Happy Thanksgiving Monday morning. The house is quiet for now, with the dogs still asleep and the cats, at least so far, not tearing anything up. Turkey is on the way - Dad is cooking it, and this will be my fifth time handling it, so here’s hoping the day goes smoothly.
There’s a lot of gratitude in the air beyond the holiday. Karen has been a gift of grace who came into my life when I was broken, and while I can’t sort these last years into any neat or coherent shape, I can say plainly that she saved me.
The trauma, anxiety and fear still surface now and then, but “time heals” has proved true. I’m happy to be here, happy that my kids are healthy and safe, and happy for the pack of dogs and cats that keep the place humming around the clock.
Ziggy is the one weighing heaviest on my mind. My baby dog can’t see or hear well anymore, and a vet visit in the coming weeks is going to be hard on both of us.
She has been through a lot and has been a true friend throughout it all, even as her appetite and attitude stay strong. I hope she stays with us a long time, but I also understand where she is in life now.
I can’t really imagine life without her. What we owe our animals is love and care, not letting them suffer for our own selfish reasons.
Ziggy is 15, she has lived a life of love and wonder, and if I’m grumpy or miss a day or work in the next few weeks, you’ll have to forgive me. She’s 20 pounds of fury.
I love her so.
The kids are doing well and continue to be a real comfort. They’re both highly creative, and they’re building careers rooted in passion and purpose. I’m immensely proud of them.
On the hockey side, Quinn Hutson opened last season on fire and is scoring again this year. A recall doesn’t seem certain, but anyone watching him has to notice.
Aku Raty is still tough to pin down - good, lucky, or a mix of both - but he’s made an early impact and climbed the depth chart quickly. He plays with a lot of activity, though the questions about foot speed and 200-foot play are going to matter as the season goes on.
At center, Vilkami Marjala stands out as a beautiful passer who also brings a little chaos. William Nicholl looks strong to me; I love his speed and think he may have the brightest future among the pivots on the current roster.
Tucker Robertson was always going to have a major role once the team signed him, and he’s in the middle of things in a big way. Good player.
Connor Clattenburg is no longer giving up goals the way he did last year, and he has one goal already this season. The PK work has been taken away from him and he’s now strictly on the fourth line.
Still, he doesn’t seem like a natural penalty-kill option, and if he’s getting minutes, the line label matters less. I’d rather see him used as a skill center.
Clattenburg won’t be a checker, and I doubt he’ll PK in the NHL. But he has good hands and can get to the net.
That’s a useful package. Don’t ask him to transport the puck, and keep the passing to a simple give-and-go.
Show him tapes of Patrick Maroon. He has good hands and no fear.
Eduards Tralmaks has been a disappointment.
The real developing storyline is Damien Carfagna and Tomas Cibulka. Together or separately, they’ve impressed.
I’m not sure which one ends up better, but right now that question doesn’t matter much. They were money on Sunday against the Wranglers.
Beau Akey has gotten off to a rough start, and I’m not sure what his future in the organization looks like. A trade to another AHL club would probably be best for everyone involved. He does have talent.
There still isn’t much to say about goaltending, and I’m still on team Samuel Jonsson. He has played one preseason game for Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL.
In Other News...
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The Oilers kept their strong start rolling with a win over the Sharks, moving to 4-0-1 and giving their early-season lineup decisions a little more weight. With Zach Hyman nearing a return, Edmonton is getting close to having another important forward back in the mix, which always changes the conversation around ice time, line combinations and who gets squeezed when everyone is healthy.
One player who may have helped his case is rookie Owen Michaels, who saw a larger role and made the most of his night in the faceoff circle. For a team trying to balance momentum with the realities of a crowded roster, those are the kinds of small developments that can turn into a much bigger question before long. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Unbeaten Start Faces Its Biggest Test With Goaltending Under Pressure
Edmontons unbeaten start has given the club a little early breathing room, but the schedule is about to ask for a lot more. Fresh off wins over the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, the Oilers are the NHLs lone team without a regulation loss, a status that says as much about their resilience as it does about how quickly the season can turn once the games tighten up.
The next stretch is a real measuring stick, with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings followed by a home-and-home series with the Utah Mammoth. As the games get tougher, the focus inside the room has turned to goaltending, where the Oilers know they will need cleaner stops if they want this fast start to mean something deeper than a nice opening run. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Face A Tough Call On A Possible Flyers Deal
Philadelphias slow start has only added fuel to the trade chatter, and around the league it has naturally pushed the Flyers into the conversation as a possible source of help for Edmonton. The Oilers are always watching for ways to improve, but this is one of those situations where the idea is easier to float than to execute, especially with the club already having to account for the cap and the pieces it would take to make a move work.
For Edmonton, the appeal is obvious enough: a winger from a struggling roster can look like a fit on paper when a contender is looking for an upgrade. But the Oilers also have to balance urgency against timing, because roster decisions do not happen in a vacuum, and any serious trade discussion would have to clear more than one hurdle before it ever became real. [Read more 🡒]