Noting that the Edmonton Oilers are playing better of late, CEO Jeff Jackson spoke with TSN’s Gino Reda this week and admitted the team can play better. Not using the travel schedule as an excuse, Jackson noted that the Oilers had only five practices in the first 50 days of the year. That means they need a better handle on what the team really is before making big moves.
Jackson said the team has responded in a really positive way since finishing up a tough Eastern road trip and are playing a lot better hockey. He added that when the club gets a few key players back from injury, they’re going to be “really deep.”
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Still, the Oilers are looking around, and GM Stan Bowman continues to work the phones.
The focus is reportedly on the goaltending, but the Oilers understand that, even there, more information is required. “I mean, I think if you look around the league, you’ll find soft goals get let in by all the goalies, like it happens. I mean, they can’t stop everything,” said Jackson.
“I think most important is the team is playing well in front of our goalie or goalies, clearing the puck away, protecting the crease area, you know exiting the zone quickly, efficiently, without giveaways. That’s where your goaltending looks a lot better, and we’ve been doing that a lot better lately.” –
What About The NHL Trade Freeze? Would the Oilers Like To Get Something Done?
Reda pointed out that the NHL trade freeze comes up a week from this Friday, December the 19th. He asked Jackson if there was a sense of urgency to try to get something done.
“We’re not going to act from the position of being desperate and we’re going to sit tight. But Stan’s working the phones like all the other GMs.”
When asked if there is a sense of urgency following Connor McDavid doing what he did and taking the hometown discount, Jackson responded that nothing really changes. “I felt the same way when I took the job, so nothing’s changed there. I think you know we’re going to win-now mode, and that’s our goal. A shorter-term deal doesn’t change that at all.”
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