NHL All Star Weekend.

It is All Star Weekend and maybe it is time for some of us, myself included, to realize what All Star Weekend is all about.

Sure the game is not what it once was, this has been the case for almost 25 years. If you are 35 years of age or younger, you likely do not know of an All Star game that was not played under its present style. In the modern era of the All Star Game, you will not see any body contact, you will not see blocked shots, you will not see any intensity. What you will see is an amazingly talented game of shinny.

I don't think All Star Weekend is meant to entertain the die-hard hockey fan or the older fan base, although many of us will surely be pleased with this weekends events. All Star Weekend is about pleasing the corporate sponsors, it is about exposure, it about having that casual fan pay more attention to the NHL, it is for the kids. The NHL uses All Star Weekend to grow the game, in many facets,  and I am fine with that.

I will enjoy the skills competition, but will skip the game itself. And that is alright, because the NHL already has me and I am not going any where.

So, don't change the game. Don't make the game more competitive, just leave it the way it is. I can live a few days, during the season, without watching competitive hockey. If it is good for the game and means exposure for the league, then giddy-up!

Sit back, relax and enjoy whatever portion of All Star Weekend that you chose to watch. Come Tuesday, regular season play resumes.

I've Got A Lot Of Questions

There are holes still to be filled, we all know this. The top six forwards still require a player or two. There are concerns about this team down the middle. Many feel as though the Oilers defense, even healthy, still needs a top four defensemen added to it. There are questions surrounding the goaltending. The only area of this team that might not need major alterations is the bottom six forwards.

Who will play with Taylor Hall?

One thing that we can all be certain of, the big three consisting of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle are NHL top-liners. These three players will be patrolling the Edmonton Oilers top two lines for many years to come and will be very successful at doing so.

Moving forward, I think the Oilers would eventually want to create a Line 1A and a Line 1B. Line 1A would consist of Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle with Nugent-Hopkins being the primary puck carrier. Line 1B would consist of Hall being the primary puck carrier and on this line with him would be? And here is the concern. Do the Edmonton Oilers have a player, whether it be a center or a winger than can play on the second line with Taylor Hall?  

A New Team, After The All Star Break

The Edmonton Oilers head into the All Star break, currently sitting in 29th place in the NHL. Are the Edmonton Oilers a sure-fire pick to finish 29th or worse? I don't think so. Trades or no trades, there will be a better, healthier and stronger Edmonton Oilers team emerging from the All Star break.

Returning will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Not only a catalyst on the power-play, but a scoring opportunity producer who will re-join the Edmonton Oilers well-rested and rejuvenated. Along with Jordan Eberle, I expect Nugent-Hopkins to have a strong finish to the season and return to a pace that will see him average a point-per-game over the remainder of the season.

With the return of Nugent-Hopkins to the line-up, this gives the Edmonton Oilers a second line that can produce. This might be a good time to place Taylor Hall alongside Sam Gagner and have these two develop some kind chemistry for the remainder of the season. One of two things will happen, Gagner will excel or Gagner will solidify the notion that the Oilers still need a second line center.  

With Sam Gagner playing on the second line, it is now time to place Shawn Horcoff and Eric Belanger in their proper roles. Horcoff, third line center who kills penalties. Belanger, fourth line center who kills penalties. This leaves Anton Lander as the odd man out. It is time to re-assign Lander down to OKC and give him the minutes that a developing player needs, especially one who is still becoming accustomed to the North American game.

Oilers vs Canucks Post Game Rant

The bounces keep coming the Edmonton Oilers way, has the Oilers' luck turned around? Four posts enabled the Oilers to stay in this game and earn themselves a much deserved point.

Second game of a back-to-back that required travel from Edmonton to Vancouver, I was expecting a tough and long night for the Edmonton Oilers. Every Oilers' players put forth a solid effort and as a result the Oilers held their own against the Vancouver Canucks.