Recalled/Assigned: Pakarinen recalled, RNH on IR

[thadd]

I'm 99.934% convinced that this is the last chance we'll be giving Pacman.

 

[Drivesaitl]

^Pac plays very well in game, on pk, hits a crossbar, smokes canucks in NZ, makes smart play after smart play and this is the one comment we see in the thread..

Some players here it seems get no credit for anything they do.

 

[Digger12]

Without a doubt, Pakarinen's best game as an Oiler so far this season even though he only got less than 9 minutes of icetime. He was hitting everything that moved and was actually getting himself in position to get his underrated shot off.

If he can keep himself healthy and develop at least a bit more offensive awareness so that he can get his shot away more often (something he can certainly do at the AHL level), there's no doubt he can be an everyday player in the NHL and not just as a 4th liner.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Without a doubt, Pakarinen's best game as an Oiler so far this season even though he only got less than 9 minutes of icetime. He was hitting everything that moved and was actually getting himself in position to get his underrated shot off.

If he can keep himself healthy and develop at least a bit more offensive awareness so that he can get his shot away more often (something he can certainly do at the AHL level), there's no doubt he can be an everyday player in the NHL and not just as a 4th liner.

I like him. What a shot. Oilers have some decisions to make. I feel he will become a great 4th liner and PKer. I think Strome will be odd man out. I'm really hoping Oilers go on 10 game winning streak similar to Colorado.

 

[Mez]

Really impressed with Pak last night. Excellent on the PK, created some good scoring opportunities with his limited ice time. I would love to see him find a spot on this team.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Definitely Pac's best game of the season. A lot of the bad elements that were in his game earlier - bobbling puck, forcing bad passes - weren't there. He played a very clean, effective game, which is what's needed out of him.

He's not a shutdown winger, but he can be part of the solution.

If you're asking me for my ideal bottom 6 wingers, I'm happy with him, Kassian, Khaira, Caggiula, and Slepyshev. Strome's a decent enough offensive #3 centre, but that means you need an upgrade on Letestu defensively in the 4 spot. Even if no one new is brought in, I still semi like the potential look for next year, short of that #4 centre spot.

Caggiula-McDavid-RNH
Lucic-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Khaira-Strome-Kassian
Slepyshev-____-Pakarinen

Even if you're getting someone like Josefsson, T. Mitchell, Wingers, T. Pyatt, or Jooris (or a prime Gordon), that's a perfect fit.