After watching 10 games, new Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli suggested he’s going to give the Edmonton Oilers 10 more before making any moves.

“Out of the gate we’re missing Jordan Eberle which was big. And right now we’re putting Rob Klinkhammer and Justin Schultz on the injury reserved list, so we’ll have five guys on I.R. It’s tough to get a read when there are five guys of your group on I.R.,” he said in a candid interview with your correspondent Wednesday.

Chiarelli is thrilled with Connor McDavid, surprised by Nail Yakupov, happy with his goalies, disappointed in the defence including two of his off-season acquisitions Andrej Sekera and Eric Gryba, not particularly impressed by the bottom two lines and telegraphed a trip to Bakersfield in the future of Anton Slepyshev.

“I’m obviously disappointed in our record. In the 10-game segment I was hoping we’d be .500 and be sitting with 10 points.

“From a compete perspective, we’ve been pretty good. When I see that and some structure I feel better than average. It would be nice to have a little better foundation of points at this time.

“From the perspective of making progress, I think structurally we’re playing a lot better. I feel a lot of puck support in all the zones. But we’ve been making some significant mistakes that kind of stand out. Those are disappointing.

“From a player perspective, there have been some guys who have played quite well and there have been some guys who have been sub-par.”

Chiarelli says every time he watches prize pick McDavid he sees more.

“Every shift he’s becoming more comfortable with the league and every other shift he’s making a really good play. We’re privileged to see him first hand. Smart. Fast. He could easily have twice the number of goals. And he’ll learn how to finish those off better as he gets stronger and grows in the league. Connor is as advertized. You look at him on the ice and every other shift you think he’s going to score.”

There are talented players and then there are talented players who make the guys they play with better.

“Connor has done that. But credit to them, too,” he said.

Credit in particular to Yakupov.

“I especially like Yakupov’s game. He’s played a smarter game and he’s doing a lot of the little things and you can just see his confidence is growing also.

“I didn’t know him like Benoit Pouliot, who we had in Boston. I’d seen all the media out of Edmonton and I’d known there was a frustration surrounding him. But for me he’s improved since I’ve seen him here and when you get a shooter like that, he’s a valuable player. Shooters are very under-rated in this league. Not to just typecast him as a shooter, but he has a very good shot and he likes to shoot. And that’s important.”

As for the third and fourth lines, they’ve been nothing to write home about.

“Those bottom two lines have been just O.K. They have to be better. Slepychev probably needs, no, he does need, some seasoning. He’s up here for numbers right now. There are good things to his game that I’ve seen.

“A guy like Matt Hendricks was playing real well until he was hurt. Even Klinkhammer, for what he brings, he brings it pretty good.

“In this league, often those top two lines even out. It’s those bottom two that are very significant. We need the bottom two lines to be better.”

When it comes to Cam Talbot and Ander Nilsson, the two goaltenders Chiarelli acquired, he’s likes their work.

“I’ve been happy with them. I know Anders had the one tough game but for the most part, the body of work right from camp to this point has been good. And as I said earlier, those big mistakes … it’s usually those big mistakes that end up in the back of the net and are no real fault of our goalies.”

He’s not in denial about his defence.

“Our defence has been disappointing. It’s been a little bit disjointed. Oscar Klefbom missed a large part of camp, so he was a little bit behind. Now Schultz is hurt,” he said, refusing, as is his policy, to identify the mysterious injury or the length of time he’ll be out.

“I thought Schultz had progressed pretty well and was playing an effective role. We have a bit of a disjointed defence. Sekera I know is going to be better because I’ve seen him be better and I know he can be better, too.

“Gryba has been in and out. I’ve liked a lot of what he’s done but he’s been part of those big mistakes. He’s been playing pretty good minutes but you have to get rid of those big mistakes. I know it’s not from a lack of trying for him. His try and his effort are good.”

So far so good with the kids.

“Griffin Reinhart, to me, played a real good game in Vancouver and is a very smart player who is just starting to defend well. So I have to see him get up and running.

“You saw Darnell Nurse play his first game Tuesday. He played an outstanding game. When we sent him down, we said ‘When we bring you up, we want to bring you up to stay.' There were some injuries so there are some exceptions. But he was outstanding last night.

“If you get Reinhart, Nurse and Klefbom going to the full capacity, you are talking a significant improvement in your D core.

“It’s an area we have to fix but it’s an area that may improve just out of evolution here. So that’s likely part of the 20-game, one quarter of the season evaluation.”

Chiarelli, as you might expect with his recent appointment of coach Todd McLellan as head coach of the U-23 Team North America, is more than happy with the coaching staff.

“They’ve been very good with their key points, with their structure. I talk about structure and support and that’s been very, very evident. They are very good teaching coaches and coaching coaches. The practices are very high tempo. I have been very happy with the coaching staff.”

The GM also gives the fans a passing grade.

“I think they can see how we’re playing,” he said.

“But at the end of the day we’re in the business of winning and improving and I put equal importance on them because winning helps improving.

“The attitude of the players has been good and that’s important. But I don’t like to lose and we have to make sure that we don’t.

“It’s my job to make sure that we don’t and it’s Todd’s job to make sure that we don’t.

“I have patience and I know that things will evolve with this group but on the flip side at the end of the day we’re in this business to win.”

What does all that mean?

I’d say it means that the next 10 games a pretty important starting tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.

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terry.jones@sunmedia.ca