurse is not signed yet is because of two other NHL players, Josh Morrissey of Winnipeg and Shea Theodore of Las Vegas. All 3 are RFA’s without contracts and not at NHL training camps. Morrissey and Theodore are expected to come in between $3m and $3.5m (assuming they bridge). Brandon Montour (Anaheim) signed his bridge for $3.39m. Nurse’s player agent Anton Thun wants more than that? He’ll need one or both of Theodore and/or Morrissey to get paid. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 2. I have now written in this space a number of times about Carolina Hurricanes D-man Justin Faulk. If indeed a G.M. such as Peter Chiarelli were to consider adding a big piece to the blue-line toward the end of training camp, he would rely heavily on the opinions of staff who watch those players every day. His pro scouts. As a result, I would assume that VP of Player Development Duane Sutter would have a view in such a situation. I wonder what he’s thinking right about now? 1.There is no escaping the dismal on-ice showing of Milan Lucic last season, particularly after Christmas. Then a report surfaced in the Summer that Lucic had demanded a trade. That didn’t sit so well with some fans. What they thought they were seeing was a guy with a big contract bailing on his team. Well, have you considered that perhaps this scenario never happened at all. Or, at the very least, not the way that it was reported or interpreted? For instance: Would you feel differently if an NHL player, clearly disappointed with the whole situation, went to a GM with whom he had a long and loyal history and said “Hey, I know you’re in a tough spot and my contract says you’re stuck with me. But if it’s the right thing for the club that I move on, lets just say I wouldn’t stand in the way”? That’s a whole lot different that pulling a Denis Lemieux. Just sayin’. Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins Recently, at The Cult… McCURDY: Day 3 of Training Camp STAPLES: Fact-checking the Bob-Father LEAVINS: Clearing up a few things about the Nurse negotiations Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Edmonton Journal Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up!<doc-sep>Jim Matheson Kevin Gravel looks like he could bench-press Kailer Yamamoto 20 times right now as he tries to get one of the Edmonton Oilers’ defence spots but you should have seen him the summer of 2017. He looked like death warmed over squared. After a promising 49 games with Los Angeles Kings in 2016-2017, he got sicker and sicker until doctors decided his intestinal problem wasn’t just the flu or food poisoning. It was Crohn’s disease, an inflammation of the bowel, which attacks anywhere in the digestive tract. The problem hit him so hard and he lost so much weight, his 2017-2018 NHL season was compromised to where he spent a large chunk of the time in the AHL, only getting 16 Kings’ games last season. He lost his spot to Oscar Fantenberg and Kurtis MacDermid. The Crohn’s didn’t kick the stuffing out of his NHL chances there because he was back and playing American League games in the fall of 2017. But, he only made it back to the NHL in the second half of the 2017-2018 season and as a part-timer. Again, other D moved past him on the ladder. “I didn’t realize it would take so much out of me, until December (2017). You lose so much weight, then you put it on with prednisone. My body was going through a roller-coaster,” he said. He’s not the first NHLer to get hit with Crohn’s, or ulcerative colitis, which goes after the large intestine, of course. Theo Fleury was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 1995 after six NHL seasons. Kevin Dineen got it in the second of his 18 years in the NHL and spent lots of time in and out of hospital. Jordan Leopold had it. Ex Oiler Fernando Pisani felt the wrath of ulcerative colitis in 2007. “I lost 40 pounds with this,” said Gravel. “I started to gradually lose weight (and feel gassed after workouts), and when it hit me hardest was when my wife left for a wedding and she was gone three days and I lost 20 pounds,” he said. “Pretty rapid weight loss. I was in hospital for five or six days and needed surgery to remove an abcess on my intestine. Pretty tough summer (2017) but the doctors got it under control.” His diet has changed, like everybody’s with Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, which this writer has. “I’ve struggled with heavy dairy things, whether that’s creamy sauces, or ice-cream. I can’t handle ice-cream anymore,” said Gravel, who’s off sundaes and waffle cones. “Gluten and wheat, that seems fine with me. “ “Fruits and veggies? Yeah, I’m fine with that, too. : Gravel is on maintenance drugs as Pisani was. “I’m on Remicade…it’s an infusion every eight weeks. It’s an IV drip, takes a few hours. I go there, hang out and watch a TV show for two hours,” said Gravel. When his contract was up July 1, the Kings said goodbye. “No offer,” said Gravel, 26. “It’s a business, teams move in different directions. I loved my time in LA. I was in that organization for eight years and won a Calder Cup (AHL title) for them.” He didn’t know the Oilers were interested until July 1 when free-agency opened but he did play some games against them. “There’s always somebody watching, no matter where you’re at, in the American League, anywhere. That’s why you have to show up every night ready to play because you never know who’s there…they might remember you from earlier in your career, and so you don’t know how things will turn out down the road,” said the six-foot-four, 199-pound Michigan native who spent four years at St. Cloud State after being a fourth-round draft pick in 2010 out of the USHL With strong competition in camp, he could be a No. 6 or a No. 7 on the back-end with free-agent Jakub Jerabek, 2018 first-rounder Evan Bouchard, who either makes it here or goes back to junior, Keegan Lowe, Ryan Stanton, Ethan Bear, Caleb Jones and tryout veteran Jason Garrison all in the mix . Gravel is just getting his feet wet at the NHL level.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Glimpses of the newest Edmonton Oilers from Saturday's open scrimmage Glimpses of the newest Edmonton Oilers from Saturday's open scrimmage Photo by Ed Kaiser / Postmedia Article content Spent a pleasant hour or so in Rogers Place late Saturday morning, enjoying the open scrimmage the Edmonton Oilers put on during the third day of training camp. Despite the horrawful weather a few thousand fans including plenty of families were on hand for the festivities both on the ice and in neighbouring Ford Hall, where Hall of Famers Grant Fuhr and Glenn Anderson were signing autographs for a massive throng of admirers. My own attention was drawn not to the famous old Oilers, but to the newest ones. In a fast-moving scrimmage that took place over two 25-minute halves with the clock running continuously and very few, brief stoppages in play, there was a lot going on. My takes can best be described as “glimpses”, little vignettes of the newcomers in game-like situations. Here are a few takeaways: We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Glimpses of the newest Edmonton Oilers from Saturday's open scrimmage Back to video Goal #19 Mikko Koskinen. 30-year-old KHL vet appeared to be every inch of his listed 6’7, filling the net right to the crossbar when on his knees and towering above the bar when standing. Displayed good side-to-side mobility for such a mammoth of a man, shown to best effect when he robbed Brad Malone on a bang-bang pass across the doorstep. But he leaked out a couple of awkward looking rebounds and was unable to seal off the 6-hole under the stick side arm on Tobias Rieder’s wrister from the right circle. The gargantuan Finn will be, I suspect, an acquired taste. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Yuge. pic.twitter.com/VCY8IcfEG8 — Bruce McCurdy (@BruceMcCurdy) September 15, 2018 Defence #5 Kevin Gravel. Another large man listed at 6’4, 212, Gravel showed decent mobility, especially on one sequence when he did a quick pivot and reverse into the “good ice” to escape some forechecking pressure. Seemed positionally sound, kept things simple and in front of him for the most part. #12 Jakub Jerabek. His forté appears to be “get the puck, move the puck”. Usually via the easy pass, which he consistently put on the tape. The lefty appeared comfortable playing on the right side, and even lined up there when paired with Kris Russell, the man normally tasked with making that switch. Didn’t mind engaging physically even as that’s harder to judge in a scrimmage situation. #13 Jason Garrison. Looked like a competent veteran, which is another way of saying he did little to grab and hold my attention in either a positive or negative light. #74 Ethan Bear. Had a couple of scrambly moments without the puck, but with it he impressed with the quickness of his decision-making coupled with good execution. Needed one quick look to find an open man for a good stretch pass, and another to pick his target from the high slot and wire an excellent wrist shot through a screen and just inside the stick-side post, forcing a strong blocker save from the netminder at the far end. #75 Evan Bouchard. If I didn’t know better the first assumption would be he’s a lot older than 18. Very calm with the puck on his stick. That said, he calmly gave said puck away a couple of times with ill-conceived passes. Made one bad read when he disengaged from his man in the slot to drop behind the net for a pass that wasn’t forthcoming. Instead, the other squad won the 50/50 puck and fed the uncovered man in front for a good chance. Was fortunate on one occasion while standing still along the end wall after making a breakout pass when big Milan Lucic bore down on him but chose not to follow through; thumpers from actual opposing teams would not have been so kind. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content #82 Caleb Jones. Looked like an NHLer in waiting during the recent rookie games, and continued to do so playing with and against actual NHLers. Another of the “get the puck, move the puck” school, Jones and his splendid skating legs found space to move the puck north a few times. If the Oilers are serious about their new emphasis on pace, this kid may force his way into the picture sooner than later. #89 William Lagesson. Scored a goal on a nice wrist shot from the point through traffic that found the top corner. Engaged in a few battles, which is central to his game both by reputation and by eye. Has the best flow in the org. Forwards #22 Tobias Rieder. Speedy, good with the puck, and looked comfortable playing on his off-wing with Draisaitl. Scored the “game-winner” with a quick release wrister (off a terrific backhand pass from Leon) that found a small hole in Koskinen. Impressed me most with a not-so-simple, smart play to gain the red line under pressure, get the puck deep & make the change in a situation that had “jailbreak the other way” written all over it. #28 Kyle Brodziak. This “new Oiler” is of course an old one, having spent five years in the pro system from 2004-09. Now 34, he’s a bigger (certainly thicker) body than I remembered. Was more of a force in the offensive zone than many fourth-liners, moving both himself and the puck into good places and nearly cashing on one opportunity. Some of his primary assets (faceoffs, penalty killing) were not featured in this format. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<doc-sep>Share this Story: 9 Things about the Edmonton Oilers and the Darnell Nurse contract in-focus, as training camp draws near 9 Things about the Edmonton Oilers and the Darnell Nurse contract in-focus, as training camp draws near Photo by JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content Rookie camp is a tantalizing time. But let’s be honest. All of these players are at best relative long shots to make the big club this fall. These next few days are about gazing into the future much, much more distant future. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 9 Things about the Edmonton Oilers and the Darnell Nurse contract in-focus, as training camp draws near Back to video So, by all means: Get excited about the young guns strutting their stuff in September, but make sure you don’t take your eye off the ball. Because October is just around the corner. 9 Things 9. I admire Ian Herbers for being willing to take on the duties of “coach”, at the informal workouts this past weel. After all, not only was he basically fired by the club last season. It could be argued that they never did make the best use of his strengths when Herbers was on the job. A good man. 8. After all of the trouble that Pontus Aberg largely put himself through last season, wouldn’t you have thought that he would have made a point of being there at the first day of workouts, or even on the second day? You know…just to show his coaches and teammates something? Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 7. Looking back at last season and his own health, Oscar Klefbom told the classy Gene Principe Friday that it was “frustrating to know you are not really 100% and not be able to help the guys the way I could the year before”. To have Klefbom back on the ice this week without a caution jersey was the most encouraging thing I’ve seen so far. 6. The 5 Oilers rookies who I see getting into the most NHL action this season (in order of projected TOI): Kailer Yamamoto, Ethan Bear, Evan Bouchard, Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody. Dark Horse: William Lagesson, whom Twitter friend @coopsie39 quite smartly brought up with me. If a Top-9 center gets hurt, I expect the right-handed Marody could be the first call-up. 5. I have Ethan Bear and Evan Bouchard that high on my list because if the club doesn’t land a right-hand shot for the power play by the end of training camp, it will be in-part because one or the other has made the team as a Top-6. But I still believe it’s more likely that Peter Chiarelli has another move in him. In related news, still no word on exactly how long Andrej Sekera will be on LTIR. 4. Among the reasons why I anticipate one more move on the back end? Because I think that the General Manager knows that he owes it to his coach to give Todd McLellan the tools that he needs to do the job. If he is not willing to do that (within the bounds of the cap) then why bring Todd back? McLellan was among the first to step up last spring and say that he needed to be better. But I doubt he was the only non-player to think that. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 3. The first Rookie game of the season is tonight (Sunday) in Calgary. We often think that high draft picks should dominate in games like this. Forwards? Sure. But that’s not always the case for defencemen. With next to no defensive system in place, these tilts often turn into pond hockey games. For defenceman like Evan Bouchard it means defending against guys who are constantly cheating for offence. I’ll be satisfied if we don’t notice Bouchard at all. 2. I get that some folks are unhappy with the Oilers organization. They’ve given you some reasons to be. But can we wait to drive the shiv into them until after they’ve actually done something wrong? Some folks were angry that tickets to Tuesday’s rookie games versus the MacEwan/NAIT all-Stars were $25 each. You know that this is a major fundraiser for these other 2 organizations, right? Adequate funding at that level of hockey is a tough thing to secure. Both programs benefit greatly on this night from a financial perspective. 1. There is a great deal of hand-wringing going on over the Darnell Nurse contract situation. But I fully expect Nurse to get his contract done and start the season with the Edmonton Oilers on-time. I’m not worried, and I really don’t think the Oilers are, either. Yes, they see Nurse as an important piece of the puzzle going forward. So do I, I like Darnell a lot. But after quite rightly criticizing the club for how it has spent its money in some cases, now you want the GM to back up the Brinks truck for a guy before he’s a UFA, and who has yet to prove he can consistently handle either top-pairing minutes or post 30 points? A bridge deal at $3m/year would be fair for both sides. They’ll end up close to that. Besides, what kind of bargaining power do you think Nurse’s agent has really? Sitting out would benefit the player…how, exactly? Follow me on Twitter @KurtLeavins Recently, at The Cult… STAPLES: Taylor Hall & Oilers “never say never”? McCURDY: One-stop shopping for Oilers prospects LEAVINS: Will Bouchard make the Oilers this fall? Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Edmonton Journal Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address.<doc-sep>
Share this Story: Many questions both asked and answered on Day 2 of Edmonton Oilers training camp: 9 More Things Many questions both asked and answered on Day 2 of Edmonton Oilers training camp: 9 More Things Photo by Jason Franson / CP Article content It’s busy season for the Edmonton Oilers and for those of us who follow and write about the team. So while my “9 Things” columns are normally reserved for a leisurely Sunday morning read (and will continue to appear then and there), the vehicle also serves well elsewhere, especially with so much good information coming in right now. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Many questions both asked and answered on Day 2 of Edmonton Oilers training camp: 9 More Things Back to video And so, with credit where credit is due to my Cult of Hockey colleague Bruce McCurdy for his help in re-branding this feature… 9 More Things 9. While Scottie Upshall failed his medical that doesn’t end the PTO. The winger’s knee is close to ready. In fact he is likely to be on the ice this weekend sometime. Good news. Upshall’s skill-set would be welcome on a veteran 4th line. 8. When you listen to the incredible medical journey that Kevin Gravel had to travel in order to manage his Crohn’s Disease and return to the NHL? It’s pretty damn hard not to cheer for him. I have him penciled in as the Oilers 7D. The coaches like him. Article content 7. Evan Bouchard looked very good during Friday’s scrimmage. He paired with veteran Jason Garrison (PTO). The rookie admitted it was a good learning experience for him. Bouchard also scored. He’ll have to play himself out of a 9-game stay, I think. 6. Andrej Sekera is out at least until February, and perhaps even the season. Darnell Nurse is a hold-out and not in camp. So are you still unhappy this club has Kris Russell? If so, maybe we can’t be friends? I’m mostly kidding, but c’mon…imagine this blue-line without him right now. The hole would be gaping. 5. I continue to believe that Peter Chiarelli is not finished molding this roster. Related or not: Carolina Hurricanes D-man Justin Faulk enters a new phase of his contract in October. The RHS power play specialist has a 15-team “trade list” as a part of his deal. I am made to understand that it contains two Canadian teams that he would be open to: Toronto…and Edmonton. 4. The club is divided into 3 Groups right now, A, B, and C. I don’t expect anyone on “C” to make the team, or get more than one exhibition game. Todd McLellan, due to the trip to Europe, doesn’t have a whole bunch of time to get this team settled. I like the fact that he has organized it this way. One of those “C” group players will really have to grab the horns to stick around. That’s what camp is all about. 3. By all accounts Ty Rattie put the work in over the off-season and has come to camp in excellent physical condition. The book on Rattie, who was a scorer in junior, is that this has not always been the case. So good on him. He was on the wing with Connor McDavid today. But really: If he doesn’t put the work in with that as incentive then there’s something seriously wrong with him. Article content 2. The lines on the first day of workouts included Tobias Rieder on right-wing with Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic. Rieder looked fast. I do think that eventually (although maybe not even this year) that spot will be filled by Jesse Puljujarvi or Kailer Yamamoto. But in the meantime, with so much on the line at the start of the season, it makes sense to go with a veteran. The coaches will have a much better idea of what to expect from him, night-in and night-out, than the kids. 1. A few thoughts on the Darnell Nurse affair. First, the fact that he flew back to Toronto was 100% a bargaining ploy. Second, lets stop this “we over-paid Koskinen and Caggiula and got this mess in return”. The Oilers have the cap space to sign Nurse to a 1-year or a bridge. The cap has nothing to do with it.