Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to all of you. I&#8217;ve got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we&#8217;re talking about the Oilers run of poor starts, Connor McDavid&#8217;s goal production, the trade deadline, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at <a class="text-accent" href="mailto:baggedmilk@oilersnation.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">baggedmilk@oilersnation.com</a> or on Twitter at <a class="text-accent" href="https://www.twitter.com/jsbmbaggedmilk" rel="noopener noreferrer">@jsbmbaggedmilk</a>, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.

<figure id="attachment_167653" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-167653" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-167653" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-1024x726.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby" width="1024" height="726" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-1024x726.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-300x213.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-768x545.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-1536x1089.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-2048x1453.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-167653" class="wp-caption-text">Jan 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates his power play goal with the Pittsburgh Penguins bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at PPG Paints Arena.</figcaption></figure>
1) Kevin asks &#8211; What do you make of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/stats">the Oilers</a>&#8216; run of having poor starts lately? It was great that they came back and beat Minnesota and Colorado, but they can&#8217;t be making a habit of dropping that many early goals.
Jason Gregor:
They had scored first in 11 of 14 games prior to this recent stretch of allowing the first goal in five of six games. On the season they’ve scored first in half of their games (23 of 46). The most any team has scored first is 28 games. If EDM had scored first two more times they’d be top-five, so it’s not like they are awful.
Good news is they are one of only six teams with a winning record when allowing the first goal.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I&#8217;m not overly concerned with it. Partially because they keep coming back and winning and partially because every team kind of goes through blips like this throughout the season where you don&#8217;t play your best hockey at certain points or there are parts of your game you need to iron out. This is just one of those runs. If it continues into February then it&#8217;ll be a different conversation.
Baggedmilk:
It&#8217;s definitely annoying. As much as it&#8217;s been great to see the Oilers pull off comeback wins, you&#8217;d rather they not make a habit of this. They were much better at starting quickly back in December, so hopefully this just a speed bump along the way.
<figure id="attachment_168079" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-168079" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-168079" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers celebrate goal from Connor McDavid" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-168079" class="wp-caption-text">Jan 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his goal with left wing Zach Hyman (18) and center Leon Draisaitl (29) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.</figcaption></figure>
2) Yves asks &#8211; Would you consider Connor McDavid a streaky goal scorer or was he simply on a one-off personal slump before this current goal streak?
Jason Gregor:
He doesn’t have a long history of being overly streaky, but he’s not a natural shooter. He loves passing and there will be times where you’d like to see him shoot more. I’m not sure that will ever go away.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I think he is consciously a streaky goal scorer. When he is dialed in and wants to score, he shoots more, plays a bit more selfish and pucks go in. When he wants to set up his teammates, he doesn&#8217;t score. He&#8217;s been a bit snakebit this season too and certainly hasn&#8217;t been playing his best hockey at times, but if he just starts shooting more, the pucks will keep going in.
Baggedmilk:
My only critique of Connor McDavid in the goal scoring department is that I wish he was more selfish sometimes. The guy is the best player on earth, and there are certainly instances where I&#8217;d prefer if he shot the puck himself rather than trying to feed one of his teammates. Just my two cents.
<figure id="attachment_166222" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-166222" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-166222" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-1024x683.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers' forward Jeff Skinner" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-166222" class="wp-caption-text">Dec 14, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place.</figcaption></figure>
3) Travis asks &#8211; The Oilers have been playing great even with <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/03/4-fun-facts-about-oilers-new-addition-jeff-skinner/">Jeff Skinner</a> in the press box and Evander Kane on LTIR. It almost seems like they have too many top 6 guys. Assuming the team is fully healthy, where do these two players fit in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations">the lineup</a> come playoffs?
Jason Gregor:
Kane hasn’t played a game since last June. I see him starting in the bottom six when he returns at some point in the playoffs. Skinner likely won’t be an everyday player in the lineup. But it is good to have depth in the playoffs, and the Oilers have a lot of winger depth.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
I&#8217;ve liked Jeff Skinner&#8217;s game in each of the last four that he&#8217;s dressed in. Knoblauch doesn&#8217;t. I think Skinner is trending more towards either being traded or just being the 13th forward for the rest of the season. As for Kane, I&#8217;d have him in the bottom six when everyone is healthy. Maybe playing with Corey Perry and Noah Philp to create a strong, physical fourth line that can score.
Baggedmilk:
I wish I had an answer for you, but your guess is as good as mine. Kris Knoblauch has shown he has no issue with mixing up his lines to look for the best possible lineup, so trying to figure out how Skinner fits into that puzzle when Kane comes back is almost impossible. I&#8217;m just here for the ride, and ultimately, hoping for the best.
<figure id="attachment_168088" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-168088" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-168088" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Brett Kulak celebrates goal" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-168088" class="wp-caption-text">Jan 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak (27) celebrates with the bench after his goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.</figcaption></figure>
4) Brady asks &#8211; There is a lot of talk during games about the Oilers being a really good second period team based on their goal differential in the second period. Is this simply a coincidence or is there actually some merit to the idea that for whatever reason, they feel more comfortable in the second period?
Jason Gregor:
It seems like an outlier as last year they were even in the second period. I can’t think of a reason why they would feel better in the second period, except that they’ve had success there this year, so maybe that is it. Maybe they manage the long change better than other teams this season. It is a good question, but I don’t have a great answer as to why they are 65-34 (+31) in the middle frame. It is odd.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
Maybe they&#8217;re really good at taking advantage of the long change? I&#8217;m not sure. Similar to my first answer, I think sometimes throughout a season trends emerge and a lot of the time, they&#8217;re nothing more than random.
Baggedmilk:
The weird thing is how good they are in the second period — Jack Michaels and Louie DeBrusk were talking about it during the Colorado broadcast — and how bad they are in the third period. It&#8217;s one of those weird stats that doesn&#8217;t seem to make a whole lot of sense, and yet, here we are.
<figure id="attachment_164069" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-164069" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-164069" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-1024x683.jpg" alt="San Jose Sharks defender Cody Ceci" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-164069" class="wp-caption-text">Nov 11, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci (4) waits to warmup against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.</figcaption></figure>
5) Barry asks &#8211; I&#8217;m genuinely curious why <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/08/20/cody-ceci-says-hes-excited-to-join-rebuilding-sharks-after-unsettling-summer-of-trade-talk/">Cody Ceci</a> isn&#8217;t seemingly on anyone&#8217;s radar as a trade deadline option? He&#8217;s playing 1st pairing minutes in San Jose, his acquisition cost will be low, his salary is reasonable, his teammates loved him, and he has experience with the players and the coaches system. Is he my 1st choice? No. Is he an upgrade on Stecher? Yes. Why is no one considering him an option?
Jason Gregor:
San Jose can’t retain any salary on any player as they already have three retention salaries on the books, and bringing players back for a second tour of duty rarely works out. Some do, and the organization knows him, but I think they are looking for more of a puck mover, which is why they signed Klingberg.
Tyler Yaremchuk:
He is not an upgrade on Troy Stecher. Is he playing first-pairing minutes in San Jose? Yes. Is he playing them well? No. He isn&#8217;t worth his cap hit and San Jose has no more retention spots. Not a fit no matter how you look at it.
Baggedmilk:
I think the Oilers just found their &#8220;upgrade&#8221; on Troy Stecher <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2025/01/17/oilers-sign-defenceman-john-klingberg/">in John Klingberg</a>. Who knows if it works out or not, but I really can&#8217;t see the team going back to the Ceci well even if he was a popular guy in the lockerroom.
<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-146181" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Article-2-SME.png" alt="" width="728" height="404" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Article-2-SME.png 728w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Article-2-SME-300x166.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" />
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Edmonton Oilers king of the hill photoshop

Good morning, everyone, and a happy Monday to all of you. I've got a fresh mailbag ready to go after taking your questions and sending them to the crew for their take on whatever is on your mind. This week, we're talking about the Oilers run of poor starts, Connor McDavid's goal production, the trade deadline, and more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at <a class="text-accent" href="mailto:baggedmilk@oilersnation.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">baggedmilk@oilersnation.com</a> or on Twitter at <a class="text-accent" href="https://www.twitter.com/jsbmbaggedmilk" rel="noopener noreferrer">@jsbmbaggedmilk</a>, and I’ll get to you as soon as I can.



[caption id="attachment_167653" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-167653" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25153299-1024x726.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby" width="1024" height="726" /> Jan 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates his power play goal with the Pittsburgh Penguins bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period at PPG Paints Arena.[/caption]

1) Kevin asks - What do you make of <a href="https://oilersnation.com/stats">the Oilers</a>' run of having poor starts lately? It was great that they came back and beat Minnesota and Colorado, but they can't be making a habit of dropping that many early goals.

Jason Gregor:

They had scored first in 11 of 14 games prior to this recent stretch of allowing the first goal in five of six games. On the season they’ve scored first in half of their games (23 of 46). The most any team has scored first is 28 games. If EDM had scored first two more times they’d be top-five, so it’s not like they are awful.

Good news is they are one of only six teams with a winning record when allowing the first goal.

Tyler Yaremchuk:

I'm not overly concerned with it. Partially because they keep coming back and winning and partially because every team kind of goes through blips like this throughout the season where you don't play your best hockey at certain points or there are parts of your game you need to iron out. This is just one of those runs. If it continues into February then it'll be a different conversation.

Baggedmilk:

It's definitely annoying. As much as it's been great to see the Oilers pull off comeback wins, you'd rather they not make a habit of this. They were much better at starting quickly back in December, so hopefully this just a speed bump along the way.

[caption id="attachment_168079" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-168079" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25205680-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers celebrate goal from Connor McDavid" width="1024" height="682" /> Jan 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates his goal with left wing Zach Hyman (18) and center Leon Draisaitl (29) and defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.[/caption]

2) Yves asks - Would you consider Connor McDavid a streaky goal scorer or was he simply on a one-off personal slump before this current goal streak?

Jason Gregor:

He doesn’t have a long history of being overly streaky, but he’s not a natural shooter. He loves passing and there will be times where you’d like to see him shoot more. I’m not sure that will ever go away.

Tyler Yaremchuk:

I think he is consciously a streaky goal scorer. When he is dialed in and wants to score, he shoots more, plays a bit more selfish and pucks go in. When he wants to set up his teammates, he doesn't score. He's been a bit snakebit this season too and certainly hasn't been playing his best hockey at times, but if he just starts shooting more, the pucks will keep going in.

Baggedmilk:

My only critique of Connor McDavid in the goal scoring department is that I wish he was more selfish sometimes. The guy is the best player on earth, and there are certainly instances where I'd prefer if he shot the puck himself rather than trying to feed one of his teammates. Just my two cents.

[caption id="attachment_166222" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-166222" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USATSI_24988506-1024x683.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers' forward Jeff Skinner" width="1024" height="683" /> Dec 14, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner (53) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place.[/caption]

3) Travis asks - The Oilers have been playing great even with <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/07/03/4-fun-facts-about-oilers-new-addition-jeff-skinner/">Jeff Skinner</a> in the press box and Evander Kane on LTIR. It almost seems like they have too many top 6 guys. Assuming the team is fully healthy, where do these two players fit in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations">the lineup</a> come playoffs?

Jason Gregor:

Kane hasn’t played a game since last June. I see him starting in the bottom six when he returns at some point in the playoffs. Skinner likely won’t be an everyday player in the lineup. But it is good to have depth in the playoffs, and the Oilers have a lot of winger depth.

Tyler Yaremchuk:

I've liked Jeff Skinner's game in each of the last four that he's dressed in. Knoblauch doesn't. I think Skinner is trending more towards either being traded or just being the 13th forward for the rest of the season. As for Kane, I'd have him in the bottom six when everyone is healthy. Maybe playing with Corey Perry and Noah Philp to create a strong, physical fourth line that can score.

Baggedmilk:

I wish I had an answer for you, but your guess is as good as mine. Kris Knoblauch has shown he has no issue with mixing up his lines to look for the best possible lineup, so trying to figure out how Skinner fits into that puzzle when Kane comes back is almost impossible. I'm just here for the ride, and ultimately, hoping for the best.

[caption id="attachment_168088" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-168088" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/USATSI_25206246-1024x682.jpg" alt="Edmonton Oilers Brett Kulak celebrates goal" width="1024" height="682" /> Jan 16, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak (27) celebrates with the bench after his goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.[/caption]

4) Brady asks - There is a lot of talk during games about the Oilers being a really good second period team based on their goal differential in the second period. Is this simply a coincidence or is there actually some merit to the idea that for whatever reason, they feel more comfortable in the second period?

Jason Gregor:

It seems like an outlier as last year they were even in the second period. I can’t think of a reason why they would feel better in the second period, except that they’ve had success there this year, so maybe that is it. Maybe they manage the long change better than other teams this season. It is a good question, but I don’t have a great answer as to why they are 65-34 (+31) in the middle frame. It is odd.

Tyler Yaremchuk:

Maybe they're really good at taking advantage of the long change? I'm not sure. Similar to my first answer, I think sometimes throughout a season trends emerge and a lot of the time, they're nothing more than random.

Baggedmilk:

The weird thing is how good they are in the second period — Jack Michaels and Louie DeBrusk were talking about it during the Colorado broadcast — and how bad they are in the third period. It's one of those weird stats that doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, and yet, here we are.

[caption id="attachment_164069" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-164069" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/USATSI_24740083-1024x683.jpg" alt="San Jose Sharks defender Cody Ceci" width="1024" height="683" /> Nov 11, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci (4) waits to warmup against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.[/caption]

5) Barry asks - I'm genuinely curious why <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2024/08/20/cody-ceci-says-hes-excited-to-join-rebuilding-sharks-after-unsettling-summer-of-trade-talk/">Cody Ceci</a> isn't seemingly on anyone's radar as a trade deadline option? He's playing 1st pairing minutes in San Jose, his acquisition cost will be low, his salary is reasonable, his teammates loved him, and he has experience with the players and the coaches system. Is he my 1st choice? No. Is he an upgrade on Stecher? Yes. Why is no one considering him an option?

Jason Gregor:

San Jose can’t retain any salary on any player as they already have three retention salaries on the books, and bringing players back for a second tour of duty rarely works out. Some do, and the organization knows him, but I think they are looking for more of a puck mover, which is why they signed Klingberg.

Tyler Yaremchuk:

He is not an upgrade on Troy Stecher. Is he playing first-pairing minutes in San Jose? Yes. Is he playing them well? No. He isn't worth his cap hit and San Jose has no more retention spots. Not a fit no matter how you look at it.

Baggedmilk:

I think the Oilers just found their "upgrade" on Troy Stecher <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2025/01/17/oilers-sign-defenceman-john-klingberg/">in John Klingberg</a>. Who knows if it works out or not, but I really can't see the team going back to the Ceci well even if he was a popular guy in the lockerroom.
<h2>PRESENTED BY STAR MECHANICAL</h2>
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