Allan Mitchell

Alberta

Proud to write for @TheAthleticNHL and host the Lowdown noon-2 weekdays on @sports1440. Dad, employee of Ziggy. Miss you, Jo. xoxo

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Articles

Who should receive credit for current roster?

2 days ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The Edmonton Oilers we see on the ice today had their genesis in early January 2010. The team was drowning in losses (0-10-2 that month) and the future looked hopeless. Legend has it that owner Daryl Katz was the first person to mention the word rebuild, and from that moment, it became the mission statement of the organization. The team had just delivered an attempt at a rebuild (2007-09); it was responsible for the ghastly January 2010 record that had the team in turmoil. No matter.
Three early surprises for Edmonton Oilers in Golden Knights series

3 days ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The first two games of the series between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights were an absolute pleasure for fans of the orange, white and blue. Road wins don't come easy, and wins for visiting teams in Vegas are rare. The "feel-good" for Oilers fans ended on Saturday morning, with word that goaltender Calvin Pickard wouldn't start Game 3.
Is this the Edmonton Oilers' year after all? It's starting to look like it might be

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

From the moment Connor McDavid's name was announced at the 2015 NHL Draft, Edmonton Oilers fans have believed a Stanley Cup victory was inevitable. It has fueled every waking moment, every online conversation, all of the bar talk and each coffee klatch. As the years have rolled along, fear of not winning, or losing McDavid to free agency, ran parallel to the verbal surrounding the certainty of a visit from Stanley.
What we're seeing from Edmonton Oilers' defencemen so far in NHL playoffs

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Stan Bowman gave fans a clear indication of his preferences on defence at the 2025 deadline. A team that many felt lacked toughness on the blue line eschewed an enforcer and acquired a skilled veteran (Jake Walman) with plus speed and the ability to move the puck with aplomb. Why would the Oilers acquire another left-handed defenceman whose skill set was already duplicated on the roster? It turned out that it was key to the team's playoff game plan.
Should Oilers play Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together in Golden Knights series?

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

In the just-completed first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, the Edmonton Oilers ran the best roster players on the same line for 75 minutes at five-on-five. The total represented about 65 percent of the overall playing time for Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the game state over the course of the series. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch often mentions that the team has the freedom to roll four lines and make the opponent worry about how Edmonton deploys its lines.
How Ty Emberson's role with Edmonton Oilers has evolved in NHL playoffs

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ty Emberson has a unique role with the team this spring. A top option on the penalty kill, Emberson's five-on-five ice time is about five minutes less than in the regular season. He's the No. 6 defenceman on the team, played in all games during the recently completed series against the Los Angeles Kings, but isn't part of the regular rotation at five-on-five. Why is this happening?
Is Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch any closer to fixing the defence?

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The Edmonton Oilers entered the postseason with more roster questions than any true Stanley Cup contender this spring. Injuries were rife across the roster, ineffective play from veterans was a real concern and the goaltending was a question mark. One by one, coach Kris Knoblauch found solutions from the available roster players. Goaltending was solved by inserting backup Calvin Pickard.
Four Oilers players making a playoff case for feature roles beyond this season

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

Each playoff spring reveals roster players who step beyond their previously defined roles and emerge as stalwarts who stand and deliver for their teams. The Edmonton Oilers are playing a first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Through five games, four players have shown signs of being a bigger part of the solution than the regular season implied. Two are veterans, well-known to fans. One has discovered the fountain of youth, the other finally recovered from a series of injuries.
The history of Edmonton Oilers starting goalie tweaks in the postseason

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

In the Edmonton Oilers' first NHL season (1979-80), a deadline deal for a goaltender (Ron Low) proved inspired. Low's addition vaulted the team into the playoffs during the inaugural season, giving fans an idea about what was to come. Since then, the Oilers have made several deadline deals for goaltenders, some of them famously helping the cause. Even the best-laid plans at the deadline sometimes need a rewrite at important moments.
How Oilers' playoff run may dictate future of organization's younger players

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Allan Mitchell

The Edmonton Oilers are running a veteran crew in the 2025 playoffs, typical for a team designed to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. The organization offloaded several players who had been drafted and developed in the system last summer. For fans who believe in building through draft and development, this edition of the Oilers is an outlier compared to previous incarnations of the club.