Coming from an Edmonton Oilers point of view, BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation from all of the internet’s best sites including Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, The Athletic, TSN and more!
From Sportsnet
Here are a few rumors from Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts,
- 9. I did ask around to see if the Sabres gave anyone permission to talk to Jack Eichel, but don’t believe that’s the case. Everyone’s gone into the cone of silence. From what I can tell, the team and its captain are negotiating the next steps of his recovery. Multiple sources indicate that if there’s any deal involving either Eichel or Sam Reinhart, do not be surprised if the Sabres end up with a second high first-round selection in July’s draft.
- 11. I’ve thought a lot about the Blue Jackets since the Seth Jones news broke and what I’d do if I were in charge. Answer: Don’t allow a slow water torture. Rip off the band-aid and eliminate the pain as quickly as possible. See where you stand with your players and make your decisions now.I’m curious to see if Florida asks about Patrik Laine. He and Aleksander Barkov have a good relationship. The Panthers are expected to be aggressive in pursuit of improvement.
- 12. Boston GM Don Sweeney showed some strategy at his season-ending media briefing on Tuesday. The Bruins will try to avoid signing any of their UFAs before the expansion draft in order to maximize their protection list. I believe he will be respectful of David Krejci/Tuukka Rask’s timelines for making decisions on next season. The only request will be to allow the Bruins time to adjust their plans if the answer is no. They’ve been talking to Taylor Hall about an extension for some time.
- 15. Philadelphia’s got a lot of balls in the air. I figured they’d be in on Hamilton, but, as mentioned above, he doesn’t appears to be their top target. I’m speculating here, but my guesses would include Seth Jones and Matt Dumba (who GM Chuck Fletcher knows very well). It also wouldn’t be a shocker if they have asked the Coyotes about 2019 first-rounder Victor Soderstrom. The Flyers liked him at that draft, and Arizona actually flipped picks with them to move up and take the Swedish defenceman.
- 16. The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reported that New Jersey had interest in Rasmus Ristolainen. I’d heard similar. I’ve also wondered if the Devils would consider Shayne Gostisbehere, with a sweetener included, but Hamilton makes sense there, too.
- 17. Edmonton and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are grinding to find common ground.
- 28. I think Alec Martinez is going to do very well in unrestricted free agency.
- 29. Mentioned it on Saturday Headlines a couple of weeks ago, but wanted to include it here, too: St. Louis made Vince Dunn available, and several teams are taking a long look.
BLH’s Thoughts: I read yesterday on Twitter there’s a chance that the Sabres are going to end up with a 2nd pick in the top-10 of the draft this year, but could they end up with four picks in the first ten selections?
There are rumors that the Devils like Rasmus Ristolainen and NJ has the 4th overall pick. Columbus likes Eichel, they’ve got the 5th overall, and LA has been connected to Sam Reinhart. Has a team ever had four picks in the top-10 of the draft?
Imagine the Sabres walking away from this draft with Owen Power, Dylan Guenther, Brandt Clarke, and Mason MacTavish? Now, that’s how you restart a rebuild! They could even move those picks for proper NHLers or use them to get rid of some unsavory contracts if they wanted to slap the defibrillators on it.
I love Vince Dunn! If Edmonton could get him for Caleb Jones plus (or maybe just Jones himself), that might be a good deal for the Oilers. He’s a bit of chaos but he can move the puck really well, has hands as soft as charmin, and he’s a fantastic skater. The question is, on the Oilers would he be better suited for the 2nd or 3rd pair? If I had to say right now, I’d probably much rather see him with Adam Larsson as his partner than Evan Bouchard or Ethan Bear but there’d be some bumps in the road if that scenario came true.
Another candidate that would really be an excellent option for the Oilers open spot at 2nd pair left-shot D is in the next segment.
From NHLRumors.com
Oilers should at least talk to Kulikov
Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal: The Edmonton Oilers traded a 2022 fourth-round pick at the trade deadline for Dmitry Kulikov. Kulikov was paired with Adam Larsson on the second pairing. Both coach Dave Tippett and GM Ken Holland like their veteran defenseman.
Before free agency opens this offseason, Holland should at least talk to his camp to see what he’s looking for. He had signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal last offseason and could be looking for a raise.
The Oilers did re-sign Kris Russell to a one-year deal at $1.25 and they play a similar role.
Potential free agents targets could include defensemen Jamie Oleksiak or Derek Forbort.
BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve got absolutely ZERO problems with the Oilers bringing back Dmitry Kulikov. His regular season play for Edmonton was solid, but what presents a dusting of doubt is Dave Tippett Healthy scratching him in the playoffs…
There was a bit of chatter on Oilers Now (630CHED) yesterday about a scenario where Philip Broberg finishing training camp next season as the clear-cut 2nd best left shot defender and what should the Oilers do in that situation. If they’ve got Kulikov I would think they’re in a very good spot because he can play 2nd and 3rd pair minutes easily.
Personally, if Broberg is ready to step into the NHL, I’d prefer he does it on the 3rd pairing because I’ve seen time and time again where the Oilers put a player with promise in a spot they’re not quite ready for and they find themselves completely underwater. With a Kulikov on the roster, Edmonton has a hedge.
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