Paying some respect to the job done (so far) by Kris Knoblauch

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The Edmonton Oilers are putting the finishing touches on their Stanley Cup Playoff plans.

The club has not missed the post-season since Ken Holland came on the scene.

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But as any team and any player will tell you…until you reach your ultimate goal and win it all, the job is not done.

So, is this the year? We are about to find out.

That and more on in this edition of…

9 Things

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9. I expect D Philip Broberg to be up with the Edmonton Oilers and play one or two of the club’s final regular season games. But I also think that (barring injury to someone else) he would likely start the AHL playoffs in Bakersfield.

8. In fact, I suspect the loss to Vancouver Saturday makes it relatively easy to shuffle the lineup and get a few other guys in. In addition to Broberg, I could see Raphael Lavoie get a game or two (has twenty-eight goals in The Bake), and Sam Gagner (who I expect to be on the Black Aces).

7. Evander Kane scored a deft deflection goal Saturday. He now has 5 points over his last 5 games and seems to be rounding into “Evander Kane” form at the most important time of the year. The games from here on in will only get tighter, tougher, and more of a grind. And Kane is tailor made to play that game.

6. In the 3 games since his return Dylan Holloway’s speed and aggressiveness have been an obvious plus to the Oilers lineup. He and Ryan McLeod together on a line are a handful. I would understand if the coach wanted to stick with veteran players in the playoffs. But then if Edmonton does not give this pair some runway next Fall, I think they would be doing the players and the club a disservice.

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5. Adam Henrique has scored 5 goals over the 18 games he has played in Edmonton. I was immediately drawn to his smart defensive game. But repeated viewing also reveals just how good Henrique is at gaining superior positioning in front of the net. That speaks to how well Henrique reads the play unfolding around him, to how good his hands in tight, as well as a willingness to pay the price in that “hard” area of the ice.

4. His detractors like to talk about how many pucks Leon Draisaitl may give away in any given game. My view: The very best players get some latitude on that front as you know as a coach there is a very high percentage chance that Draisaitl can make those plays better than most anyone else in the game. Let thoroughbreds run. But the other thing to consider is that what any player (Leon includes) sees from his vantage point is most often quite different from what you and I see on television or even from a prime location in the arena. It can often be two very divergent perspectives.

3. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported this week that “talks on a (Vincent) Desharnais extension are on hold for now.” The representative for Desharnais and the club had been talking. But the Rishaug report says, “they’ll pause and resume after the team is finished (the season).” It makes sense to focus on the playoffs for now. But I would suggest another big reason to hold on is to be respectful of the rest of the club’s expiring UFA’s. The team may also want to try to return any combination of Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, Calvin Pickard and others. Why negotiate on one before the others?

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2. With a playoff spot and (at minimum) home ice advantage in the first round it makes so much sense to allow whatever it is that Connor McDavid has been nursing to heal up a bit. With nothing much to lose, trying to make sure that your best player is close to 100% for the post-season is completely logical. There have been all kinds of talk about it because he is the best player in the world. If he is out of the lineup it is News and I get that. But the fact that Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have mostly shared the load lately may prove to be even more important. Most people thought Stuart Skinner ran out of gas last Spring. Well, he will be much better rested this time around. Incidentally, it was a real treat to see Pickard on Hockey Night in Canada’s After-Hours Saturday night. What a delightful story this season has been for a really good guy.

1.Next time you read 9 Things at The Cult of Hockey the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be upon us. So, before hockey’s post-season gets underway and recency bias erases much of the regular season, I want to take some time to focus in on the job done by Kris Knoblauch since taking over on November 12^th. Talk about stepping into a near-impossible situation. The club, with sky-high expectations, lays an egg out of the gate and costs the head coach his job and the starting goalie his roster spot. But ever since then, with his steady hand and calm demeanor at the helm, all the Oilers have done is go 45-15-5. Over a full season, that is Jack Adams territory.

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What makes that all the more remarkable is that this is mostly the same group of players. Even the deadline changes were primarily skaters coming in and no one leaving the organization. That points to a guy who pretty quickly figured out what he had, how they might best be deployed, and what kind of coaching they might best respond to. That latter point may be the most poignant. The human connection that Knoblauch has been able to forge with his players while under fire.

I also find it easy to cheer for Knoblauch in part because of where he comes from. He was born in Imperial, Saskatchewan, a town I played a Provincial playoff series against when I was young (he was not on the team I played, I am a little older than Kris). We were both born and raised in prairie towns with populations of less than five hundred people. But I digress…

On top of all that, Kris Knoblauch comes off in public as an intelligent, thoughtful man. He does not seem to needlessly play games with lineups and injuries and seems forthright with his answers. He seems to genuinely respect his players. And those who actually know him say that is exactly who he is.

Of course, all that likeable stuff on its own does not decide hockey games.

But it is kind of sweet when the good guy wins.

Now on Threads @kleavins. Also, find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social

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