Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Rumors

(12/20/2020) – BLH’s NHL Rumor Roundup PM Edition: “They Could Be Enticing to a Playoff Contender”

BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Aaron Ekblad, Artem Anisimov, Mike Hoffman, Corey Perry, and more!

Watch 16yr Old Wayne Gretzky Destroy the Czechs at the ’78 World Juniors!

Watch Connor McDavid help Team Canada end a five-year WJHC gold medal drought right here!

Evan Bouchard has been recalled from his loan in Sweden, now he’s got to make the Oilers or his future could be cloudy. Read about that here.

Read what TSN’s Craig Button had to say about Carter Savoie, Dylan Holloway, and the 2020 World Juniors right here!

At the 2010 World Juniors, Jordan Eberle was a hero but it was all for naught in the Gold Medal Final… Watch the epic 6-5 battle with Team USA in its entirety right here.

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NHL Rumors and Speculation

  • Bruce Garrioch (Ottawa Sun): Talks have heated up on UFA winger Mike Hoffman with as many as six teams involved in the discussions.
  • Josh Kloke (The Athletic): In order to generate income for the upcoming season, some AHL clubs are currently looking into selling broadcast rights to their games to various TV stations.
  • Frank Seravalli (TSN): Players and staff will be limited to the game rink, practice rink, or team hotel, Seravalli reported. Seravalli added the language in the travel protocols continues to change and will further with input from provincial health authorities. There will be no guests allowed in hotel rooms, no use of hotel gyms, and no housekeeping, per Seravalli. Players will also be assigned seats on buses and planes, with in-flight catering eliminated where feasible.
  • Larry Brooks (New York Post): It is unclear whether the NHL is instituting a COVID-19 restricted list, apart from regular injured reserve, what regulations would govern it and how it would affect the cap. Would a virus-related recall be calculated differently under the cap than a normal-course recall?
  • Shug McSween (NHLTradeRumors.me): Would you deal Aaron Ekblad for Patrik Laine?

BLH’s Thoughts: I wouldn’t if I were GM of either team. The Jets don’t have anybody coming up in their system that can score goals like Laine can and the Panthers are lacking at top-pairing right-shot defender who could take over for Ekblad.

That said, if both teams were okay with taking a step back for a season or two, a Barkov/Laine tandem in FLA would be something to watch and Morrissey/Ekblad top-pairing in WPG could help massively. 

  • Anthony Scultore (Daily Goal Horn): Here is a portion of his list of the top PTO candidates for the upcoming 2020-21 NHL season,
    • Derrick Brassard – C –  “He scored 32 points in 66 games last season but really showed something for the surprising Islanders in return to play.”
    • Corey Perry – W –  “He would be a nice third line add for many teams but would need to prove himself at camp in this economy.”
    • Craig Anderson – G – “Anderson has been the backbone for a very bad Ottawa Senators franchise for a long time. On most nights, the Senators would’ve been blown out of the water if not for this 17-year veteran.”
    • Jimmy Howard – G – “He’s only played for one franchise, but is probably eager to get with a contender. I wouldn’t be surprised if his agent hasn’t already called the Caps.”
    • Carl Soderberg – C – “Teams looking for a third or fourth line center that can be tough in the defensive zone should look at Carl.”

BLH’s Thoughts: I dunno folks… I love a good vet but aside from Brassard, these players really look well past their best-before date… Anderson is 39 and has logged a lot of miles for the Sens, how much is really left in his tank? Howard won TWO games last year? Do I have that right? Soderberg is rumored to be heading to Europe. 

  • Lyle Richardson (Spector’s Hockey): Had this to say on a couple of Ottawa Senators who could find themselves becoming trade bait this year,
    • “We shouldn’t rule out Gudbranson or Anisimov also becoming trade candidates near the deadline. Much will depend upon their performances this season but they could be enticing to a playoff contender.”

BLH’s Thoughts: Well, could the Senators find a way to trade those two and upgrade their roster? It seems to me that the Sens from ownership down are ready to take the next step. In my opinion, they’d be best served holding on to Anisimov for at least one more year. Gudbranson, unless he has a real bounce back season, I don’t know how many takers Ottawa is going to find for him. 

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My hometown’s university hockey team needs help due to cutbacks and obviously financial pressures thanks to the pandemic, so they’ve set up a Go Fund Me to try and raise enough money to keep their program alive.

I can’t even begin to imagine how many hours I spent as a boy running around the Max McLean Arena in Camrose at Vikings games. It has to be in the hundreds as my dad took me to as many as we could get to and add in all the Viking Cup games. Without this hockey program, many people wouldn’t have been able to be introduced to the likes of Henrik Lundqvist, Dominik Hasek, Mike Comrie, Olli Jokinen, Mikko Koivu, PJ Axelsson, Dave Tippett, Fernando Pisani, Petr Klima, Sergei Zubov, Ziggy Palffy, Milan Hejduk, Andrei Markov, Henrik Zetterberg, Tuuka Rask, etc. before they became NHL superstars and that’s thanks to the Vikings and the fine people over the years that have worked tirelessly to keep things afloat.

If you have time, visit the Go Fund Me, and if you have an extra buck or two, help out. I know it’s not easy these days, but Camrose without the Vikings would leave a massive hole in the fabric of that town.