Game Day #three: Oilers vs Islanders
Gaetan Haas a participant? An actual NHL participant? We’re seeing indicators of that which as any very long time fan of the Edmonton Oilers is aware of is sort of an excessive amount of to hope for.
In the Decade of Darkness-plus, the workforce struck out repeatedly with forwards of European origin, each ones popping out of the draft (Magnus Paajarvi, Bogdan Yakimov, Anton Slepyshev, Teemu Hartikainen, Anton Lander, Nail Yakupov and now Jesse Puljujarvi), ones coming from different NHL organizations (Robert Nilsson, Pontus Aberg, Jussi Jokinen, Tobias Rieder, Ales Kotalik, Lauri Korpikoski) and people coming over from European leagues as extra veterans gamers (Patrick Thoresen, Linus Omark, Lennart Petrell, Jesse Joensuu, Iiro Pakarinen).
That’s lots of hope of invested in these gamers and lots of failure.
Yet the early indicators on each Joakim Nygard from Sweden and Gaetan Haas from Switzerland are encouraging.
For one factor, each gamers have glorious wheels. Nygard had a rep for being the quickest ahead within the Swedish Elite League. Haas’ quickness is extra sudden, as reviews on him had been extra blended and fewer clear. But the participant can fly, actually in comparison with among the plodding skaters Edmonton populated its Bottom 6 ahead group with in the course of the Chiarelli period. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a backside line centre rocket up the center of the ice with the puck on his stick, however that’s exactly what we’ve seen from Haas from time to time.
Edmonton Oilers heart Gaetan Haas (91)
Sergei Belski /
USA TODAY Sports
The query now comes as to what is going to occur to Haas with centre Riley Sheahan returning to the line-up? If Sheahan had not been injured within the first place, the insider buzz across the workforce steered that Haas would have been despatched down every week in the past to Bakersfield of the AHL.
But issues have modified since then, with Haas profiting from his alternative thus far.
Centre Colby Cave, a tough-employee however one missing considerable velocity, has had his defensive struggles within the first two video games, most notably getting beat to the web by his verify on a Los Angeles purpose within the third interval of Edmonton’s 6-5 win. A second later Haas put the puck on internet off a nifty face off play, with Nygard pounding it in for a purpose.
We’ll see what Oilers coach Dave Tippett does. But, on benefit, Haas has earned this subsequent sport, tonight at 5 p.m. MST towards the New York Islanders.
