Monthly Archives: April 2016

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Auston 3:16 Says…

The day of reckoning has come and tonight is going to be a beauty. Will the Edmonton Oilers “get lucky” and win the lottery and stay within the top three or will they “lose” the lottery and be forced down to the 4th or 5th spot?

I have to be honest, I could care less at this point. The team doesn’t really need to add another impact teenager to its ranks and we’ve done enough speculating to date that I’m numb to it all now. So what are we going to do? Well speculate some more of course. This isn’t going to take long. Is what I used to tell all my girlfriends back in the day.

If the Oilers Get the 1st Overall Pick…

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!! Then breathe… Then HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!… Then check to see if Toronto has burned to the ground. Then HAHAHAHAHAHA…

Auston Matthews all day long baby. You don’t think that Arizona, or any other team for that matter, will come knocking every year to see if they can shake Matthews loose? Would you trade him for Erik Karlsson?

If the Oilers Get the 2nd Overall Pick…

They take the Finnish Bazooka Patrik Laine! From watching him live and the clips online, it’d be hard not to take him. In the past he’s had issues with authority but he’s seemingly moved on from that. Put him on the wing, move Maroon down or to the right side and watch the fireworks!

If the Oilers Get the 3rd Overall Pick..

Jesse Puljujarvi and his vowel-happy name will be an Edmonton Oiler. Is it just me or is Laine-Puljujarvi the 2nd coming of Ovechkin-Malkin? Take a minute to think about that. Another thing to consider. Finns seem to do okay in Edmonton. Some better than others…

If the Oilers Get the 4th Overall Pick…

Matty Tkachuk is their man. I think a lot of people will argue that Dubois might be a better pick here but Tkachuk’s bloodlines and hockey IQ will set him apart here.

If the Oilers Get the 5th Overall Pick…

Olli Juolevi/Mikhail Sergachev/Jakob Chychrun. You flip the three-sided coin on this one. Sergachev just won the OHL defender of the year award but I’m not that impressed. The last Russian to do that in the OHL was former Oiler Alexei Semenov and he sure turned out. I mean Ryan Ellis won it TWICE!

Click the pic and get your very own 16-bit McDavid tee!

So there you have it. Those are my thoughts. I don’t think they will trade it outright. Trading down to get Jake Bean or Dante Fabbro might be in their plans. Or if the elusive “Lindros” offer is out there, they might do that.

Let’s talk about that “Lindros” offer. According to Elliotte Friedman, the last major offer for the first overall pick was in Aaron Ekblad’s draft year of 2014. The Tampa Bay Lightning offered Jonathan Drouin (#3 in 2013) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (#19 in 2012) and were obviously turned down.

The one deal I’d consider is the one Bob Stauffer’s been mentioning on Oilers Now with the Coyotes. Dylan Strome, both of the Coyotes first rounders this year and one of their second rounders for the 1st overall pick. I went into detail on that offer here. I think this is the closest one might ever see to a “Lindros” offer in the cap-era.

Another thing that has been talked about on Lowetide’s morning show is how this draft will affect who the Oilers protect in the next expansion draft. If they trade any pick away for an NHL-ready dman this summer, that could drastically affect how they go forward in the expansion draft. So perhaps they are better off using the pick and saving themselves a little headache in a year’s time.

So that’s ‘er folks. Enjoy the playoff games today and enjoy the draft lottery. I’m thinking of doing a Blab for the lottery. Don’t know what a Blab is? Basically like Google Hangouts but using Twitter instead of Gmail. Check out this link and if you’re on Twitter you can join me and we’ll chat hawkey before and after the lottery!!

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Edmonton Oilers, Kosmic Burrito, NHL, NHL Entry Draft, Prospects

Kosmic’s Top Ten NHL Draft Prospects: #1 Patrik Laine

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Hey guys! Can you believe that it’s the end of April already? And that in exactly 2 days we will find out just where we stand in the pecking order known as the 2016 NHL Draft. Come on, as a sad fanbase let’s face it, this IS our playoffs. This upcoming weekend will determine a lot for Edmonton. For example, where we land in the draft order is going to decide, I think, whether we trade the pick or use it to draft someone. Personally, I think that if they fall outside of the Top 3 then they will end up trading the pick. Possibly packaging it up with one of their many rumoured wingers/forwards for some top-notch help on the “D”. But that’s just my take on this…

PLEASE Hockey Gods, let this be the last year that we care about which position we get in the draft! I’ll do anything!! Even sacrifice my youngest! Sorry Caleb, but you’re a ginger…it was bound to happen sooner or later! I KEED, I KEED! I JOKE! HaHa! But for real….it’s almost the Oilers time to shine! It’s Lottery Time! So buckle up mofo’s!!! Heeeeeeeeere’s Numero Uno…..

Patrik Laine – LW/RW
Tappara (Liiga Finland)
6’4″ 211lbs
46GP 17G 16A 33PTS 6PIM 6+/-

Ok so I’m going to try something new, and start off by saying the worst possible thing that I noticed, and read about this prospect….his skating. Trust me, it’s not too much of a knock either, or really even one at all. So he isn’t the fastest skater and he takes big, long, powerful strides. Scouts say that he’s very reminiscent of Mario freaking Lemieux when he skates, yeah that guy! How did he do in his career? LOL! Being compared to Super Mario in any regard is never a bad thing.

So moving along to his many lovable traits, skills, and characteristics. Patrik Laine is about as complete of a natural goal scorer as you can possibly get. Seriously, he possesses an absolute laser beam of a shot that leaves fire trails similar to everyone’s favorite time traveling Delorean. What a bomb, this is the shot that every coach craves to have for his powerplay. He has an ultra quick release wrist’er, and a behemoth of a blast when he unleashes his slapper or snapper. His ability to read the play more often than not puts him in an advantageous position to shoot the puck. He’s constantly thinking out on the ice, and loves to create plays himself. He is a big bodied winger that I think is perfectly built for the much larger Western Conference. Now I’m not saying that he’s overly physical, not at all. But he definitely knows how to use his size and reach to his advantage, and can hang with the big boys as well. He will use his massive frame to drive players off the puck, and doesn’t really shy away from mixing it up when he needs to.

His defensive game could use a little work, not much though, and come on? That’s not really why you’d be drafting Patrik Laine. You’d draft him for his uncanny ability to score! Remember, Patrik is a 2016 Liiga Champion and playoff MVP, as well as a 2016 World Junior Champion and All-Star. So he knows what it takes to win and lead a team to the promised land.

NHL Comparable(s): Alexander Ovechkin, and Mario Lemieux.

Why would this player be on the Oilers Draft List? Well, because we’d land an elite, top-notch natural goal scorer to possibly compliment McDavid for years and years to come…and…we’d also get a s**t load of options. Options you say? Why yes fine fellow, options a plenty!

First of all, if we draft Laine, we wouldn’t need to even think twice about trading an Eberle, or Yakupov for some help on the “D”. Or maybe who knows, it could influence a major trade involving Taylor Hall. As I believe that this kid is going to step straight into the league and light it up like his name was Bob Marley!

Another option is, we flip the pick itself for some immediate help. One suggestion out there, is that if the Oilers do land the 1st overall pick then we should trade it to whoever drafts 2nd overall. People are suggesting they then make a “Lindros” like trade with that team involving the 2nd overall, and then draft Laine. Now I just don’t see that happening in the cap-era, but could you imagine? We could possibly fix our defense and bottom six in the trade, and then draft Patrik Laine!!

If only, but in reality, who knows…like Kevin Garnett said “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!”. Honestly though, as amazing as it would be to have Matthews, I think we’re more than set at “C” with McWizard, Dr. Drai, and RNH. Me personally, I’d love to have the opportunity to see McDavid and Laine become the new Gretzky and Kurri.

Well my friends, that concludes my 2016 Top Ten Oilers Draft Prospects series. Stay tuned and see what I have in-store for you next! As always, stay trippy!!

Follow me Twitter @kosmicburrito

Armchair GM, Edmonton Oilers, Lindsay Ryall, NHL, Rumors, Trades

How a Drouin Trade Could Affect the Oilers Upgrades

It seems most play-off years a rookie or newish player will be thrust into the spotlight at the right time and this year that player looks to be, Jonathan Drouin.  The Tampa Bay lighting made relatively short work of a team they lost to last year when they had superstar forward Steven Stamkos  in the line-up.  What’s the difference? Obviously the team is playing better together and Drouin is proving to be a driver for that success.  A very interesting situation considering the player asked for a trade this past season, and GM Steve Yzerman was apparently interested in accommodating him.

Back in Edmonton there is a similar theme with at least one high-profile forward likely leaving town.  Edmonton Oiler’s General manager Peter Chiarelli will need to move at least one (likely 2) high-profile top six assets to shore up his defence next season.  If  Yzerman decides to move Drouin in the off-season, a situation of competing assets, (not unlike when the Oilers were rumoured to have offered RNH for Seth Jones) could arise and it wouldn’t help the Oiler’s bargaining position.

At the present time, there are three players that are likely to be marketed for defensive upgrades in the off-season: Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle.  Of course Taylor Hall could potentially be added to that list but I personally can’t see Chiarelli trading both first and second overall 2010 picks in his GM employment history.  So how do our current crop of tradeable assets compare to Drouin?  Like most situations, there is a range.

Nail Yakupov: Although Yak is only a couple of years older than Drouin and has better point totals as well as very comparable ppg numbers (.46 to .44 for Drouin), you have to give the edge to Drouin.  His hockey sense is better, he skates better, his junior numbers were better, and he can play both wing and centre.

Head to head edge: It should be closer than it is, but if we were in a competing trade and offering, Yak, the other GM would take Drouin unless it was a plus plus on our end.

Ryan Nugent Hopkins:  The Nuge is an established top six center who is dedicated to his craft and has focussed on playing both ends with equal prowess.  The problem is, at this point he is coming off a bad year and is being pegged by most as a 50 – 60 point player, which puts him in the second-line center spot.  Drouin however has not played enough pro to establish what his potential is, and in the games he’s seen at the NHL level, Drouin still carries first line center potential, maybe even  than the Nuge.

Head to head edge: If Drouin has a strong second series, he could be considered the more favourable asset, in a trade due to his low salary and upside.

Jordan Eberle: Eberle does one thing but he does it very well: score goals.  So Eberle is currently the best on the team (being pushed by McDavid) at putting the puck in the net.  Unfortunately that’s really all he does and when franchises are building playoff teams they need their top six players to contribute at both ends of the ice, as well as check effectively.  nonetheless, scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the NHL and Ebs is among the best.

Head to head edge: I would think that Eberle has the edge in offensive upside but Drouin has greater flexibility because he can play centre as well as wing.  In Drouin’s favour, his contract is much lighter, and that will make a difference in today’s cap world.

What makes Drouin so attractive as a prospect is his potential.  The NHL already knows (or feels they do) the top end of the Oilers core group, while Drouin has considerable more upside at a lower price.  In the NHL, potential is the alluring opiate that drives every scout into a frenzy and every GM’s toe to tapping.  And to be sure, every member of the organization is looking for that sweet cherry high that happens when they land that player who changes the team, especially if the price is right.

What will Stevie Y do?

It’s difficult to say what Drouin and the Lightning will do in the off-season.  When asked about his long-term future with the club, Drouin’s answer was somewhat cryptic:  In a story that appeared in CBC Sports Drouin commented on returning the lighting organization:

“We’ve talked about the decision to come back here. I think that we’re going to fix this in the summer and see how it goes from there.”

Soooo, does “fix it in the summer” mean he’s going to be moved in the summer?  Or something else?

If Drouin was on the open market he would make for tough competition for what Chiarelli needs to accomplish, especially if both teams were making a pitch making a pitch for a comparable asset.

But despite the rhetoric between both sides I’m hoping Yzerman has the situation well-managed.  He’s done all the right things.  Been patient, avoided a war of words in the media, and put Drouin in position to succeed and feel part of the team again.  I’m guessing he would rather keep Drouin than trade him.  And lets hope so, one the trade rumours had Drouin heading to Anaheim for a young D-man . . . now that wouldn’t be good for the oil.

Armchair GM, Beer League Hero, Edmonton Oilers, Eric Friesen

Could the Oilers Sign Steven Stamkos?

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Heading into the off-season Steven Stamkos is set to become the most coveted UFA to hit the market in years. It seems like the hockey world is split between where they think Stamkos will land on July 1; either he re-ups with the Tampa Bay Lightning or returns home to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But what if he were to sign with the Edmonton Oilers?

I’m sure that many of you reading this will probably laugh at the idea of Stamkos leaving the warm weather and a Stanley Cup contender to come play in the harsh winter for a perennial loser, but there are reasons to believe that Stamkos and the Oilers could be a great fit.

The biggest selling point GM Peter Chiarelli has is offering Stamkos a spot on Connor McDavid’s wing for the next seven years in state-of-the-arena to play in. The four-time 40 goal scorer who recorded a career-high 60 goals in 2011-12 gave McDavid some heady praise before the season.

“He’s way better (than me),” Stamkos said. “He is good. The best I’ve seen for a player that age.”

Would Stamkos be willing to switch from centre to right-wing? If so, the Oilers would have an elite pair that would be on par with the likes of Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin or Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. With McDavid expected to take another massive step toward being the best hockey player in the world next season, having arguably the league’s best goal scorer not named Alexander Ovechkin on his line would make them two frontrunners to take home some major hardware at the NHL Awards for years to come.

Pick up a 16-bit Stammer tee before he’s playing somewhere else!

Let’s just pretend Stamkos is interested in coming to Edmonton. What’s it going to cost? Stamkos and his agent reportedly took the Lightning’s initial offer of $8 million a year over the winter and threw it in the trash, so it’s fair to assume the Oilers would be handing out the biggest contract in franchise history. If I had to guess, I’d say somewhere in the ballpark of $11 million a year for seven years, which would take Stamkos up to 33 years of age and ensure that he is a part of the team through McDavid’s prime years.

However, there is an event later this week that could completely snuff out any possibility of a Stamkos signing, and that is the draft lottery. Should the Oilers win one of the three lottery draws and decide to keep the pick, then bringing in Stamkos probably wouldn’t make sense for the orange and blue.

With Leon Draisaitl needing a new deal in 2017 and McDavid able to sign long-term next year as well, adding in yet another high pick who will surely command a high salary down the road makes a Stamkos signing unrealistic for the Oilers. It could end up being a smarter move for the Oilers to bring in another player in McDavid’s age wheelhouse who can grow with the group.

I still think Stamkos will re-sign with the Lightning, and if they win the Cup this spring, those chances only increase, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping the Oilers were to get this guy. It will be interesting to see how this story develops over the next nine weeks and whether or not Chiarelli decided to go all in signing number 91.

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Kris Hansen

BLH Playoffs Weekly Recap April 17th-April 23rd

 

The playoffs are the best and the worst times depending on what team you cheer for.

If you’re an Oilers fan, where our team has not made the playoffs in ten years, the playoffs stink for news. It’s understandable. The off season has begun but with games being played and June 24th so far away, the moves aren’t going to happen. It’s a long wait with plenty of speculation, off season targeting, mock drafts and reviewing players.

It’s totally fine. There’s a lot of great stuff out there (which I will be linking). That said, there will be more of a focus on the playoffs since the Oilers season is done.

Around the Oilers

Jason Gregor of Oilersnation raised the issue where Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might not be so great defensively and could be a trade target.

The Oilers Rig’s Supernova had a great post analyzing right handed trade options for the Oilers. There’s a good list to choose from.

Oil on Whyte looked at Bob Stauffer throwing out Dylan Strome’s name in trade talks.

If you like advance stats, you should look at Woodguy’s latest blog about defencemen.

Coppernblue hits it hard by revealing that a team that hadn’t made the playoffs in ten years is actually a bad team.

Lowetide ponders if Peter Chiarelli could go big game hunting.

The Playoffs

This week we had our first three teams get eliminated: The Detroit Red Wings loss in five games to the depleted Tampa Bay Lightning, The Los Angeles Kings fell in Five games to the San Jose Sharks and the New York Rangers were dumped in five against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.  We also have the St Louis Blues doing what they know best: disappointing in the first round.

Couture Bites LA

Logan Couture had some harsh words for the Kings

“Throughout the last couple of years things have been said by players on that team that to me I take it as disrespectful. It’s nice to stick it back to them and beat them in this series,” Couture said. “Even in this series someone said on the team they had us right where they wanted us.Wonder if they have us where they want us right now.”

My take: To be fair, the Kings had the Sharks recently in the playoffs, especially after the epic collapse of 2014 where the Kings pulled the reverse sweep on route to the Stanley Cup. The Kings are my third team and I have a friend who is a big Sharks fan, so I have a personal rivalry there.

That said, the better team won. The Sharks completely outplayed and man handled the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings did not play good hockey at all this series. While I had the Kings winning the series, Couture is in the right here. They showed the Kings they can finish. San Jose could be scary in the playoffs. Those are some heavy demons that are now gone.

Does Detroit need to Change?

The Red Wings, while contuining their impressive playoff streak, were bounced from the first round yet again and this time, are losing Pavel Datsyuk as he is leaving back to Russia. Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press suggests The Red Wings need to re model their philosophy. 

I tend to agree with Sharp. The Wings, while being a playoff team, are not a Cup Contender. They are aging and are simply not good enough. Dylan Larkin definitely stood out but so did Andreas Athanasiou. Sharp suggests the Wings missing playoffs and focusing more on developing of talent. They have some nice pieces there.

The Fall of the Rangers

Blueshirtnation has a biting review of the New York Rangers.  Like Detroit, their window for contention has seemingly closed after being handled any what way by the Penguins this playoffs. While the Red Wings have some good prospects, the Rangers were in win now mode for the last few years, striving for playoffs success. However, in doing so, the Rangers have sold the farm to achieve this. The main example in this piece is the Keith Yandle trade that sent a second rounder, John Moore, Anthony Duclair and a 2016 first round pick, for a defenceman that will be leaving this off season.

The Rangers could be hurting in the very near future with the burden of overrated and bad contracts in Rick Nash, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi.

That’s Why They Call It the Blues

The Blues had a 3-1 series lead. The Blues had a 3-1 lead after the first period. The Blues continue to do what they do best: blowing it when it matters the most.

The series against the Blackhawks is tied 3-3 after a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks last night.

The most perplexing: There seems to be trouble brewing between Vladimir Tarasenko and Ken Hitchcock. 

Tarasenko played only around sixteen minutes last night. That’s absurd. He is one of the game’s most dangerous snipers and he somehow managed to play only around 6 minutes after his spat with Hitchcock. That’s a dumb move that can cost someone their job.

Still there’s one game left in the series. St Louis can take off a gorilla off their backs with a win.

Highlight Videos

The Hitchcock Tarasenko Spat

Donksoi scores on Quick

Datsyuk’s Farewell

Connor McDavid answered some questions from some kids!

The Week Ahead

Right now, the Flyers and Capitals are playing in Game Six. Washington, like San Jose and St Louis, need to have a deep playoff run to get rid of the chokers label. Capitals are leading 3-2 in the series.

Later today, the Wild are making a series against the Stars forcing a game six by winning two straight games. The Stars are leading the series, 3-2.

The Florida Panthers are down 3-2 to the Islanders and play at 5 PM MDT, while the Ducks can finish off the Predators at 6 PM MDT, as they too lead 3-2.

Thanks for reading today as always. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter! Enjoy the Playoffs.