• What the Edmonton Oilers will do at the 2026 NHL trade deadline | Way too early predictions
    2025/08/14

    The 2026 NHL trade deadline has the potential for league altering moves. With superstars like Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov entering the upcoming season as unrestricted free agents, what does it mean for the Edmonton Oilers?

    On today's episode, host Nick Zararis explores the motivations of teams ahead of the 2025-2026 NHL season who feature superstars in the last year of contracts. Nick explains why teams would or wouldn't move a star, why GMs don't always act in the best interest of the team and a whole lot more.

    0:00 Intro: Preview of 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

    4:41 Analyzing pending unrestricted free agents

    13:18 Which teams might trade key players

    18:52 Predicting Oilers' trade deadline moves

    24:28 Potential trade targets for Edmonton

    What the Edmonton Oilers will do at the 2026 NHL trade deadline | Way too early predictions
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    28 分
  • Why learning from Edmonton Oilers mistakes is so important to sustain a window of contention
    2025/08/13

    The Edmonton Oilers are still in a window of Stanley Cup contention, but past mistakes are starting to put a squeeze on the team's ability to maintain its status. On today's edition of locked on Oilers, Host Nick Zararis explores why the Darnell Nurse extension and Jack Campbell Free Agency signing failed. Nick explores the environmental factors that led up to both decisions, explains why the deals, at least at the time, made sense, and what can be learned.

    In addition, Nick takes those lessons and builds out a longer range, big picture plan for improvement in front office decision making in assessing and tolerating risk.

    0:00 Intro: Understanding Oilers' recent predicament

    4:08 North Division's impact on Nurse's contract

    8:13 Salary cap implications for NHL teams

    12:17 Goalie market challenges and team retention

    16:51 Jack Campbell's workload increase with Leafs

    20:56 Lessons from Bouchard and Nurse contracts

    24:29 Importance of drafting developmental goalies yearly

    28:04 Outro: Upcoming NHL season preview

    Why learning from Edmonton Oilers mistakes is so important to sustain a window of contention
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    28 分
  • How Zach Hyman & Mattias Ekholm Made the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Contenders
    2025/08/12

    In this episode of Locked On Oilers, host Nick Zararis breaks down the two franchise-shifting moves that turned the Edmonton Oilers from a solid playoff team into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender the free-agent signing of Zach Hyman and the trade for Mattias Ekholm.

    We analyze how Zach Hyman’s transition from the Toronto Maple Leafs to playing alongside Connor McDavid transformed his game, doubled his shot totals, and gave the Oilers one of the NHL’s most relentless net-front presences. Then, we dive deep into how Mattias Ekholm’s defensive stability unlocked Evan Bouchard’s offensive potential, creating one of the league’s most reliable top defensive pairings.

    Plus, we discuss what the Edmonton Oilers can learn from these moves going forward, the importance of surrounding McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the right complementary players, and why roster fit matters just as much as raw talent when chasing the Stanley Cup.

    15:51 Ekholm-Bouchard pairing's statistical impact

    26:33 Future moves to maintain contender status

    How Zach Hyman & Mattias Ekholm Made the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Contenders

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    28 分
  • If I Was GM: How the Edmonton Oilers Could Have Kept Dylan Holloway & Philip Broberg
    2025/08/08

    What if YOU were the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers? On today’s episode of Locked On Oilers, host Nick Zararis takes you through a detailed “what-if” scenario for the summer of 2024 and how the Oilers could have avoided losing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg.

    We break down how poor roster management, offer sheet missteps, and short-term thinking cost Edmonton two young, cost-controlled players. From Ken Holland’s lame-duck final season to Jeff Jackson’s interim stint and Stan Bowman’s arrival, we cover the decisions that shaped the Oilers’ future.

    Nick walks through the alternative moves he would have made including passing on Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson, keeping Holloway and Broberg, and restructuring the bottom six plus how these choices could have impacted Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and the Oilers’ Stanley Cup window.

    5:10 Ken Holland's lame duck GM situation

    15:20 Keeping Holloway instead of signing Skinner

    20:26 Value of analyzing team transactions

    If I Was GM: How the Edmonton Oilers Could Have Kept Dylan Holloway & Philip Broberg

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    29 分
  • Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl & the Edmonton Oilers: 20 Burning Offseason Questions
    2025/08/07

    In this episode of Locked On Oilers, host Nick Zararis answers 20 burning questions about the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the team’s path forward. Can the Oilers win a Stanley Cup during the McDavid‑Draisaitl era? Who should Edmonton prioritize adding a first‑line winger or a top‑pairing defenseman? And what is Chris Knoblauch’s biggest weakness as a coach?

    Nick also dives into key hypotheticals: What if the Oilers had drafted Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy, or Jake Guentzel? Could Connor McDavid realistically reach 2,000 career points? And who’s the next Edmonton Oilers player to get their number retired? Plus, we debate the impact of players like Zach Hyman, Matthias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Dylan Holloway, and Vasily Podkolzin, and what it will take for this team to stay in contention in the 2025‑26 NHL season.

    5:10 Comparing goal scoring potential of young players

    10:14 FanDuel sponsorship and betting opportunities

    15:52 Zach Hyman signing as turning point

    21:27 Draft misses and alternative player selections

    26:32 Hypothetical Connor McDavid trade scenarios

    31:06 Outro: Feedback request and upcoming content

    1. Do the Oilers need a first liner winger or 1LD more?

    2. Lowest caliber starting goalie to win a cup?

    3. Knoblauch's biggest weakness as a coach

    4. More goals: Evander Kane or Ike Howard+Matthew Savoie+ Vasily Podkolzin?

    5. 3rd line center or 4th defenseman?

    6. Which flop hurt worse: Kailer Yamamoto or Jesse Puljujärvi

    7. Could Taylor Hall have won a Hart trophy as an Oiler?

    8. Biggest mistake contract?

    9. Would Darnell Nurse been extended if Oskar Klefbom never got hurt?

    10. Next number retired?

    11. Best and worst contract?

    12. Most important sliding doors moment?

    13. Draft what ifs?

    14: Yakupov: Forsberg, Hertl, Teräväinen
    Nurse: Guentzel, Horvat, Morrissey
    Puljujarvi: Tkachuk, Keller, Sergachev, McAvaoy

    1. Who helps most right now: Holloway, Broberg, Foegele, Brown, Perry

    2. Dream McDavid trade return package?

    3. Can McDavid hit 2000 career points?

    4. Can McDavid and Draisaitl run down Crosby and Malkin?

    5. O/U 4.5 years on McDavid's extension

    6. Will the Oilers win a cup with McDavid and Draisaitl?

    Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl & the Edmonton Oilers: 20 Burning Offseason Questions

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    32 分
  • Redefining Success: What Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers Teach Us About Winning and Life
    2025/08/06

    Winning isn’t everything at least not in the way most hockey fans think about it. In this episode of Locked On Oilers, Nick Zararis reflects on what truly defines success for players and teams in today’s NHL. From Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl’s chase for the Stanley Cup to the Edmonton Oilers’ roster development, we examine how progress can exist even without a championship.

    We also highlight growth stories for players like Evan Bouchard, Vasily Podkolzin, and Brett Kulak, and compare how organizations like the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens measure success in different stages of their rebuilds. This episode challenges the “championship or failure” narrative and asks a bigger question: What do we really value in hockey?

    0:00 Intro: The state of sports media today

    5:47 Stephen A. Smith and the contentification of journalism

    17:39 Hockey as a weak link sport

    23:46 Finding meaning in the attempt, not just winning

    28:50 Outro: Internship and affiliation agreements

    Redefining Success: What Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers Teach Us About Winning and Life

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    29 分
  • How to understand the NHL like a nerd does | Guy who failed intro to statistics explains math!
    2025/08/05

    Do you want to understand hockey like a true analyst? In this episode of Locked On Oilers, host Nick Zararis takes a deep dive into advanced hockey analytics breaking down the difference between counting stats, descriptive stats, and predictive stats and why understanding these numbers is essential for evaluating NHL players and teams. We explore how metrics like expected goals (xG), high‑danger scoring chances, and shot quality provide a clearer picture than traditional box‑score stats like goals and assists.

    Nick uses examples from players like Zach Hyman, Tim Stützle, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and others to explain how context, efficiency, and style of play shape offensive production. Plus, we compare the offensive approaches of teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, and New Jersey Devils showing how quality vs. quantity influences playoff success. If you want to learn how analytics can make you a smarter fan, this is the episode for you.

    0:00 Intro: Understanding hockey like a nerd

    3:37 Quality vs quantity in NHL offense

    7:41 Expected goals and high danger chances

    11:45 Why statistics enhance hockey analysis

    16:51 Carolina Hurricanes: Quantity-focused team example

    20:24 Limitations of advanced hockey statistics

    24:59 Offense vs defense: Which is more valuable?

    How to understand the NHL like a nerd does | Guy who failed intro to statistics explains math!

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    29 分
  • Edmonton Oilers Special Teams Struggles: Why the Power Play Dropped & How to Fix It
    2025/08/01

    The Edmonton Oilers are known for having one of the most dangerous power plays in the NHL, led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent‑Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard. But in 2024‑25, the Oilers’ power play dropped from top‑five status to 11th in the league. On this episode of Locked On Oilers, host Nick Zararis dives deep into the numbers behind this regression fewer scoring chances, decreased shots on goal, and a notable decline in high‑danger opportunities. Was this simply a case of Zach Hyman’s regression from his career‑best season, or is the problem rooted in strategy and predictability?

    We explore the underlying analytics, how opposing defenses like the Florida Panthers neutralized Edmonton’s man advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, and what changes new coaching tactics could bring. From puck‑movement strategies to adjusting zone entries and personnel usage, Nick offers solutions to help the Oilers return to elite status on special teams in 2025‑26.

    0:00 Intro: Oilers power play analysis

    5:16 Raw numbers: Power play time and opportunities

    16:28 Impact of power play regression over a season

    19:34 Investigating year-over-year power play changes

    24:09 Oilers' unique power play structure and tactics

    28:46 Outro: Subscribe and upcoming content

    Edmonton Oilers Special Teams Struggles: Why the Power Play Dropped & How to Fix It

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    29 分