It's Wednesday afternoon and that means I've got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never set and ready to guide you through what's left of the week. In this week's episode, we're talking about the Oilers' loss in Game 1, what the boys need to do better in Game 2, the NHL playoffs, and a whole lot more.

To kick off this week's episode of BLTN, I got started with a quick recap of how much fun it is for the Oilers to be back in the playoffs and how much fun I was having in the hours leading up to puck drop. From having out with the squad at the office to making my way down to the Moss Pit before the game, it just felt good to have the postseason back in our wonderful city. And for the first 40 minutes of that game, it looked like the day that started out so beautifully was going to wrap up in celebration. Unfortunately, the Hockey Gords had other plans. After what was a fantastic first 40 minutes by the Oilers, the boys collapsed in spectacular fashion and ended up losing Game 1 in overtime. With a massive opportunity to tie up the series coming up in a few hours, I then dove into what needs to happen for the Oilers to get the job done in Game 2 and tie the series before it heads back to Los Angeles. In this week's Righteous Sack Beating, I dove into the dummies that were throwing garbage on the ice after the OT winner and why acting like such a baby is so incredibly embarrassing. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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It's Wednesday afternoon and that means I've got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never set and ready to guide you through what's left of the week. In this week's episode, I looked at the Oilers' eight-game win streak, still not knowing who we're going to play in round one, and celebrated Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' 30th birthday.

To kick off this week's episode of BLTN, I got started with a look at the Oilers' playoff situation as we still don't know who the boys will be playing in round one. While I have personal reasons why I hope the Oilers match up against the LA Kings, the reality is that they could just as easily be playing the Winnipeg Jets. Depending on what happens on Thursday, there are actually a few different ways this first round matchup could play out depending on who beats who and when they get the job done. Either way, no matter who the Oilers face in the first round, I'm beyond excited for the postseason to get going. Moving into the news, I got started with a shout out to my dude, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as he played in his 800th game with the Edmonton Oilers in last night's victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Not only was I excited that we kept him forever, but the fact that Nuge hit the milestone only a day before his 30th birthday was also pretty remarkable. I mean, Nuge? 30 years old? Can't be. From there, I spent a few minutes banging the drum about Stuart Skinner being a deserving candidate for the Calder Trophy as his remarkable season is really the only reason we're talking about being Stanley Cup contenders. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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It's Wednesday afternoon and that means I've got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never set and ready to guide you through what's left of the week. In this week's episode, I looked at Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being one point away from 100, Leon Draisaitl at 50 goals again, and celebrated Clinchmas for the fourth straight season.

To kick off this week's episode of BLTN, I got started with a quick Clinchmas celebration after the Oilers locked into their playoff spot last weekend against the Anaheim Ducks. Not only was that game a lot of fun to watch in person, but it was also the kind of performance you'd want to see from the Oilers against a team that poor. As a result, I actually expect the Ducks to push back a little bit harder in tonight's rematch, but at the same time, the result should still be the same even if the spread isn't six goals. Sticking with Saturday night, I also spent a few minutes talking about Leon Draisaitl reaching the 50-goal mark for the third time and how I happily threw one of my favourite hats to mark the occasion. Sticking with milestones, I then talked about how Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is only a single point away from the century mark and how I don't think I've ever been this excited about watching someone get there. Yeah, we've watched Connor and Leon hit 100 points a few times each now, but to have Nuge do it too? C'mon. I also wanted to give some love to both Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell for picking up back-to-back shutouts against the Kings and Ducks respectively, giving the team its first two bagels of the season. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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It's Wednesday afternoon and that means I've got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never set and ready to guide you through what's left of the week. In this week's episode, I looked at Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' pursuit of 100 points, the Oilers' chances at winning the Pacific Division, and debuted a brand new Tyler Yaremchuk song that you won't want to miss.

To kick off this week's episode of BLTN, I got started with a quick Frank update after so many of you reached out about how he was doing and with general letters of support. The support was fantastic in every way, and I was honestly blown away by how much all of you love my dog. From there, I dove into a brand new Tyler Yaremchuk song that Meat Watcher made this past week, and as you'll hear, this new tune is ridiculous. Getting back to the Oilers, I had to start the news with the ridiculous season that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is having, and how it blows my mind that he's at 96 points with seven games left to go. No matter how you slice it, the guy is on fire and my body is here for it. Next up, I looked at both Leon Draisaitl and Evander Kane hitting the 300-goal plateau, and how it's almost stunning that Connor McDavid has yet to reach the milestone. Speaking of milestones, Darnell Nurse tied his career-high in both goals and points last night against Vegas and I wanted to give him a little bit of love for the year he's having despite people constantly shitting on him. From there, I quickly ran through the Pacific Division standings and spoke about how the Oilers finally got a break with the teams they're chasing as well as what that means down the stretch. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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It's Wednesday afternoon and that means I've got a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never all set and ready to guide you through the back half of your week. In this week's episode, I'm looking at McDavid scoring 60, the Oilers' current winning streak, Zach Hyman's ridiculous run of goals called back, gushed about Mattias Ekholm, and a whole lot more.

To kick off the podcast, I got started with a thank you to everyone that attended the Oilersnation 15th birthday party this past weekend at the Pint Downtown. Not only was it a fantastic way to spend a Saturday, but the support we got from all of you is something that I won't soon forget. It was the kind of day that made us all so incredibly happy because of the incredible support, and I couldn't possibly think of a better group to spend that time with. Getting back to the Oilers, how could I not touch on Connor McDavid hitting the 60-goal mark in last night's win over the Arizona Coyotes? No matter how you slice it, McDavid is the best player on earth and it's not particularly close. Next up, the team announced that it had signed college free agent, Carl Berglund, to a two-year entry-level deal early today so I tried to figure out what the hell we've got here in our new friend. From there, I looked at the upcoming schedule and how there are some big games on deck for the Oilers if they have any hopes of climbing into one of the top-two positions in the Pacific Division. And since we're in a spot in the season where news really slows down, I spent the rest of the segment digging into what's been happening with the group over the last week while also checking in on some old friends that recently left town. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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We've passed the midway point of the week, and that means a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never is here to help you get through the rest of the week and to make sense of the world around you. This week, I'm gushing about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, recapping the #NationVacation to Toronto, thinking back on the first 15 years of Oilersnation, and a whole lot more.

To kick off this week's episode of Better Lait Than Never, I got started with a quick recap of this past weekend's #NationVacation to Toronto and how it was an incredible trip despite the lack of success on the ice. Even with some delays that were beyond our control, Nation Citizens always seem to find a way to make the best of any situation that's thrown their way. Speaking of which, I also had to spend a few minutes talking about how excited I am for the Oilersnation 15th Birthday party that is now SOLD OUT thanks to all of your amazing support. Needless to say, I'm pumped for his Saturday. Getting back to the Oilers, how could I not start with the news that broke this morning about my guy, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, expecting a baby in August? Given the way his season has gone so far — we're talking about career highs in every single category that matters — why should we be surprised that he's also getting some major business done off the ice as well? With my RNH gushing out of the way, I looked at the ridiculous years that both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are having as both guys hit different milestones in last night's game against the Sens. And with only 14 games left to play this season, the pressure is on for the big boys to keep playing at the highest level possible to ensure that the Oilers are not only in the dance but playing the best they can when they get there. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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We've passed the midway point of the week, and that means a fresh episode of Better Lait Than Never is here to help you get through the rest of the week and to make sense of the world around you. This week, I'm looking at the Oilers' situation between the pipes, the Pacific Division standings, first impressions of the new guys, and a whole lot more.

To kick off this week's episode of BLTN, I got started with some first impressions on the new guys as both Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bjugstad have found a way to make an impact in their first few games. While both guys have extremely different roles and expectations, both Ekholm and Bjugstad are finding ways to contribute early in their tenure as Oilers and it's been refreshing to see both guys having a little bit of success. At the other end of the spectrum, Jack Campbell continues to struggle between the pipes and it's getting to a spot where we don't even know when or how often he can even be played anymore this year. And while I'm not one to suggest that the Oilers buy him out, you do have to wonder when or if he'll be able to get back to his career norms in terms of numbers. From there, I ran through the Pacific Division standings which are tight as ever with fewer than 20 games left to play. To make matters even more intense, the teams the Oilers are chasing in the standings just keep winning. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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Why wouldn't I knock out a 15-minute podcast about the Oilers trading for Nick Bjugstad? Four episodes of Better Lait Than Never in a week? What a time to be alive.

This afternoon, the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had traded a 3rd round pick and Michael Kesselring to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Nick Bjugstad with 50% of his salary retained, bringing the gigantic human into town for only $450,000. That number was important because it brings the Oilers to a salary cap position where they don't even have one extra dollar to spend. According to the folks at CapFriendly, the moves Ken Holland made for Ekholm and Bjugstad left the Oilers with $0 under the cap. For someone that is horrible at math, I find what the cap squad at the OEG offices was able to do to be amazing. Just me?

In other news, I saw a couple of videos of Tyson Barrie on the Nashville Predators' social media that bummed me out because I know it had to be a jolt to the system for the guy to be traded away from a team where he had so many friends. I know that the NHL is a business and that professional sports are ruthless in general, but you can't help but feel for a guy that was probably pretty sad to get moved. Anyway, back to the video Nashville posted, it showed Barrie meeting some of his teammates as they were eating or something, and the way it was put together made the whole thing feel awkward. Made me feel bad for Barrie, ya know?

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It's been a very busy week for the Edmonton Oilers, and that means you had a whole lot to say after Ken Holland pulled the trigger on a pair of moves yesterday with more likely on the way. As a result, today's episode of Better Lait Than Never is all about your feedback, including some guest Righteous Sack Beatings and a whole lot of voicemails.

To kick off the regularly scheduled episode of BLTN, I got started with a look at what's happened so far as the Edmonton Oilers pulled off a pair of trades on Tuesday that led me to record a pair of emergency podcasts for both Jesse Puljujarvi and Mattias Ekholm/Tyson Barrie. Seeing as those two trades basically took over the city, why not spend some more time talking about it? From there, I looked ahead and what's coming next as Frank Seravalli believes the Oilers have at least another trade or two coming down the pipeline. If there are more moves to be made, who could be next to leave? What are the biggest needs we have right now? All I know for sure is that the next couple of days are going to get spicy around the NHL, and I cannot wait to see what happens over the next two days. Lastly, I wrapped up the episode with another round of voicemails to get your take on what’s been going on over the last week.

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Two trade reaction episodes of Better Lait Than Never on the same day? It's happening, folks! What a time to be alive.

If you missed it — and Gord knows how I don't even know how that would be possible — the Oilers traded Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a 1st round pick (2023), and a 4th round pick (2023) in exchange for Mattias Ekholm (4% retained) and a 6th round pick in 2024. Needless to say, this was a monster deal. And while I absolutely love the addition of Mattias Ekholm and what he brings to the table, the Oilers paid a significant price to acquire him and his $6 million AAV for the next three seasons. Was it worth the cost? Are the Oilers better today than they were yesterday?

In Ekholm, the Oilers get a big, tough defenceman that can play at both ends of the rink and will help them solidify what's happening in their own zone. Put another way, that's pretty much the exact definition of what we need right now. But as much as there is plenty to like about bringing Ekholm to town, the cost to acquire him was significant as the Oilers needed to send Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, and a pair of draft picks (1st and 4th) to Nashville to make the deal (and money) work. On an asset level, this trade is a monster for the Oilers but one that ultimately satisfies a need they have on the roster. On a human level, however, I wonder what the players in the room are thinking as one of the most popular players on the team has been sent away. 

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