Locked On Oilers - Daily Podcast On The Edmonton Oilers

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a wide ranging conversation about why the Edmonton Oilesr have gotten off to an 0-3 start. Nick tackles Murphy's Law from a defensive perspective, why the Oilers preferred run and gun style of play is hurting them in a goal scoring drought and why special teams in the NHL are so prone to runs of hot and cold play Getting the Edmonton O...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the Edmonton Oilers slow start to the 2024-2025 NHL season. Nick tackles why the offense is mostly at fault but it should come around, why the team's defense can't be expected to shoulder so much of the load, why Ty Emberson needs consistent deployment and why taking their lumps early in the season is better than the a...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a philosophical discussion as to why the Edmonton Oilers cannot allow short term results to dictate the long term organizational goals. Nick tackles why the Oilers slow start makes sense in context of their offseason, why keeping an eye on the ultimate goal is imperative, why Ty Emberson in particular deserves the benefit of the doubt...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the Edmonton Oilers opening night 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Nick tackles the Oilers slow start, disjointed transition play, lack of familiarity between partners and circles back to why the team might be liable to get off to a slow start after an offseason of so much turnover  Edmonton Oilers get off to slow start...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the important themes and storylines that will define the Oilers pursuit of a Stanley Cup. Nick tackles the uncertainty on the blueline including the lack of familiarity amongst partners, Kris Knoblauch's decision making and people management and whether or not the burden of being preseason cup favorites will take a tol...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive of the Edmonton Oilers projected opening night lineup the day before the start of the their 2024-2025 NHL season opener. Nick dives into the resolution of key training camp battles, the good decisions they made in bringing in Travis Dermott and what swapping Mattias Janmark with Jeff Skinner means.  Edmonton Oilers opening...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the principles and mechanics of the Edmonton Oilers Power play. Nick dives into the conventional power play alignment used around the league, why the Oilers are able to build a level higher than most other teams, the principles of the Oilers power play and how other teams might be able to slow it down if not entirely s...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive on the Edmonton Oilers offense and where their goals come from. Nick dives into where the goals the team needs to replace, who's primed for regression, why Jeff Skinner and Victor Arvidsson can't make up the goal difference all by themselves and an expectation for each forward's goal total  Understanding the Edmonton Oilers...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a wide ranging conversation about the Edmonton Oilers bottom six. Nick tackles the cost and market constraints of roster construction in today's NHL, how the Oilers have tackled their specific salary cap situation and whether or not they've made worthwhile gambles.  How the Edmonton Oilers designed their bottom six  Support Us By Suppo...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the looming Connor McDavid extension. Nick tackles the macroeconomics of the NHL landscape, why the Oilers will need to reconfigure their roster two seasons from now and ultimately why most of the noise around a future extension is just noise and nothing to take seriously  Don't let Connor McDavid's future extension lo...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the outlook for Edmonton Oilers defenseman Josh Brown ahead of the 2024-2025 season. Nick dives into Brown's winding road through the NHL, his performance at those previous stops, what the Oilers might expect from him and if he's good enough to be a regular at the NHL level.  Can the Oilers really have Josh Brown in th...

Will the Edmonton Oilers feel any kind of competition from the Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings or Vancouver Canucks atop the NHL’s Pacific Division? Probably not! On this Locked On NHL Season Preview Round Table, Nick Zararis (Locked On Oilers), Trevor Beggs (Locked On Canucks), Eddie Garcia (Locked On Kings) and Chris Gawlik (Locked On Golden Knights) preview the top of the Pacific Divisi...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a step by step walkthrough of how the Edmonton Oilers can handle Calvin Pickard's injury and roster cut down. Nick tackles Pickard's recovery, the candidates for his replacement, what Pickard missing the start of the season would do to the Oilers' salary cap and what's most likely to happen going forward.  Calvin Pickard's injury and O...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for an analysis of the Edmonton Oilers through two weeks of preseason games and training camp. Nick tackles why the 18-5 aggregate doesn't matter, key positional battles, why waivers comes up in roster decisions, the path to Vasily Podkolzkin growing his role and why Kris Knoblauch is entitled to the benefit of the doubt.  Early Edmonton O...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into The Athletic's tier list of the NHL's top players. Nick tackles how many Oilers made the list, how many their contemporary Stanley Cup Contenders had and how to put together a strong subjective list that covers as many blindspots as possible  The Athletic's top players tier list and what the world thinks of the Oilers ...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a wide ranging philosophical discussion about the state of the goaltender position in the NHL and why Stuart Skinner is finally ready to be the bell cow starting goalie for the Edmonton Oilers. Nick dives into the state of the position on a league wide level, why Skinner has such sturdy ground to stand on going forward, why it's an ide...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a philosophical conversation about the Edmonton Oilers preseason schedule. Nick dives into the goals for a team like the Oilers during a preseason, the individual position battles worth following as well as why preseason hockey, although not regular season, is something worth being excited for How to watch the Oilers during the preseas...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the Edmonton Oilers prospects of taking home the Stanley Cup this upcoming NHL season and why this is the year. Nick tackles the weak field on a league wide level of serious cup contenders, narratives around the Oilers and why a motivated Connor McDavid should have everyone on notice and why this is the most talented t...

Join host Nick Zararis on this edition of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the perspective next round of NHL expansion. Nick tackles the NHL's economics at large, the economic reasons to add new franchises to the league and why adding more teams will only further dilute the NHL's regular season.  Why the NHL doesn't need another round of expansion  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!  Game...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a breakdown of the opening day of Edmonton Oilers Training Camp for the 2024-2025 NHL season. Nick dives into the forward line and defensive pair combinations including Ryan Nugent Hopkins riding shotgun with Connor McDavid, Vasily Podkozlin sliding in on the fourth line as well as defenseman Ty Emberson getting first crack at playing...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into the career of Edmonton Oilers PTO signing, veteran forward Mike Hoffman. Nick dives into Hoffman's career path, underlying chance creation numbers, transition stats, NHL Edge data and whether or not he might push for a roster spot.  Is Mike Hoffman a serious candidate to make the Edmonton Oilers?  Support Us By Support...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into Edmonton Oilers PTO signing, defenseman Travis Dermott. Nick walks through Dermott's track record at the NHL level, what to realistically expect from him in the preseason and whether or not he's a serious candidate to sign to a full contract at the conclusion of the preseason. Can Travis Dermott make the Edmonton Oiler...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a cautionary conversation as to why the Oilers summer of roster turnover might mean the team needs time to gel. With changes to both the Oilers forward group and defensive core, the Oilers will need every last bit of training camp and preseason to get the team up to speed ahead of season littered with high expectations.  Why the Edmont...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a deep dive into macro NHL topics about the state of the league ahead of the 2024 season. Nick tackles salary cap circumvention through LTIR, growing league revenues, why emphasizing international play is so important, ways to improve the quality of the regular season and why neck guards should be mandated.  Fix the NHL Friday 1.0: LTI...

Join host Nick Zararis on this episode of Locked on Oilers for a wide ranging conversation covering the keys to an optimal Edmonton Oilers lineup ahead of the 2024-2025 NHL season. Nick covers why splitting up Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard will pay off down the road, why Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm may moonlight with other partners and what lines and pairs might look like come O...