The last of the moves makes some sense. Demers has been a solid defenseman in the NHL for years, and while he spent last year, in part, playing in the KHL, he suffered a back injury. He could make sense as a seventh defenseman, and if he performs well enough in camp, could allow the Oilers to trade Tyson Barrie to clear the cap, but that’s a story for another article. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below However, the unacceptable decision to bring in Jake Virtanen is worthy of an article. Off the ice, Virtanen was charged earlier this year with one count of sexual assault, a charge he was found not guilty of during a BC jury trial in July. In the midst of a Hockey Canada scandal rocking the hockey world that featured a defacto slush fund to pay sexual abuse claims, the off-ice outlook of Virtanen’s induction is poor. Although the Court found Virtanen not guilty, that didn’t stop any of the backlash from an Oilers fan base clearly up in arms. Disappointment doesn’t even begin to describe the feelings expressed by some. “Shameless. Just shameless. Gross,” wrote one Twitter user. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below You can read the rest of the answers. The #Oilers signed defenseman Jason Demers and forward Jake Virtanen to professional tryout agreements (PTOs). — Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 19, 2022 Isolating Virtanen’s ability on the ice, this move is just as confusing. Virtanen’s best NHL season came in 2019-20, when he scored 18 goals and 36 points in 69 games. Nine of those points came on the powerplay and at 5×5, the Canucks controlled less than 50% of shot attempt share, goal share and expected goal share. After that year, Virtanen’s 2020-21 season was nothing short of embarrassing. He scored five goals in 38 games and the Canucks controlled 45 percent of the goal share and 44.17 percent of the expected goal share. Virtanen has never been an effective playmaker. His offensive and defensive contributions, according to hockeyviz.com, almost never broke the league average on any consistent basis. However, he is a physical presence with 11.4 snaps/60 in 2020-21 and 7.27 snaps/60 in 2019-20. After the sexual assault allegations, the Canucks, who took Virtanen 6th overall in 2014, placed him on leave and then bought out his contract. Virtanen spent last season in the KHL playing for HC Spartak Moskova where he scored nine goals and 16 points in 36 games. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below He was the KHL’s 157th leading scorer. According to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, with Virtanen off the ice last season at even strength, Moskova outscored opponents 81-71, 53 percent of the field goals made. With Virtanen on the ice, Moscow went 16-21 at even strength, controlling just 43 percent of the field goal attempts. At the very least, I struggle to find any world where this is positive for the Oilers. Would the Oilers really want Virtanen to beat out one of Dylan Holloway, Noah Philp or Xavier Bourgault for a roster spot? That could stunt the development of the rookies the Oilers so desperately need to be impact players. The introduction of Virtanen has already angered the fan base, and if this in any way foreshadows a possible Jesse Puljujarvi trade, it’s a worthy offense. Zach Laing is news director and senior columnist for the Nation Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @zjlaingor contact by email at [email protected] Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
When: On Thursday, January 12th, we will hop on a flight at Edmonton International Airport and arrive in Vegas. On Sunday afternoon, we will fly back from Vegas to Edmonton. So the dates to block for this trip are January 12th to 15th. Where we’re staying: After landing in LV, we’ll hop on the free shuttle and head to Park MGM before settling in for a good night’s sleep. 😉 What you get: Your return flight, hotel, shuttle service, screening party (Friday night), entry to the game — we got seats this time (Saturday night) and exclusive entry to the meet-and-greet event everyone” before the trip. How much: Total cost for travel, flight, hotel and game admission is $1499 per person (based on double occupancy) Tickets: Ready to dive in? Click on this link.
