Oilers Trade Whispers Turning into Thunderous Roars

We’re coming down to the wire folks. It sounds like there’s a defenseman out there that has come available and that is forcing Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli to re-think his protection list strategy.

We’ve gone from talking about a 7-3-1 list almost all season to most likely seeing a 4-4-1 being submitted and the reason being the race to acquire Jordan Eberle has picked up substantially.

https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/875483587683819520

So if you follow Lowetide’s blog, he quotes Incarcerated Bob from time to time, and I’d like to talk about the teams that Mr.Bob has informed us with.

BROOKLYN ISLANDERS – Two names come up right away that have been in the rumor mill all year, Travis Hamonic and Ryan Strome.

Besides being in a bit of a crunch for the expansion draft, I don’t know why the Islanders would keep Calvin De Haan and move Hamonic IF they’re looking to keep Tavares around. Just because Pittsburgh won with a bare-bones defense doesn’t mean every team can do it nor will be become a trend. They had Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, and Murray/Fleury. 4/5 of those players were top 5 picks in the NHL draft.

Long-shot candidates might be Ryan Pulock AND Michael Dal Colle but I truly believe that Chiarelli wants true NHL players in return for Eberle.

COLORADO AVALANCHE – Tyson Barrie’s name has been all over Oilers talk radio this week as Ryan Rishaug and Bob Stauffer have been contemplating the right-handed offensive defenseman’s name on numerous occasions.

Any deal here with the Avs would have a minimal charge on their protection list. They are pretty set there. It looks like they could go either 7-3-1 or 4-4-1 depending on how they feel about Patrick Wiercioch and Nikita Zadorov.  But maybe they would choose to protect Blake Comeau or Joe Colborne over the defensemen.

But is Tyson Barrie not the near-perfect fit for the Oilers. He’s signed for three more years at $5.5M per and he does everything you want. Despite his small stature, he’s gritty, he can skate, he can shoot, he passes well… He can play on the 2nd pairing with Sekera when he’s back and the Oilers would be set roster-wise for some time.

ST.LOUIS BLUES – The Blues need scoring. Tarasenko can’t do it all and this isn’t the first time we’ve heard the Oilers and the Blues connected in trade rumors regarding Jordan Eberle but who would be coming back the Oilers way?

Tell you what, Colton Parayko (RFA) certainly would perk the ears of Oilers brass but unless his camp is demanding a HUGE raise that the Blues can’t afford, why would they move such a talent on D. Is upcoming prospect Jake Walman that good? He’s a lefty though. But what if the Oilers tossed in an Ethan Bear or a Darnell Nurse? Or Both? Blues and Oilers have history together making deals.

Will the Blues Choose to protect 4 dmen? They’ll be leaving some good forwards available to Vegas if so. Lehtera, Berglund, Sobotka, Perron, Jaskin, etc. I’m assuming that Parayko is exempt from the expansion draft since he’s not on the list over at Capfriendly.

If the Oilers were to buy down with St.Louis to save cap room, what about Joel Edmundson or Carl Gunnarsson? Blues only have $4M about in cap room to play with though. Both teams would have to get creative.

OTTAWA SENATORS – The Senators have been sitting quietly in the reeds letting the likes of the Avs and Islanders take the spotlight in the Jordan Eberle sweepstakes. In order for this team to even think about acquiring Eberle, a big ticket would need to move, right? And why would they trade for Eberle anyhow? Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone are the Sens #1+2 RWers.

For their protection list, I believe they are down to deciding on Marc Methot or Cody Ceci… So those players could be options as well for Edmonton.

Unless they could convince the Oilers to take on Phaneuf (with a sweetener like a draft pick or a prospect like Nick Paul) and move Ryan to the LW… Wouldn’t be a popular move amongst parts of the Oilogosphere but whatever takes the focus off of Russell, right Henderson?

Personally, I’d rather see Mike Hoffman acquired and moved to the RW. Talk about volume shooting!!!

We’re bound to find out sooner or later.

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Is Darnell Nurse on the Trading Block?

A tweet from famous Oilers trade gossip monger, Tracy Lane, sent the Oilogosphere into a tailspin late last night and it’ll continue into the day, I’m sure. But please forgive me if this post is all over the place. I wanted to get it out as fast as I could. I’ll let the Lowetides, Willises, and the Gregors do it up right (as they usually do).

Until then…

I don’t remember the last time that this account hit the nail on the head with the rumors. I think Lowetide said back in 2011 but every year she comes up with some mindbenders that just twist Oilers Nation into oblivion. And then we write on it…

Just as I wrote this week, the Kris Russell wants $4.5Mx4yrs to stay in Edmonton, and we know that Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan like the guy but do they like him enough to keep Darnell Nurse on the 3rd pairing or enough to play Russell on the 3rd pairing?

Is Darnell Nurse’s development stagnating?

Well, it’s hard to use this last season as a gauge because he only played half of it after blocking a shot in Winnipeg and busting up his foot. An injury that set him back nearly three months.

If we just look at his 5v5 numbers over the last three seasons, there’s progression.

Prorate this year’s stats and he’s looking well on his way to becoming a good 2nd-pairing defenseman if not this season, then by 2018/19 for sure.

But…

Might the offense be coming along a bit too slow? Is his defensive game improving at a fast enough pace for Chiarelli and McLellan? If this rumor has any legs, perhaps these issues could be something that is concerning the Oilers brass.

What kind of player would be an acceptable return for Nurse?

I know there are some Oilers fans that believe he should only be traded in a deal for Erik Karlsson or Drew Doughty. That’s hilarious but typical of the Oilogosphere which doesn’t exclude me.

What about Matt Dumba? Dealing for him is more or less a lateral move except Dumba offers a more electric style and he’s right-handed (it’s a cannon), but he might not be as good at defending, which says something because Nurse isn’t that great in that department at this point in his career.

Dumba isn’t exempt from the expansion draft though and Nurse is. So there’s that. I mean, would you do that deal and protect Dumba only to lose a Kassian or a Letestu as well. I wouldn’t at all. Making any deal that would require the Oilers to expose a Kassassination or Letestes should only be completed if the return is of significant value. Such as…

Nurse and Eberle for Wayne Simmonds? (I wish… It’s not like Philly needs anymore good young dmen.)

You should really check out Bruce McCurdy’s year-end review of Darnell Nurse if you’d like a more in-depth look at his season. He verbalizes it much better than I’m doing it now. Here’s a taste,

“Overall, Nurse showed a measurable improvement, connecting for new career highs in goals (5) and points (11) despite playing 25 fewer games than his freshman campaign. Modest numbers to be sure, with the low assist numbers (just 1 primary helper) leaving plenty of questions as to how much this player will ever score at the NHL level. Let’s just say there is plenty of room for offensive growth.

The same can be said at the defensive end. Nurse did improve his traditional plus/minus from last year’s -13 to even, but that is in the context of a team that improved by 79 goals. He ranked last among regular defencemen in both shots against and goals against per 60 minutes at even strength, and doubled down by being last in the group in those same two significant categories on the penalty kill. Not a great combination, something that bears watching as he enters the final year of his ELC next season.”

Now look, I’m all for giving Nurse until he’s finished his second contract with the team. He’s 6’4″, 220lbs and all of 22 years old. I love that he plays an old-school game and last season, when he rushed the puck up the ice, I was very entertained. But those hiccups vs. the Ducks in the playoffs are tough.His entry-level deal will be done next summer and I’m not sure if the Oilers (or Nurse’s camp for that matter) would go longer than another 3yr deal.

I believe that he really is a Peter Chiarelli-type of defender, in the same vein as an Adam McQuaid perhaps but a better skater. So, I can’t see Chiarelli moving him. Nurse’s entry-level deal will be done next summer and I’m not sure if the Oilers (or Nurse’s camp for that matter) would go longer than another 3-year deal. Then again, they doubled-down on Oscar Klefbom when the time came and it’s paying major dividends and if the Oilers are okay with Nurse developing at this pace, maybe they could get him on a long-term deal on the cheap.

If you’re still on the fence, I present you with this:

What do you think about this? Is it all BS or might there be some legs to this little rumor from Tracy Lane? Let us know in the comments below!

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Sources Say: Pitlick, Foo, and No.22 (Plus Patty Kane, What?!)

Finally had the time to sit down and have a good conversation with one of my sources and I’m happy I did. Lots of Oilers talk was tossed about but I’ll keep this brief.

As I do each time I report what I’m told, please don’t shoot the messenger. I just let you guys/gals know what I’m told. There’s probably a less than %5 chance that any of this happens and things change all the time. If you don’t believe me, send me the batting average of McKenzie, Dreger, LeBrun, etc. So take it all with a grain of salt. If anything it’s great entertainment and excellent water cooler talk.

The conversation didn’t start on an Oilers note though:

  • “Patrick Kane is on the verge of being shopped by the Hawks. They need cap space. HOLY SH*T!!!”
  • “Everyone that isn’t named Toews is for sale!”
  • “(Hawks) Fans will hate whatever happens. That’s just the way it is. But if the Hawks want to remain a successful team, they need to make those tough deals, deals that they’ll probably lose, to make things work. Hossa shouldn’t have received his current contract, Anisimov, Panarin, the list goes on. Awful cap management. Now they’re paying for it and they’ll most likely have to dismantle their team. That Hawks team won’t win the Cup for a very long time now. 
  • “In a cap system, it’ll be very hard to trade those contracts.
  • “I expect VAN, LA, or ARZ to be in the mix.” 

Well, I didn’t expect to be talking about the Hawks but that’s some pretty big news given that the rumors started quite recently some big move(s) that Chicago would be making.

My thoughts about this are that they’ll get the most for Kane and trading him would allow the Hawks to remain competitive. I mean, what if they could get Max Domi, Dylan Strome, and a 1st rounder out of Arizona? Patrick Kane is still one of the best, if not THE best, winger in the game, he’s still young and moving him to a club like Arizona, where they have a plethora of great young talent coming through their system as well as the need for a face for their franchise if they choose to stay in Arizona or relocate to, I don’t know, Seattle.

Anyways, I don’t cover the Hawks nor do I really enjoy them as a team. So let’s move on to the other tidbits.

  • “Vegas will claim M.A. Fleury and flip him. The rumor at the moment is Sam Bennett going back to Vegas for Fleury.”

Makes sense. Bennett has loads of potential but doesn’t seem to be fulfilling that in Calgary. Perhaps a move to a club where he’d be more of a focal point would benefit him. And Calgary needs a keeper. Plus the fanbase down the QE2 is always complaining about how the Oilers got all the 1st overalls…

I asked, How much is there to the Buchberger/Eberle rough relationship Friedman was talking about this week?

  • “Pretty accurate. I don’t see it happening. Friedman knows what he’s talking about.” 

That was a follow up on a very popular post regarding the Eberle/Isles rumors being snuffed out by Friedman I did up this week.

I asked about who the Oilers are leaning towards in the 1st round of the draft coming up.

  • “I’ve heard Kailer Yamamoto.”

I also inquired as to the McDavid/Draisaitl contracts.

  • “Shortly after July 1st probably and they’ll sign together.”

The word on Kris Russell.

  • “Hearing $4.5Mx4. Oilers could be willing to go as high as $4.25M for 4 years. We’ll see.”
  • “They’re also looking at Cody Franson on a 1-year deal worth $4M to cover for Sekera but will try to sign him for less.”
  • “$4M is fair market for a top 4 dman.”
  • “They want Kris Russell back.” 

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I’m torn on this. I think this says a couple of things regarding Darnell Nurse’s development. Either they’re not happy or skeptical on how it’s going or they’re willing to pay Russell over $4M to play bottom-pairing minutes at some point in his deal. Either way, it’s a point of concern.

One has to wonder if Chiarelli is open to moving Nurse to expedite the process of winning the Cup. I wouldn’t.

As far as Franson, I’ve heard that he’s not the most mobile defender in the league and $4M per seems like a lot of skrilla to give a guy who can’t pivot well and is a tad soft.

What about Spencer Foo? Is he coming to Edmonton?

  •  “He is. He’s coming to Edmonton.”

On Tyler Pitlick,

  • “I expect Pitlick to get another contract. Another 1-year deal to take Hendricks’ spot because Hendricks is done in Edmonton. Pitlick has had the injury bug like Klefbom. He needs to come back with more muscle and a bigger body. That way, He doesn’t get hurt as much. That’s exactly what Klefbom did.

    At the end of 15/16, Klefbom was around 205lb and at the start of 16/17, he was around 217lbs. The result, Klefbom finally had a full season.”
  • “I hope Nuge bulks up too. His lack of upper body strength is killing him. An extra 5lbs of upper body muscle would make a HUGE difference.”

I really hope that this is true and it really happens. Pitlick showed last season that he can float throughout the entire lineup and he can score on basically any line. He’d be a perfect replacement for Matt Hendricks too. Although, I hope the Oilers can keep Hendy on in some capacity. Maybe working with the prospects down in Bakersfield.

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Lowetide’s Forward Targets for the Oilers

Just as I did yesterday with Lowetide’s defense targets for the Oilers, I’ll do the same today with his forward targets for the Oilers but I’ll add one more to make a nice round 30!

So if you haven’t read the previous post on the defensemen, I’ll let you know what I’m doing here.

Basically, I’m taking a list made up by the Legendary Lowetide (you can find that here) and I’m just simply commenting on each player but with the added bonus of another name inserted by myself based on what I’ve been reading or hearing from my sources.

    1. LC Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche. Please please please Baby Jesus.

I’d love me some Matt Duchene as well but he would cost something in the range of RNH+Klefbom, surely.

    1. RC Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche. UFA 2023. Would cost the moon.

Not sure why LT would have this name on his list. Would love him but ZERO chance he gets moved ahead of Duchene or Barrie.

    1. RC Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning. RFA 2017. 56 points per 82 games.

An interesting option for 2C if the Oilers decided to move Leon to RW on a permanent basis. Tampa has their work cut out for them. Who stays in FLA? Palat, Drouin, or Johnson?

    1. R Justin Williams FREE AGENT (80gp, 24-24-48). Luxury.

I could see the Oilers having major interest in Justin WIlliams but I have a feeling he’d be happy to stay out East with Ovechkin and the Caps. They’re still a very strong team. Reminds me of the 90’s Red Wings right before they became a Stanley Cup winning powerhouse.

    1. R T.J. Oshie FREE AGENT (68gp, 33-23-56).  Not affordable.

This boy be demanding major skrilla. I’m betting if he’s not a cap in 2017, he might be a Golden Knight. But an Oiler? No, not unless they can find a taker for both Nugent-Hopkins AND Jordan Eberle whilst bringing in minimal $$$ on the return.

    1. R Patrick Eaves FREE AGENT (79gp, 32-19-51). Volume shooter!

Here’s a player the Oilers were in on at the trade deadline. I like that he’s a tad older and I love that he shoots the lights out. He’s got that compete that McLellan and Chiarelli love too. Then there’s the beard… Epic!

    1. LC Martin Hanzal FREE AGENT (71gp, 20-19-39). Has to be high priority.

If the price is right, Martin Hanzal will be an Oiler. But I have a feeling Montreal could get in on this one. Perfect 3C for almost any team.

    1. L Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres (70gp, 28-15-43). Buy low power forward.

I think if the Oilers were going to buy low and sell him off in the summer, he’d be a good candidate for acquisition. Shoots, hits, fights, and he has rockets on his skates. Just not sure about the “other stuff”.

    1. RC Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers. Averages 46 points per 82gp.

Having just picked him up by the Rangers for Derrick Brassard. New York shouldn’t be moving him on so quickly. He had a pretty strong playoffs I thought.

    1. C-R Ryan Strome, NY Islanders (69gp, 13-17-30). Rumors.

The brother of McDavid’s BFF. Can’t go wrong there. He’d be cheap and he’s still young.

    1. LC Vladimir Sobotka, St. Louis Blues. Signed to a nifty $3.5 million times two.

Sobotka to the Oilers used to be an annual rumor. I dig this player. Skilled enough to be a middle 6 floater. Can play wing or or centre. Doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

    1. R-L Thomas Vanek FREE AGENT (68gp, 17-31-48). Offensive option.

Numbers folks will tell you to look away from the inconsistent production and hockey people will tell you that he’s a tad lazy. 3rd line wing and PP1 option doesn’t sound bad to me if he’s on a cheap ticket.

    1. L Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey. Splendid KHL season, he’s coming back.

Pipe dream. Not as fast as he once was and he’ll be expensive but he’s got an epic shot and he put the Devils on his back and took them to the finals in 2012. Personally, I reckon he should just play the regular season out with the Devils, get reaclimated to the NHL, then have the Devils trade him for a better return at the deadline.

    1. R Radim Vrbata FREE AGENT (81gp, 20-35-55). Scorer.

If Vrbata could come in on a cheap deal like he has been doing as of recent, I’m all for the Oilers adding him.

    1. LC Nick Bonino FREE AGENT (80gp, 18-19-37). Two-way C.

I wouldn’t mind having a Nick Bonino filling in at 3C so as long as the Oilers aren’t paying him over $3.5M per year. I’d probably prefer a Brian Boyle to be honest.

    1. R Brett Ritchie, Dallas Stars (78gp, 16-8-24). Shoots the puck a lot.

Big boy. Would be interesting to see him lined up across from his brother Nick when the Oilers meet Anaheim in the playoffs again. I don’t see him as anything more than a bottom 6 winger though and the Oilers sure have enough of them.

    1. R Jaromir Jagr FREE AGENT (82gp, 16-30-46). Now 70, still going.

Jags is probably set to spend the rest of his career in the Eastern Conference if he wants to play until he’s 50. Still effective but slower than molasses. I wonder if Chiarelli would want him again, Jagr had 9pts in 11 games after being acquired at the deadline in 2012/13 and then he added another 10 assists in 22 games in the playoffs as the Bruins lost to Chicago.

    1. R Sam Gagner FREE AGENT (81gp, 18-32-50). PP savant.

Fans love a comeback story and now that Gagner’s role in the NHL has changed, he’s really taken to it. The Oilers could use another bottom-6 forward with some skill. A better option than Pakarinen.

    1. R Kris Versteeg FREE AGENT (69gp, 15-22-37). What he brings has value.

Versteeg would probably not be welcomed with open arms in Edmonton by the fanbase but he’s a veteran player who can float throughout the lineup. The Oilers know what they’d have in him from last year’s training camp. I would not be opposed to Edmonton adding him.

    1. R Ales Hemsky FREE AGENT (15gp, 4-3-7). Still brilliantly creative.

I wonder how much Hemmer has left in the tank. Is he a better option that Puljujarvi?

    1. RC Derek Ryan FREE AGENT (67gp, 11-18-29). Fine utility player.

The Oilers really wanted to pick Grant up at the deadline but Carolina’s ask was too much. He’d be a perfect utility forward.

    1. LC Dominic Moore FREE AGENT (82gp, 11-14-25). PK and FO option.

Excellent veteran option but I believe the Oilers would get even slower by adding Moore and that’s not what they need.

    1. R Drew Stafford FREE AGENT (58gp, 8-13-21). Chiarelli type.

Stafford has been on the Oilers radar for so many years but none of the many GMs have been able to pick him up. I’m not sure why. He has trouble staying healthy and he doesn’t score very much.

    1. LC Brian Boyle FREE AGENT (75gp, 13-12-25). He is on their list.

Another player the Oilers tried for at last season’s trade deadline. He would’ve been very helpful in the Anaheim series when the Oilers centres were getting worked on the faceoff dot.

    1. R Brett Connolly FREE AGENT (66gp, 15-8-23). Inexpensive scoring on RW.

Disappeared in the playoffs and is nowhere near my list of players the Oilers should have an eye on. Good regular season in 2016/17 though.

    1. R Jarome Iginla FREE AGENT (80gp, 14-13-27). He can still shoot the puck.

Iginla is going to be mayor of Calgary someday unless he signs in Edmonton.

    1. L Patrick Sharp FREE AGENT. Depending on health and price.

I wonder what the price point would be on Sharp. I love his experience, he’s grittty, he scores, and he adds more leadership to a young team.

    1. R Tyler Pitlick FREE AGENT (31gp, 8-3-11). Finally emerged, could return.

One more year in Edmonton is what Pitlick deserves. He was playing like a beast before his injury last season. I’d like to see one more year before cutting bait. I wonder if he’s an option for Vegas.

    1. R Jordan Weal FREE AGENT (23gp, 8-4-12). Eastern Pitlick.

I honestly don’t know much about this player. LT says he’s the Eastern Pitlick but I’m not sure if that refers to playing style or injury history or what.

My no.30 is left-handed center/wing Alexander Galchenyuk.

The Habs are trying to deal the 6’2″ 205lb RFA like mad. He hasn’t been able to fit into their system over in Montreal and they feel it’s time to move on from him. He played 61 games last year and put up 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 pts.

I feel like Montreal has had their eyes on Nugent-Hopkins for quite a while and they have around $22M in cap space going into next season, so they’d definitely be able to fit him in.

I’m torn between Galchenyuk and Gallagher as the return I’d prefer from the Habs for RNH. On one hand, how can you not love the way that Brendan Gallagher plays the game? He’s a throwback player in some senses and would really add another element for the Oilers’ opposition to deal with but then we look at Alex Galchenyuk’s production.

  • 2013/14 – 31pts in 65gp
  • 2014/15 – 46pts in 80gp
  • 2015/16 – 56pts in 82gp
  • 2016/17 – 44pts in 61 gp

Compare that with Nugent-Hopkins’ stats in that time frame and keep in mind that Nuge had already played two partial seasons by Galchenyuk’s rookie year. The two aren’t separated by many points…

  • 2013/14 – 56pts in 80gp
  • 2014/15 – 56pts in 76gp
  • 2015/16 – 34pts in 55gp
  • 2016/17 – 43pts in 82 gp

Where would he fit in on the Oilers though?

Being as the Canadiens couldn’t figure out where to deploy him, that could also be a point of bother for the Oilers. He’s brutal on the faceoffs (career FO% of 45.5%), so I’d have to imagine he’d play the off-wing. Perhaps lining up on the right side.

If that scenario were to carry out, the Oilers would need a 3C and they’d need to be committed to having McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their own lines. This might result in having Eberle beside Draisaitl and Galchenyuk alongside McDavid for a period of time depending on how much the Russian-American would sign for and if Eberle was even on the roster.

I think any scenario where Jesse Puljujarvi can be eased into his role on the Oilers is a good one for me and the one above would do just that.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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Friedman Pours Cold Water on Eberle to Islanders Rumor

On the June 8th episode of Oilers NOW Host Bob Stauffer and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman were conversing about the Jordan Eberle/New York Islanders rumors and they had this to say:

EF: The one interesting one, and you (Stauffer) could answer this as much as anyone. You know Kelly Buchberger is going to the island, he’s going to be the assistant coach. What was their (Buchberger/Eberle) relationship like?

BS: Hmph. Yup! That brings up a good point.

EF: You know I heard they butted heads periodically, which isn’t necessarily a big deal. Everybody butt heads. You look at Malkin and Kessel in this final and in the last round they butted heads at times. Is it a good butting of heads or is it an edgy butting of heads? 

BS: How important is it for the Islanders to upgrade their, you know, their offense? 

EF: I think it’s important to them. I definately think it’s important to them to upgrade their offense but I wonder, if Buchberger’s going there, and he is; how do Eberle and him feel about each other? Is that a mix?

BS: I think that is a completely fair question. 

EF: So that’s the one thing I’ve wondered about with Edmonton and the Islanders. I know they’ve (Eberle/Buchberger) battled a bit before but again, I don’t know if that’s good or bad? Like, it just might be something.

 skip ahead to about the 13:50 mark to hear the above.

I’ll be honest, I had no idea Bucky and Eberle were getting into it when Buchberger was behind the bench. Man Alive! That’s 6 years of butting heads… Eberle might’ve been biting off more than he can chew there… That said, he stayed on while Buchberger was moved along.

I wanted to find a fight that Buchberger didn’t get his ass handed to him but it took me a while to find one that was a draw at least. I give him credit though. He must’ve had balls the size of Saskatoon because he fought above his weight far too many times and rarely won. Check out his profile on Hockeyfights.com.

Anyways, Elliotte Friedman isn’t the only insider quashing the Eberle to the Islanders rumors as B.D. Gallof, a writer for the Islesbeat.com, had this to say on Twitter:

I don’t believe the Isles are where Eberle will end up anyhow, it’s just a convenient locale given Travis Hamonic would be the perfect return for Edmonton and the Isles need to move a dman before the expansion draft. I do wonder about Carolina though…

There’s a spot open in the Hurricanes top 6, unless you consider Joakim Nordstrom better, and the ‘Canes could use some scoring. Friedman did say mention Noah Hanifin’s name yesterday as well… Not saying that would be a one-for-one deal but I’m sure you could come up with something.

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