Does anybody else feel like we’re going to see some riverboat gambling in tonight’s game with the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres? It’s Ralph Krueger’s return to Edmonton and I just get the feeling that he’s going to want to put on a show. Plus Buffalo just played last night and lost a 6-5 nail-biter in OT to the Canucks. I hope the Oilers give him a video tribute and in it, they find a way to incorporate a Skype call from Nail Yakupov.
Taylor Hall
This morning Kurt Leavins (The Cult of Hockey) posted his weekly 9-Things article and in it he said this,
1.Lots of teams have been kicking tires on the New Jersey Devils’ Taylor Hall. But don’t think that clubs are just dipping their toes in the water. Despite it not even being mid-December yet, at least 3 NHL teams have already had extensive conversations with the Devils General Manager Ray Shero. All 3 of those organizations are in the Western Conference. Sources outside of Edmonton have confirmed to me that those teams are: The Colorado Avalanche, the Arizona Coyotes and the Edmonton Oilers. That does not mean to suggest that those 3 are the front-runners. It’s probably too early for that, although it’s fair to assume that the Av’s may be. It is also entirely likely that there are more teams “in there pitching” than just those 3. But my job isn’t to guess. I only report what I know.
And all 3 clubs that I know have had talks have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of organizational depth, cap space, etc. Colorado, for instance, has had a self-imposed cap situation. The Oilers are quite tight to the salary cap. And Arizona doesn’t have the depth on defence that either Colorado or Edmonton could offer in a trade. Help on the blueline is what New Jersey covets the very most.
The Oilers could give NJ exactly what it wants in Darnell Nurse. A dicey proposition I’d add, but Caleb Jones and William Lagesson are ready to go in Bakersfield and they offer an upgrade in the puck-moving dept. You might ask, what about the hole left in the intangibles department should Nurse get traded? Well, I can’t remember the last time Darnell dropped the mitts of absolutely hammered anybody or even gave someone the gears in the corners, to be honest. This season, I’ve been more impressed with his ability to skate the puck out of his own zone. So, if you’re worried about Edmonton’s grit factor decreasing should Edmonton walk away from their young dman, don’t. He’s tough, no doubt about that but today’s game is seeing less and less of this every season and more and more of the smart puck-moving defender. An area where I still feel Nurse lacks. Good thing he’s got Ethan Bear as his partner…
I’m of the belief that Colorado would make an exception to its self-imposed cap in the event that there’s a very good chance that they’d be competing for the Stanley Cup. I think there’s a better-than-slight chance that the Avs are going to be in the running for the NHL championship this year and for many years to come. Maybe Bowen Byram is the guy they move? Elliotte Friedman said last week on Oilers Now that they aren’t interested in moving Samuel Girard… So that sort of sets the table, doesn’t it?
I’m a little perplexed that Victor Soderstrom isn’t considered the kind of defensive prospect that NJ would covet. If it’s true that the Devils are going after Bowen Byram, then why wouldn’t they consider Soderstrom (9pts/15gp in the SHL this year), Kyle Capobianco (near a point-per-game defender in the AHL), or bear with me, Jakub Chychrun?
If you’re the Devils, which package sounds more enticing?
- Edmonton: Nurse+Gagner+Puljujarvi for Hall+Wood w/salary retained
- Arizona: Chychurn, Merkley, 1st rounder for Hall w/salary retained
- Colorado: Bowen Byram for Hall
That Edmonton proposal is risky in that it’d be imperative that Ken Holland gets Hall’s name on a contract extension. I suppose the alternative would be to flip Hall’s rights at the draft if nothing can be agreed upon, but that’s a hard pill to swallow after sending those assets away.
Where ever Hall goes, word is, he won’t be signing in-season and that’s really the hold-up, eh? If I’m a GM, I’d be wary of giving up any blue-chip prospects or high-end draft picks for a rental unless I’m Colorado or maybe the Islanders.
The Next Ten Games (31-40)
- vs. LA Kings (11-16-2) – A pissed off Oilers team will make short order of the Kings in this rubber match. (WIN) WIN
- vs. Buffalo Sabres (13-10-5) – No Dahlin for Buffalo but Jack Eichel is on a tear. Captain Jack will get his points but his team will not. (WIN)
- vs. Carolina Hurricanes (16-11-1) – Carolina is too deep for this Oilers team plus Andrei Svechnikov is making a mockery of the NHL as a 19-year-old. (LOSS)
- @ Minnesota Wild (13-11-4) – The Oilers seem to have trouble against teams like this for whatever reason. Immaturity in the club maybe? (LOSS)
- vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (13-13-4) – The Leafs defense is soft like a Wendy’s Frosty but they’ve got the kind of offense that could really tear open the Oilers. It’s a toss-up for me but I’ll say Edmonton takes it. (WIN)
- @ Dallas Stars (15-11-3) – Tough match-up for Edmonton here. Dallas already beat them once this year but that was when they were struggling. Now that they’re playing well, will the Oilers’ mindset going into this one be different? (WIN)
- @ St. Louis Blues (18-6-6) – Edmonton’s been performing very well against the league’s top teams. I don’t expect that to stop in St. Louis. (WIN)
- vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (15-9-4) – The first game of a back-to-back at home and the Oilers are one up on Crosby’s Pens. Pittsburgh is going through one hell of an injury crisis mind you but as we’ve seen, the Oilers have failed to take advantage of these situations in the past. (LOSS)
- vs. Montreal Canadiens (12-10-6) – I feel like the Habs usually give Edmonton a hard time when they come to town and their team is a lot better than their record tells us. (LOSS)
- @ Vancouver Canucks (14-11-4) – I like the Oilers chances against Vancouver here and it’s the last game before the Christmas break. (WIN)
(Standings as of December 5th, 2019)
Three Players to Watch for the Sabres
- #68 Victor Olofsson – This kid can rip it! If he gets any time and space with the puck in Edmonton’s zone, watch out for his shot. Playing first line LW right now with Eichel and Reinhart.
- #9 Jack Eichel – 10pts in his last five games. He’s feeling it right now, so the Oilers will have to be very careful when he’s on the ice.
- #55 Rasmus Ristolainen – Absolute beast with a cannon from the point. He also gives zero f*cks when he’s on the ice. If you’re caught in the trolley tracks, it doesn’t matter who you are, he’s going to let you have it. I love the way this guy plays.
One of you guys once said the "LOG line…"#Sabres50 pic.twitter.com/uTzC12MLKf
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 7, 2019
Three Players to Watch for the Oilers
- #44 Zack Kassian – With Ristolainen in the lineup for Buffalo, I can’t say how glad I am to hear that Kassian will be lacing up the skates for the Oilers. His physicality has been missed.
- #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – The secondary scoring hasn’t been amazing this year but you can really feel the impact RNH has on the lineup when he’s not there.
- #36 Joel Persson – He’s going to have some space tonight I feel and with that, we might see the best of what he has to offer.
The lines below will not be the ones you see tonight. Neal and Klefbom were having maintenance days when DNB posted these lines from practice yesterday.
Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Khaira-RNH-Gagner
Nygard-Haas-Chiasson
(Cave and P. Russell rotating in)
Granlund-Sheahan-ArchibaldNurse-Bear
Russell-Larsson
Manning-PerssonSmith in the starter’s net
No Klefbom, Neal, Benning. (Benning is on IR.)
— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) December 7, 2019
