'Absolutely putrid': Veteran NHL voices publicly assess the Oilers
Photo credit: Edit from The Hockey News
Former NHL players turned analysts have not been afraid to describe the way the Oilers have been playing, calling it downright ugly and putrid.
Former NHL grinder Matthew Barnaby, along with former NHL GM Brian Burke, say Edmonton's problems run far deeper than goaltending, pointing instead to the club's disastrous defensive play.
Said Barnaby: "If we want to know why the Edmonton Oilers stink right now, yeah, goaltending, gotta get a save, but it's much more than that."
Both spoke out in the wake of the Oilers' 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. Barnaby called the team's effort "absolutely putrid," pointing out breakdowns on three first-period goals in a video breakdown. Burke, speaking with Jeff Marek on 'The Sheet' podcast, was just as blunt.
Said Burke: "Well, swapping out two goaltenders, I've never heard of that being done before. I'm pretty sure it has not been done in the modern era. But I think there's some luck involved in that. They got lucky. They made two big moves. Colorado got lucky. So they're geniuses, right? But that doesn't mean it's going to work again."
Burke then turned his attention to Edmonton's defensive issues. "To me, the mistakes are so bad. I used to blame evaluating goaltenders. I said, 'Okay, what goals should he have stopped?' What goals should Skinner have stopped last night? Answer, none, none. The breakdowns are so widespread and so sequential. One turnover, then a breakdown, then a bad coverage, and it's in the net. I don't know how you fault the goalie, Stuart Skinner, for that. And (Calvin) Pickard comes in, and they hang him out to dry too. So it starts with a patient commitment to defense that they don't have right now."
Burke then turned his attention to Edmonton's defensive issues. "To me, the mistakes are so bad. I used to blame evaluating goaltenders. I said, 'Okay, what goals should he have stopped?' What goals should Skinner have stopped last night? Answer, none, none. The breakdowns are so widespread and so sequential. One turnover, then a breakdown, then a bad coverage, and it's in the net. I don't know how you fault the goalie, Stuart Skinner, for that. And (Calvin) Pickard comes in, and they hang him out to dry too. So it starts with a patient commitment to defense that they don't have right now."
What the current trade rumors circulating involving the Oilers are about
With rumors circulating that Edmonton is shopping for a goalie, Marek asked Burke about Colorado's midseason goaltending overhaul last year.
Burke quickly deflected to Edmonton's defensive mayhem and put the blame on the players rather than Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, or coach Kris Knoblauch.
How the Oilers proved that structure works
The Oilers have proven before that committed team defence can fuel extended success. Last season's run through the Los Angeles series and on to the Stanley Cup Final proved that a structured approach works.
That can happen again, but Barnaby and Burke made it clear that Edmonton is nowhere near that standard at the moment.
For the time being, the numbers paint the picture: the Oilers have the league's lowest save percentage at .873, and only Vancouver allows more goals per game.
Compounding the issue, Edmonton's top players are committing the most defensive errors.
The renewed, urgent focus on defensive details could steady the season and spark another run. It will depend on whether the group chooses to tighten up before it's too late.
Previously on HockeyLatest
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 27 | 139 ANSWERS 'Absolutely putrid': Veteran NHL voices publicly assess the Oilers Are the Oilers "absolutely putrid?" | ||
| Yes | 106 | 76.3 % |
| No | 33 | 23.7 % |
| List of polls | ||