Oilers notes: Morrissey saw McDavid magic close up as national teammates

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The watch is on.

If Connor McDavid will get 18 factors within the first 10 Edmonton Oilers video games this month, he’ll hit 1,000 and grow to be the third quickest to achieve the plateau.

The 27-year-old went into the Oilers season-opener Wednesday with 982 factors (335 objectives and 647 assists) in his 645 video games.

Yeah, 18 factors in 10 video games looks like reaching for the moon for mere mortals, however not for No. 97, whose first NHL level got here on Oct. 13, 2015, his third NHL sport, a deflection as he slid by means of the excessive slot to get his stick on an Andrej Sekera level shot in Dallas.

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“Doesn’t shock me in any respect he’s closing in on 1,000. He’s all the time been particular,” mentioned Winnipeg defenceman Josh Morrissey, a teammate of 97’s on a number of Canadian junior groups.

“I noticed Connor face-to-face for the primary time at U18s once I was 17 and he was 15, two years youthful than us. He had simply completed his first season within the OHL, as an distinctive participant, and he led our U18 workforce in scoring on the match. You possibly can see the magic, even at 15,” mentioned Morrissey.

“Then I performed two world juniors with Connor. It’s been enjoyable to observe.”

The late Corridor of Fame right-winger Mike Bossy, who died of lung most cancers at 65 on April 15, 2022, is at present third all-time. He hit 1,000 factors two days after his twenty ninth birthday, in his 656th New York Islanders sport, on Jan. 24, 1986. It was an help on a Bryan Trottier aim in opposition to Washington.

Wayne Gretzky is No. 1, attending to 1,000 at dwelling in his 424th Oilers sport on Dec. 19, 1984, an help on an early Mike Krushelnyski aim in opposition to Los Angeles Kings — one in every of Gretzky’s six factors that evening in a 7-3 Oilers drubbing of L.A. He was 23 years previous.

Mario Lemieux hit 1,000 in his 513th sport for Pittsburgh on March 24, 1992, getting his fortieth aim of the season, a excessive shot that beat Detroit’s Tim Cheveldae. Lemieux was 26.

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Jari Kurri, Gretzky’s longtime Oilers right-winger, hit 1,000 when he was 29, establishing Esa Tikkanen in St. Louis, in Kurri’s 716th sport.

CONGRATS BUDDY

Morrissey’s finest pal exterior the Jets is Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl, after they have been junior teammates in Prince Albert and Kelowna.

“I did ship him a textual content (after he signed his new extension for $14 million a yr). He deserves it,” mentioned Morrissey, one of many NHL’s most underrated blueliners.

Morrissey goes again a great distance with Draisaitl, similar to with McDavid.

He remembers Draisaitl coming over from Europe as a young person, and was eager to see his ability set. Each have been 17 years previous, Morrissey in his draft yr and Leon with one other yr to go.

“We had heard the rumours about Leon being the German Gretzky. He had the lengthy paddle of a blade, one thing I’d by no means seen earlier than. It was from a German firm, I feel it was his dad’s buddy. You’re going, ‘What’s occurring right here?” Then he goes on the ice and he’s saucing the puck over everybody round the entire ice. Inside two minutes, we’re considering, ‘OK, we perceive what the hype’s all about.’ ’’

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“For me it was immediate chemistry between us. We principally performed each shift collectively for a number of years and I undoubtedly reaped the advantages of coming in late on the frenzy and he can be backhand saucing the puck 80 ft throughout the ice to me,” mentioned Morrissey.

When requested if he noticed Draisaitl’s scoring skill, too, he’s undecided.

“I don’t wish to say I didn’t however his thoughts for the sport is subsequent stage, amongst finest on this planet, clearly. As nice as that one-timer he has, scoring objectives from that one spot with Connor … I feel it’s his hockey sense to go the place to be open,” mentioned Morrissey.

“I all the time thought he’d be a 100-point man however I didn’t know he’d be a 50-goal participant, too. I assumed it was extra the passing aspect, however testomony to him (for objectives). It’s a special artistic thought course of to have the ability to shoot from the place he does, with the ability to again it up.”

However the paddle, it’s essentially the most uncommon blade within the NHL, because it was of their WHL years.

“I bear in mind in our practices we’d swap sticks. I’ve obtained a reasonably customary curve however I’d go in to shoot together with his paddle and there was no actual curve The puck would simply slide off the toe. Perhaps it is a query for goalies: Most gamers have related curves and perhaps the goalies can learn these photographs higher than they’ll Leon’s. It’s such a singular launch due to the curve,” mentioned Morrissey.

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WELCOME BACK

As anticipated, the Oilers reclaimed winger Raphael Lavoie Wednesday when Vegas tried to ship him right down to their AHL farm membership in close by Henderson, after taking Lavoie off the Oilers checklist Monday. However maintain on: the Oilers can’t simply routinely ship Lavoie to Bakersfield as a result of one other unnamed NHL workforce above them within the pecking order additionally put in a declare.

The eight groups above the Oilers can be the Rangers, Dallas, Carolina, Winnipeg, Florida, Vancouver, Boston and Colorado. It could be the Avs placing in a declare. They’re very skinny at ahead proper now.

So, for now, Lavoie is on the Oilers roster. Utilizing his $775,000, they nonetheless have $288,719 in cap area, based on PuckPedia.

To get Lavoie, who has scored 53 objectives the previous two minor-league seasons, to Bakersfield, Lavoie must return on waivers.

You following all of that?

Lavoie is a big-time offensive menace within the AHL however can’t crack the top-six right here on proper wing, with Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson holding these spots. Realistically, except he learns to kill penalties to be a fourth-line participant right here, he has little likelihood of taking part in important Oilers video games, barring accidents.

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“We weren’t seeking to lose him (initially). We’ve invested a whole lot of time in him and he had an excellent camp,” GM Stan Bowman advised radio host Jason Gregor on Sports activities 1440.

This ‘n that: Defenceman Travis Dermott, Brett Kulak’s third-pairing companion within the opener in opposition to Winnipeg, has a two-way contract after his camp tryout. It’s $775,000 to play right here and $500,000 if taking part in in Bakersfield. That’s a ton of minor-league cash for a two-way. It’s the identical contract as former Oilers ahead Kailer Yamamoto obtained from Utah, each after camp skilled tryouts … Stuart Skinner’s agent Ray Petkau has undoubtedly been following the goalie signings — Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark at $8.25 million common annual worth and Seattle’s Joey Daccord at $5 million AAV over 5 years. Skinner, making $2.6 million, has this season and subsequent on his Oilers contract but when he has one other good season in 2024-25 and the Oilers wish to work on an extension subsequent summer season, the bar is ready awfully excessive for him, perhaps $7 million … The earlier two seasons the Oilers solely dressed 17 skaters of their season opening sport in opposition to Vancouver Canucks due to sickness/damage and cap points, however they’d the common 18 in opposition to Jets on Wednesday … Wingers Matt Savoie and Cameron Wright, bodily recalled for cap causes to place them on the opening-season roster, have each returned to Bakersfield … The Jets definitely received that Pierre-Luc Dubois Los Angeles commerce in 2023 as a result of the three forwards they obtained within the deal — Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari — have been all taking part in in opposition to the Oilers. Dubois is now with Washington. Kupari is a fourth-line centre or further NHL ahead with the Jets, although. Kupari went 28 video games final yr with no aim for Winnipeg … The Jets are nonetheless carrying three goalies. They are going to be placing Eric Comrie, who backed up Connor Hellebuyck right here, or Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers, perhaps on Thursday.

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