The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Tyler Yaremchuk on What's Next for the Oilers

Starting point is 00:00:00 We got to get to Talery Ramchuk. Another tough one for the Edmonton Oilers yesterday. Can't blame that one on the goaltending, though. Sorry, folks. You're not going to pin that one on the Edmonton Oilers 4x6. I'm sorry. Tyler Yeramchuk, who covers the Edmonton Oilers for us here at the Nation Network and Daily Faceoff and host of DFO Live.

Starting point is 00:00:20 And, man, I swear you do everything. Like, do they hand you a broom at the end of the day to sweep up? They used to, but I delegated that to Liam now. So Liam's sweet. Okay. Because like every shop's got like it's workhorse and you are it here. First of all, thanks for stopping by today. Before you, before we get to Oilers, and I'm kind of putting you on the spot here,

Starting point is 00:00:41 we were just talking about a segment that the Devils started running years ago where Glenn Resch will, as far as the intermission feature, it's called Chico Eats. I don't know if you ever saw it. Maybe you have where he just goes to a different area in the concourse and has like nachos. or has like a hot dog with like hot peppers or whatever and that is one of the intermission segments. To me it's the best intermission segment that I think I've ever seen in my life.

Starting point is 00:01:13 Now there's a couple of ways I can go with a question on this one, but I want to phrase it this way. I think Bob Nicholson had burgers. The Bobby Nexburger, that's what they called. Bobby Nexburger, that was it. Yeah, when you said that, I let out like an audible groan because, It was like a meme was terrible.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Oh, Nicholson, I couldn't figure it out, I guess you could say. And then everyone would just be like, oh, but at least he got a burger. Got a burger. Yeah. Okay. So one of two things. You can choose which one you'd like to answer. The best intermission feature that you can recall seeing or your favorite food at a rink.

Starting point is 00:01:54 This is midweek. We're just having a chat here on a Wednesday afternoon. you choose best intermission feature or best food in the spirit of chico eats as a proud ukrainian there's something that the oilers used to do when rogers when rogers place first opened and it was like a play on a parogi puteen so it was just a big bowl of pierogies of put a hat as a true ukrainian would say yeah it was covered in like this aoli sauce with bacon on top it was unbelievable and they stood served it for like two years in one spot and got rid of it and I fear I'll never eat it again

Starting point is 00:02:34 in my life. No way. So I grew up in the west end of the city. I was, I was born into, I was born into an Irish family, but adopted into a Polish family. And in the west end of the city of Toronto, where I lived, was all Ukrainians and Poles. So I know exactly what you're talking about. And this whole area, Blurwest Village, we used to, we used to rename because it's all Ukrainians and polls. We used to rename it. Oh, God, the Honky Hall of Fame. That's what we called it. Where do you live? Oh, I live in the Honky Hall of Fame. Oh, Blurwest Village. That was it. So I know exactly what you're talking about. Meanwhile, wide-brush thoughts. What did you make of last night? In a vacuum, it's not a game that you're upset about from an Oilers perspective. You lost

Starting point is 00:03:24 won nothing to the hottest goalie in the NHL to who a lot of people would consider the hottest team in the NHL you put up north of 30 shots you had a couple of really good looks your own goalie played really good Stuart Skinner made some big saves so like if you're just looking at that game as a one-off

Starting point is 00:03:40 it's like you can build on that it's fine when you consider all of the context around it it's frustrating from an Oilers perspective they couldn't get the offense going in a very winnable game this is a stretch of home games they're playing five in a row at home for the first time all season.

Starting point is 00:03:56 They're finally done with that treacherous road schedule that they had in November. And a lot of people have kind of pointed to this stretch as like, okay, not only is this going to be a chance for you to get a couple of wins and hopefully get your season back on track, this is a chance to, you know, win four of the five games and really put yourself back in a playoff position and make up to an extent for the very average start you had to the year. So to lose the first one, one nothing is frustrating.

Starting point is 00:04:20 Then the other element of it is the Yesper Wollstett narrative is running wild in Edmonton because he's playing so well and because the Oilers continue to have issues in the crease. All anyone wants to talk about is, well, did you know they could have drafted him? Did you know they traded the pick to Minnesota that the Wilde used to take him? And someone tweeted me yesterday. They're like, man, this fan base sometimes is like a three-year-old who just learned a new word. And like, all anyone will comment right now, no matter what you put out on X, is like, but did you know they could have drafted Wallstead? Yeah, I know I get it. And I remember when when, you know, Tyler Sagan and the Boston Bruins and I was Sagan's with the ACL injury.

Starting point is 00:04:58 But when he won the Stanley Cup of the Boston Bruins, there was, you know, oh, hang on a second. Did we draft the wrong guy? Because there was the Taylor, Tyler, and error. Like, I get like, all fan basers are that way. And I do understand it. At what point does it feel to you? Like, the Oilers are going to make up their mind about what this team is. Because teams are different every year.

Starting point is 00:05:24 Like, I don't know about you, Tyler, but I always have a, I always have a hard time with the word rebuild because I feel that all teams rebuild. Like, rebuild, I think the way that we use it means we're going to take it down to the studs and build it back up again. But really, all teams change every year. Teams are always in a constant state of rebuilding, you know. It's like the old philosophy of you can't step into the same river twice because you change, the river changes. It's impossible to recreate that one moment. So everyone is constantly going through a state of rebuilding, which is why every manager looks at his team and says,

Starting point is 00:05:58 okay, I need a runway here to know what I have this season. At what point do you think the Oilers have played enough games for Stan Bowman to say, okay, I know, I've had a look under the hood here, I've taken it out on the highway, I know what this thing is all about, I know what we have with this team. Do you think the Oilers are there yet? I think so.

Starting point is 00:06:22 And I've kind of had this take for maybe a month. But, like, you know, the Oilers are with the group they have. They're never going to be in a position to punt on a season. You're not going to get to the deadline and be like, all right, let's sell off some assets because we don't think we're good enough to win the Stanley Cup this year. But I also think that, you know, you use the word rebuild. The word that comes to mind this year with the Oilers is maybe just like refresh. Like, hey, maybe this year is not our best shot at going all in and at winning the Stanley Cup.

Starting point is 00:06:49 And that's not to say they have zero shot at winning the Stanley Cup. I think if you get to the Stanley Cup playoffs, they can win any series that they're in because of Connor McDavid and Leon Drysidal and how good Evan Bouchard is in the playoffs and all those other things that have allowed them to go on runs the last number of years. But when people throw a Binnington, my way, or a jarring and all of those situations, I kind of sit there and go like, all right, are you going to shoot that bullet now and are you maybe costing yourself a chance at UC Soros in July

Starting point is 00:07:19 at whatever other goalie might shake loose in June. or July. Maybe this is a year if you're Stan Bowman or you go, man, we don't have it the same way we had it the last number of years. So I'm not going to go trade. Ike Howard, a first round pick, whoever the prospect is to try a Band-Aid solution to give this team an extra 5, 10% in the playoffs. Maybe you sit there and go, you know what, let's get into the playoffs and if then kind of let the chips fall where they may. If Stuart Skinner gets hot for two rounds, like he's done in each of the last two playoffs, then, hey, we're going to go on another run. And if our flaws end up sinking us, then at least we know what they are and we'll address it in the summer when we have some money.

Starting point is 00:07:58 But I just, I feel like this is maybe a refresh year where they need to recognize that maybe this isn't a team that's worth going all in all. A couple of things on that. I think that's the, right now that feels like the smart play. The only thing that, a couple of things to complicate there. One, what Connor McDavid just did, which is, here's a gift. Make no mistake about it. This is Connor McDavid doing the organization is solid. The only way I think we can be competitive here is if I make a sacrifice and that is what Connor McDavid is done.

Starting point is 00:08:36 So that's one. And the other thing that I think of is if McDavid hadn't done that, if still we're looking at July 1st, there's no extension. for Connor McDavid, McDavid says, I want to push this until until the season ends and then we'll figure something out. How would Stan Bowman behave?

Starting point is 00:09:01 And what would Oilers fans expect, right? Because I think that McDavid looked at what he did for Edmonton and the Oilers organization and said, like, look, I'm doing this not so we can win one cup, but so we can win three. Like, I don't think that McDavid is thinking, I want to win one cup here. I think he wants to win three, or at least two.

Starting point is 00:09:22 I don't think it's just one. So how much, like, I don't know, I think what you're saying is right, but if you're Stan Bowman, how do you quote unquote sort of not punt on the season, but just take a pass on it and see how it goes after McDavid did what McDavid did, you know what I mean? Yeah, a couple of different, like, thoughts to shoot off there. One, like, if McDavid was unsigned right now, I would be singing a totally different tune. be hoping that Stan Bowman is trading the rights to his next child in order to get the older. There's a goaltender right now and like give them an authentic chance to win.

Starting point is 00:09:57 Like if McDavid was unsigned, every alarm bell would be getting sounded right now in Edmonton. And on the, for the notion of like, oh, well, he took less. He did the organization a favor. You know, Carr McDavid, when we were going through that whole thing, one, one phrase he kind of kept reiterating was like he believed in this year's team. This year's team he felt like had an authentic chance to win a Stanley Cup. He made it sound like he just wanted to make sure that the next few iterations of the team would be just as competitive. I think if you were to, you know, inject some truth serum into Connor McDavid and be like, hey, are you surprised that this season has gone the way it has?

Starting point is 00:10:32 Like, he would probably be pretty surprised if we're taking him at face value with everything he was saying through training camp. So I do think that's a part of it. Like, did Connor McDavid do them a massive favor by taking that discount? Yes. But that contract and that discount also doesn't kick in until July 1. And I think if you're Stan Bowman, you know, Connor McDavid's not a dummy, I think if you sit him down and be like, hey, load up Pockpedia, look at how jammed we are right now. Like, we can't get out of a lot of these contracts, but on July 1st, we're out of some of these

Starting point is 00:10:59 contracts. On July 1st, we have money. And Connor, that's when you'll see the benefit of what you did. We might not be able to get you a superstar goalie at the trade deadline. We might not be able to get you, you know, another high-end top-nine winger right now because our hands are tied. but what you did, it'll pay dividends when you see what I can do on July 1. And I'm speaking as if I'm Stan Bowman here, obviously.

Starting point is 00:11:21 But to me, like, there's way more danger in trying to save this season and potentially costing yourself next year because what if next year goes bad? Well, then it's Connor McDavid going into a contract year again. And it's like, oh, boy, is Connor McDavid believing they can do it coming off a bad year when we were having discussions this past fall about can they do it again? and they were coming off two great seasons. Yeah. So then one of the, because I don't disagree.

Starting point is 00:11:49 Like I look at this season, I look at this roster and I say, okay, if they just leave it and Bowman doesn't, you know, scorch any picks or any prospects and they just see which way it goes, okay? Which I don't think is this. I think Toronto is probably in the same situation, to be honest with you. If I'm Brad for Living, I don't touch this thing. I just leave it and see what happens. A lot of pressures from above. I'm not sure that that's going to be the way the Maple Leafs end up doing it, but nonetheless. I look at the roster and I say, okay, so who's really going to be, like who's going to feel like he's one year older?

Starting point is 00:12:26 Who's going to play like he's one year older? And the only guy that I come back to is maybe Matthias at home. But it's not like you're squeezing like the last drops out of a handful of players. you're not, which is why what I think you're suggesting isn't the worst idea at all. I just don't know, again, where McDavid's head is at in this one. And how much of a factor do you think that plays into whatever Stan Bowman decides? Yeah, and you're right on Ekholm. Like next year he's going to go from 35 to 36.

Starting point is 00:13:04 His cap hits also going to go from, you know, six to four. So, you know, Mattias Ekholm's not the same top pairing, Matias Ekholm. you've had to the last number of years, at least his salary will reflect that a little bit. It's probably part of the reason they were so aggressive in going out and signing Jake Wallman and getting him locked up this year so that at least they could sit there and say, all right, and I know Walman came before Ekholm extension-wise, but now they can sit and go, okay, even if Ekholm takes a step back, we have Jake Wallman, who's 29, but doesn't have a lot of miles on his body at all.

Starting point is 00:13:32 I think he's played the same amount of career games as like Evan Bouchard at this point in his NHL career. So, again, the blue line has some question marks, and Ekholm's probably the one, because, yeah, I don't think you're going to suddenly get a whole lot less from Zach Hyman when he's 33 instead of 32 and even Nuge when he's 33 and the 32. The core here is in place. And that's why again, like, I don't think Connor McDavid did what he did to then turn around in July and be like, hold up. We're coming off a bad year. Get me out of here.

Starting point is 00:13:58 I'm not playing. Like, I think he sees that as well. So that's why, again, there's not a lot of panic for me this season. See what you can do this year. If you go on another run, that's great. If it's a refresh year, then again, maybe that just means this front office. This is even hungrier come July to write some wrongs. Okay, so here's the other thing that I've been,

Starting point is 00:14:16 I'm thinking for whatever reason peek into my brain. Like when I hear someone say, I'll do anything to win the Stanley Cup. A lot of players say that. But as having a conversation with someone last week about the idea of I'll do anything. And the sort of conclusion that we arrived at is, I'll do anything, but I'm only going to do it on my terms,

Starting point is 00:14:37 which really isn't, I'll do anything. You know, everybody's got buddies. Everybody wants to win with their buddies. Everybody wants to play the way that they want to play. When you hear McDavid say, I'll do anything to win the Stanley Cup, or this is all just about the Stanley Cup, does that to you, because to me it does, does that mean I don't care about the friends that I have along the way?

Starting point is 00:15:02 I don't care about the friends that I have on this team or who I'm close with. Winning a Stanley Cup is more important than me being besties with a bunch of guys, and I'll take it even one step further. Does it also mean, and I'll use the example of Jack Eichael here, does it mean that I'll do anything even if that means I have to change the way that I play? We've seen a lot of solo missions from Connor McDavid this year. Like there's been a lot, I mean, you're there for every single one. You've watched every single minute of every oilist game.

Starting point is 00:15:32 You know more than me. There's a lot of solo missions by Connor McDavid this year. And you can just tell, like, damn it, we're scoring a goal and I'm going to do it. But when you hear I'll do anything, does it mean friends are secondary and the way I play is secondary? Because it does to me. I mean, yeah, you would hope so. But then you kind of hear that, you know, there's been pushes. And this goes back to the summer of like they want Calvin Pickard here, right?

Starting point is 00:16:01 The team loves Calvin Pickard. And I do think at some point, again, that Band-Aids just got to be ripped off. As much as he's, you know, yeah, like, hey, sorry that, like, Calvin, like, I don't know, as much as he's passed every test and, like, I can understand why a guy in that room who went through the last couple of playoff runs where, like, Calvin Pickard has saved their ass and in both of them. Like, I can understand why you'd have some loyalty there and why you'd love a guy like that who, you know, has been beloved in every room that he's kind of gone through. Talk to anyone who's been within arm's reach of Cal Pickard in the NHL and they all love them. But at the same time, like, if it's stopping you from making a legitimate upgrade, like, If you're Stan Bowman, like, you can't let the tail wag the dog here, right? You've got to just do it and say, you know what, if the room's upset with me right now

Starting point is 00:16:45 or is upset with this decision right now, first off, play better, right? Like Calvin Pickard, if the team was playing better in front of them, probably doesn't have an 840 save percentage or whatever it currently sits at. And two, if the team's mad at you right now and you're Stan Bowman, have the courage of your convictions and say, you know what, in six weeks when Connor Ingram's giving them better results and helping them win games, they'll get over the Calvin Pickard thing pretty quickly. because winning should be all that matters.

Starting point is 00:17:09 So I've never thought that that's like a huge issue in Edmonton, but, and I know this is something that kind of went viral on Instagram a while ago, and Leon Drysettle himself commented on a clip from one of the other stations here in Edmonton where they were like, how come the oilers always seem to need the big bad veteran in the room, right? Why did they need Duncan Keith? And why is Corey Perry's absence so strong right now? Like, why do they always need that firm, strong leader in his late 30s when like, Okay, Leon's in year 11.

Starting point is 00:17:38 Connor's in year 10. Like, Darnell Nurse is in year 10. They shouldn't need that anymore was kind of the messaging behind it. And I think you look at this year. Like, it's a fair question to ask right now, I think, of like, okay, why are they like missing leadership? Like, they shouldn't need that help anymore at this stage in their career. If they could have, let me close on this one, if they could have one redo on a player that escaped. And maybe the answer is the obvious one Corey Perry.

Starting point is 00:18:04 If they could have one redo on one player that escaped. escaped who would it be would it be for you like just this past summer no through this run like give it give it a couple of years here since the oilers became like you know maybe going back to that

Starting point is 00:18:18 boy that Vegas series man that's funny because Connor and Leon will still talk about that that Vegas series they squandered maybe going back to then is there one that they that you think the team will look at and go like I want to redo on that one

Starting point is 00:18:33 yeah I mean there's There's a couple of trades that I don't think they should have made. Like the Nick Buxtad trade where they throw in Michael Kesselring and now Michael Kesselring's in every day NHL defense bin. And it's like, ah, that's one where like you picked him late in the draft and he turned into something and you gave him up for a rental in Bukestad that in hindsight you probably didn't really need. Like that one really, really stings giving up on Kesselring

Starting point is 00:18:59 when you did Holloway Stings too, right? Like you look at everything they've done now the last two summers. know signing Arvinson and Skinner was before the Dylan Holloway thing and they kind of thought they were going to, you know, have their cake and eat it too in terms of bringing in vets and then keeping Holloway on a discount deal. But like if you just take care of Dylan Holloway last summer, you're looking at a forward group that has a good young piece in there. And sure, maybe you don't have Vasili Podkoulson in the mix, but then you also didn't, you wouldn't have spent this last summer taking swings on a guy like Andrew Mangiopani, whose results have been very

Starting point is 00:19:32 meh through six, seven weeks of this season. So the Holloway one sting. trading away Kessel Ring stings. I'll even go back, like if you want me to throw it back, whatever it is now, eight years, in 2017, when they had Connor and Leon on their discount deal still, and they were young, and it was their first crack at the playoffs, and all they did was acquired David DeHarnay, and they had cap space, and they had assets,

Starting point is 00:19:55 but they said, ah, just the playoff experience is good enough, then you lose in seven to the ducks, and you had this historic year from Talbot, who played 73 games that season. That's the mistake. And that's why I keep bringing it up on Daily Face Off Live. But like, if I'm Kyle Davidson this year, I'm looking at that 2017 Oilers team, and I'm like, ooh, I'm not making that same mistake.

Starting point is 00:20:14 We have money. We have picks. You can't have a lineup with 11 kids in it next season or whatever. Like, don't make the same mistake that 2017 Oilers team did. Because what if they would have traded a second round pick for an impact veteran? Maybe you go beat the ducks. Maybe you're in the Western Conference final. How does it change the, maybe Jordan Eberley ends up having a big conference final.

Starting point is 00:20:33 And then you don't do the Eberle for Strome, Strome for Spooner train. That was just an absolute disaster at every turn. Like that was the first domino and the first real misstep for me where it's like that didn't make sense in the moment. It didn't make sense two months after. And eight years later, you look back and you're like, damn, they missed a chance then. But Tyler, trades are hard. We'll end on that one.

Starting point is 00:20:57 Trades are hard, guys. Traits are hard. You're the best. I know you got Oler Nation every day to get to here at the top of the hour. Thanks for parking time for me today. Much appreciated. Yeah, I replaced Berkey, so I even, I should have done this. Oh, hang on.

Starting point is 00:21:09 I asked you on DFO Live to do your best Brian Burke compression. Normally, Berkey's here on Wednesdays, but he couldn't make it had something else come up. Do you have a quick Berkey impression for us? Give me one. So, like, what is there? Like a gargling voice of, like, oh, you just kind of kind of talk of blogger doing their redrafts and they don't even know what they're talking about. Their ass has never been in the jackpot.

Starting point is 00:21:31 I told Boston, I would. offer sheet Kessel unless they made that deal. They knew that I would offer she. Awesome. Great stuff. trying to give me a little medicine. I'm like, no, man, that's fine. I'm not against those methods but new. It's me and myself and how this is going to be fixing my mind. I do want to back.

Starting point is 00:22:19 I turned on the music. I do want to back. I turned on the music. It's going to be a bad bad. I don't get you sometimes losing it. I've been on the days that we're wrong

The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Tyler Yaremchuk on What's Next for the Oilers

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