This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

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Oilersnation

That Spawn Jersey

• …it’s been 20 years today since the Edmonton Oilers unveiled the first third jersey in franchise history.
• …the five-bolt lugs on the front logo and shoulder patches paid homage to the five Cups, but McFarlane’s design was edgy — and it was timely.
• “The jersey broke NHL records for third jersey sales for number of units and dollars sold,” said former Oilers’ president Patrick Laforge.
• It was designed by Todd McFarlane, creator of the red-hot Spawn franchise, who’d joined the Oilers’ vast ownership group known simply as the EIG in the era before the salary cap and Daryl Katz came along.
• “I saw some of the early designs on it,” said McFarlane, who was one of the last investors to join the EIG. “It was like uughhhh. I mean, it was goofy, silly . . . I wanted to design something that, even if you knew nothing about sports, even if you knew nothing about hockey, you could still look at it and go, ‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s pretty rad.’

BLH’s Thoughts: Brownlee goes on to tell a story about how he almost had a glimpse of the uniform before its release but was thwarted by his own clumsiness. Click the link above and check out the rest of the post to find out what he did to shoot himself in the foot. 

Personally, I was never a fan of the jersey back then, but in recent years I’ve been on the hunt for a Ryan Smyth version. The ones I’ve found on Ebay have been a tad out of my price range so far though. So, the search will continue…

In the meantime, here’s a YouTube clip about the uniform from around 13 years ago. Please forgive the quality… 

Edmonton Sun

Was four-day break good or bad for 5-0 Edmonton Oilers?

• …after winning three games in four nights to improve to 5-0, taking advantage of a four-day break in the schedule by spending two extra days in the desert oasis made perfect sense for the Edmonton Oilers.
• Keeping players fresh during an 82-game home and road schedule, while still addressing their needs in practice, is a constant challenge. Run them too hard and they wear down. Give them too much time down time and they might lose their edge.
• Tippett likes to hit the team with fast-paced practices about 45 minutes long. He says it keeps everyone sharp and, if you go at a strong pace and have a couple of focal points every day, you get a lot done.
• …40-45 minutes of organized ice time is only a fraction of the daily regimen.
• “Players nowadays are always (training). They do a workout before, they go on the ice early, practice ends and you’re still seeing guys out there half an hour later. This is a full time gig. They’re doing whatever they can to make themselves better and as a team.”
• The Oilers are looking to start a season at 6-0 for the first time since 1983-84.

BLH’s Thoughts: When I heard that the Oilers were going to spending a few days in Vegas after their win, I became concerned because there’s been a plethora of high-profile players hit the COVID IR lately and it would be Edmonton’s luck if somebody caught the ‘Vid and it derailed their hot start. So far, nothing has come of my fears, so that’s good. 

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH VS. THE FLYERS

Philly’s 2-1-1 to start the year and they’ve scored 18 goals in those four games whilst only giving up 13… So I think we might be in for a track meet. I’m reading defenseman Ryan Ellis won’t be playing but one of my favorites, Rasmus Ristolainen will be. 

• #86 Joel Farabee – Has 8pts so far and leads the team in scoring. A very dangerous goal-scoring winger.
• #70 Rasmus Ristolainen – A massive tank who fears nobody. Hyman and Puljujarvi will have fun with this guy. I imagine Kassian will have a chat with him too.
• #89 Cam Atkinson – Acquired in the summer in the Voracek deal. He’s scored five goals so far on Philly’s second line.

EDMONTON

• #75 Evan Bouchard – Another game on Edmonton’s top-pairing. Philly’s no joke… How will he do against a much better group of forwards?
• #97 Connor McDavid – Connor’s going for Gretzky’s record of most multi-point games to start the year and he’s only two games away from tying it…
• #19 Mikko Koskinen – He’ll play his third game in a row. I wonder if the big break between games will be a help or a hinderance for the big Finnish goalie?

NHLRumors.com

Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli on Sportsnet 590 on the options the Toronto Maple Leafs have right now after their slow start to the season.

• One, you mentioned, it’s the easy one, fire the coach. I just don’t see it. Sheldon Keefe just got an extension. We just talked about the big three not holding up their end of the bargain. And it’s not on him.
• So that brings you to number two, which is make a huge trade. Grab the attention of everyone in the dressing room, and if you’re going to circle a player, I think everyone would have to agree that it’s got to be Mitch Marner that would be the guy.
• And then really the third option which is, what I feel the Leafs doing at this point is to essentially triple down. Triple down on the roster and what you’ve put together.

BLH’s Thoughts:

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
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The Hockey Writers

Oilers’ Tippett Needs More Than a Good Regular Season

• If Tippett can’t get the Oilers into the playoffs, it’s a safe bet that he won’t be back next season.
• If the Oilers make the playoffs but don’t advance past the first round, the team may have a new coach next season.
• Things begin to get interesting if the Oilers win one round and can’t advance past the second round. Will Holland keep Tippett then?
• If the Oilers are able to advance at least two rounds in the playoffs, there might be a good chance that Tippett will be invited back to finish the job.
• Oilers make the Finals. You have to believe Tippett will get a new contract.
• Oilers win the Stanley Cup (Dare to dream, Oilers fans). The choice will be Tippett’s.

BLH’s Thoughts: My feeling is that short of the Conference Final, Tippett might be out. I come to that conclusion just based on some of the verbal coming out of the media and what I’m being hinted at privately. I just wonder if he’d rather be relaxing at home than grinding away at the day-to-day coaching responsibilities. 

Plus the will be some very high profile coaches available come season’s end like Claude Julien (who was once Edmonton’s AHL head coach in Hamilton I believe), Bruce Boudreau (Of Slap Shot fame), Mike Babcock (A little bit of history there with Holland), and the team’s very own internal option, Jay Woodcroft. 

Lowetide.ca

WINTERLONG

• One of the few times Edmonton has received more value for prospects is at the trade deadline. Looking ahead, who is a candidate for trade at this year’s deadline?
• One of the things we’ll be discussing as the trade deadline approaches is what assets can be sent away for immediate, short-term help. Edmonton’s first-round pick for the 2022 draft may be in play, my guess is for a goalie. There’s likely a defenseman on the wish list, maybe a two-way centre and possibly a veteran scoring RW depending on how things go this winterlong.
• Edmonton owns its own first, fourth, fifth and sixth round picks in 2022, and either the second or the third depending on the final final on Duncan Keith’s deal.
• I expect Holland may deal a prospect or two…
• Among minor leaguers, Cooper Marody and William Lagesson qualify, possibly Markus Niemelainen.
• My guess is that Holland’s whiteboard has the 2022 first, Benson, Lagesson and the full slate of 2023 draft picks as possible assets out at the deadline. The club has an extra goalie prospect too, but I’m uncertain any of them would be considered for trade at this time.

BLH’s Thoughts: Benson’s definitely on that list, the 1st round as well. I don’t think they’d get much for minor league free agents like Marody and Lagesson though. Could Ryan McLeod be on the whiteboard or Olivier Rodrigue? Would the team consider moving Kailer Yamamoto in the right deal? 

When it comes to moveable prospects, the Oilers have a ton of them, but their value isn’t high and that’s the problem. Aapeli Rasanen, Niemelainen, Tomas Mazura, Filip Engras…

The team also has some very good youngsters they probably shouldn’t be moving like Dmitri Samorukov, Phil Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Rafa Lavoie, Carter Savoie, the handful of Russians whose names I can’t spell (Denezhkin, Berezkin, and Petrov). 

So with that in mind, is the club really in a great position to be making trades with futures right now or are we about to see Ken Holland step into his wheelhouse and start pilfering blue chippers for established NHL players like he did in Detroit for years?

NHLTradeRumor.com

Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period reports St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong kicked tires on Eichel’s services. “They were certainly in the mix, they were certainly one of those teams that didn’t want to disclose themselves as say, one of the ‘front runners,’ but one of the teams that inquired heavily about it and felt like they had the components, at the time, that could certainly be a package that would be suitable for the Buffalo Sabres.

• Di Marco went on to say, names like Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas are ones that would be part of the asking price from the Sabres in a trade for Eichel.

Larry Brooks of the New York Post stated, so, when does the talk begin to kick in about Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, each with two years remaining on contracts with matching cap hits of $10.5 million per and no-move clauses, becoming available at the NHL trade deadline in a trade out of Chicago?

• An interesting scenario could be a Kane trade involving Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Cult of Hockey

Dynamic Duo brings hope that Edmonton Oilers can lock in tip top-pairing

• The rapid development of Bouchard could not come at a better time for a team that unexpectedly lost solid shut-down and right shot d-man Adam Larsson to Seattle, then traded away promising right shot d-man Ethan Bear for help at forward.
• It seemed like a huge ask to count on Bouchard in this role, but he’s showing positive signs.
• Nurse is crushing it with his physical play, where he leads the NHL in hits with 32 in five games, and his solid offensive bursts up the ice, leading me to name him the Edmonton Express of the 21st Century…
• Bouchard and Nurse, they’re easily Edmonton’s two best d-men this year, though Cody Ceci has also played a run of steady games.
• Will this pairing one day join the list of the very best Oilers d-man pairings?… These are early days, but my intuition says yes. It’s hard not to get your hopes up, given the Dynamic Duo’s individual and collective level of play early in the 2021-22 season.

Latest Oilers Line Combos via Bob Stauffer

Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi
RNH-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-Ryan-Kassian
Perlini-Shore-Turris
Benson-Sceviour

Nurse-Bouchard
Keith-Ceci
Koekkoek/Russell-Barrie

Koskinen
Skinner

BLH’s Thoughts: The feeling I get is that whether or not we like it, Nurse and Bouchard are being groomed as Edmonton’s top pairing for the foreseeable future and I’ve got no qualms with that decision. Might we be witnessing Kronwall/Lidstrom 2.0?

Oilersnation

Impressive, Not Perfect

• They sit dead last in the NHL in shots against/60 at even strength. That is not a recipe for success. Last year, only two of the bottom ten teams in SA/60 made the playoffs. They were the Predators and the Oilers.
• They have been prone to some ugly mistakes though and a lot of the goals they gave up this year have not been a product of their opponent being better than them, but rather the Oilers blowing coverage in their own zone or making really poor decisions with the puck.
• They are not winning hockey games because of their ability to defend or because of the play of any one defenseman.
• The credit for this 5-0 record goes to this team’s ability to find the back of their opponent’s net, not their ability to keep the puck out of their own.
• …the Keith/Ceci pairing has been average. At even-strength, that duo has been outscored 5-4 and outshot 49-37.
• A 5-0 start should have everyone feeling good and the fact that they’re currently undefeated despite having not played up to their full potential is very encouraging to me. 

BLH’s Thoughts: This is what I’m talking about and Yaremchuk’s closing line encapsulates my feelings completely. So, while Edmonton’s defensive play has been more or less shite, I’m happy the team is 5-0-0, but almost surprised they’ve done it considering the sloppy play that’s got them there. Yaremchuk is right to lay into the Oilers lack of attention to detail on the other side of the puck. When the refs start to calm down with the penalty calls, the club won’t be relying on their powerplay to save their butts and we all know offense goes to die in the post-season… What will Tippett’s men do then?

But as I’ve also mentioned, we’re only five games in and we shouldn’t be drawing any conclusions right now be the results good, bad, or indifferent. 

Spector’s Hockey

THE ATHLETIC: Saad Yousef recently followed up on Jeff Marek’s report indicating Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg’s camp is seeking an eight-year deal worth between $62 million and $68 million. That would put his annual average value between $7.75 million and $8.25 million.

SPORTSNET: Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman once again discussed Jack Eichel’s ongoing standoff with the Buffalo Sabres… 

• Friedman mentioned several teams are continuing to engage at times. Marek brought up the Vegas Golden Knights but Friedman pointed out Eichel won’t be able to help them right now
• Friedman said the teams he’s wondered about regarding Eichel are the Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins. Right now, he doesn’t get the sense that anyone’s close.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
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• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

The Athletic

Zach Hyman’s buzzsaw style makes him an instant Oilers fan favourite

• This is the player Edmonton needs Hyman to be for most of his contract. A high-end player who can slide in at multiple spots and elevate a line.
• He scores from in close (Tippett said the “one-inch line” on the weekend). He pursues the puck like a demon, forming a diabolical pressure duo with young Jesse Puljujarvi. He has great passing ability and anticipation and when he is shuffled from one line to another, doesn’t skip a performance beat.
• Small sample sizes make drawing conclusions impossible, but the expected goals for Hyman when he’s on the McDavid line or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins line is solid to good.
• Fans should expect to see the line Hyman occupies to outscore opponents in the future, checking the numbers after 20 games will give everyone a clearer view.
• Hyman’s points per 60 at five-on-five is 0.97; he has one goal (a dandy against the Vegas Golden Knights with McDavid and Puljujarvi involved in the scoring play)…
• Expectations for Hyman should be between 1.82 and 2.14 points per 60 at five-on-five based on his most recent four seasons, possibly a little higher if he spends much of the year on the top line with McDavid and Puljujarvi.
• Hyman doesn’t resemble Ryan Smyth as a player, and he doesn’t fill all of the roles Edmonton’s star winger of the 1990s and 2000s provided. Hyman does have that “100 percent desire” that Smyth brought to the game, though, and has a great deal of range… His shot is better but Smyth was superior along the wall retrieving pucks.
• Edmonton loves and reveres its all-time players (Wayne Gretzky, McDavid) but the city is defined by rugged, intelligent and effective players with “100 percent desire.”

BLH’s Thoughts: So what you’re telling me is that a blue collar city like Edmonton is taking a liking to a blue collar hockey player like Hyman? I. Am. Shocked…

Oilersnation

Monday Mailbag – Let’s Talk Depth Scoring

We saw some interesting adjustments under pressure vs. Anaheim. If I recall correctly, Bouchard, Barrie, Yamamoto, Perlini all had assignment changes. (Were there more?) Do you think this is a sign of things to come? Bouch & Lambo rising, Barrie & Yamo falling?

• I expected Bouchard to be in top pair at mid-season. He was there again v. Vegas. I could see that continuing. He and Barrie could switch at various times during the season. Yamamoto played better against Vegas, but he is pointless in five games. At some point, he will need to produce some points to remain in the top six, but if he plays more games like he did against Vegas he should get some points. If he doesn’t, then Turris or Perlini will get a look there. I don’t see Tippett changing up the Ryan line. They’ve been solid and give him exactly what he wants in a third line. – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: I also expected Bouch to get a bit more time on the 3rd pairing before getting scooted up the lineup. My feeling is that as long as he’s playing well and not making any major mistakes, he’ll stay there now. Tippett pumped his tires all summer and I’m not sure if he’ll allow himself to walk that back. 

As for Yamamoto, it’s clear the coach trusts him and his linemates as well. So where I’d demote him until he starts hitting the scoresheet, Tippett still sees Killer providing value in the top-six and if you watched his performance vs. Vegas, it would be hard to argue with that sentiment because Yamo was fantastic in getting inside the equipment of the bigger and slower Golden Knights defenders. He has the ability to play the role of disruptor very well, but in order to stay in the top-six, he’s got to make plays and score goals too…

Does the injury to Mike Smith punctuate the need for Ken Holland to find help in the crease or is Mikko Koskinen a good enough plan in case he’s out longer than expected?

• I have a hard time imagining the team being comfortable with Koskinen having a full workload ala last year when Smith was out. He’s a solid goaltender, but it’s clear he can’t be a workhorse in the NHL. – Laing

BLH’s Thoughts: The coaching staff is saying that Mikko is good to go but I’m still wondering what he was dealing with the game vs. Vegas… On two occasions the cameras showed him in discomfort and I don’t feel like the coaches have confidence in putting Stuart Skinner in between the pipes this week. So we just might see Koskinen play four or five games in a row depending on how long Smith takes to return. 

That said, I don’t know if Holland would make a move to get another netminder unless one of Smith or Koski were out long-term. 

What do you see or not see in Kailer Yamamoto’s game right now that is contributing to his struggles?

• Not seeing the in-and-out quickness and opportunism that allowed him to steal pucks and to get to open ice for scoring chances that he showed when he was at his best. He’s not big enough to get caught up in physical battles. He has to play smarter, not harder — pressure the puck, quick stick, etc. – Brownlee

BLH’s Thoughts: For me, he’s not spending a lot of time around the net. Killer’s noticeable in the exterior muck but I don’t recall him going net-front much or finding the soft ice. 

The Oilers third line has scored a handful of goals which already feels like an upgrade over what we’ve had around here over the past few years. What is everyone’s take on how this trio is performing so far?

• They have been solid. Kassian and Foegele are excellent bookends and Ryan is the conscience in the middle. They have scored the Oilers’ first goal of the game in three of the five games. They are producing and scoring at key times. The best part for the Oilers is none of their goals have come with 97 or 29 on the ice. Getting production away from those two has been missing for quite some time. – Gregor

BLH’s Thoughts: I’ve been impressed with Derek Ryan the most because he’s still a very spry player despite his age and he’s winning faceoffs like it’s going out of style. It’s too bad Stauffer didn’t have a better rapport with previous management folk or maybe Ryan would’ve been an Oiler sooner. 

The Hockey Writers

• Larry Brooks of the New York Post has started to ask the question of how long the Blackhawks wait before they begin to consider trading stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. If the team continues to struggle, he wonders if one or both could become available at the March 21 trade deadline.
• According to CapFriendly, Max Pacioretty has been moved to long-term injured reserve after first being placed on normal injured reserve, He suffered a lower-body fracture earlier this month and was added to the list of injuries that have been plaguing the Golden Knights.
• According to Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now, the San Jose Sharks might look into the option of reaching a settlement with Evander Kane to terminate his contract but the team is unlikely to find a way to do so. A buyout is probably the only real choice the Sharks have if they want to move on.

This is your TL/DR (too long, didn’t read) summary post where excerpts are taken from the best of the best when it comes to Edmonton Oilers blogs. BLH gives you his two cents on the latest posts being published in the Oilogosphere! Including those from Lowetide.ca, The Athletic, Oilersnation, The Cult of Hockey, Copper N Blue, Oil on Whyte, and more!

The latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation comes from all of the internet’s top sites like Spector’s Hockey, The Fourth Period, NHL Trade Talk, The Hockey Writers, Sportsnet, and TSN just to name a few!

If you’re short on time but want to keep up with the day’s Oilers news, you’ve come to the right place!

Give us a follow on the socials!

• Youtube: Beer League Heroes Channel
• Twitter: @beerleagueheroe
• Instagram: @beerleagueheroes
• Facebook: Beer League Heroes

Edmonton Sun

Edmonton Oilers power play opening at break-neck speed

• Those Habs hold the all-time NHL single-season power-play record of 31.88 per cent… The Oilers, five games into this season, have a power-play percentage of 47.06.
• Last year’s Oilers, playing a coronavirus-shortened season, finished fourth on the all-time power-play list at 29.5 per cent, with the New York Islanders teams of 1977-78 and 1978-79 ranked third and fourth at 31.1 and 31.2 per cent, respectively. The 1982-83 Oilers ranked sixth at 20.3 per cent.
• This power play, through the remaining 77 games of this season and for the rest of this ‘McDavid-Draisaitl Stanley Cup Window’ that is five games into the rest of this decade, its place in history will be a fabulously fun to follow story line.
• I’m betting it ends up in several spots on the all-time top 10 list.

BLH’s Thoughts: Don’t get your hopes up but the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens won their third consecutive Stanley Cup that year. The ’78 and ’79 Islanders never made it further than the 2nd round of the playoffs in those respective seasons, but from ’80-’83, they won four Cups in a row. The ’83 Oilers got to the Cup final only to be defeated by the aforementioned Islanders, but then went on their own run of five championships in seven years. 

In fact, the only team mentioned who didn’t win a Stanley Cup the year of said PP% or shortly thereafter amongst the group listed above is last year’s Oilers. That said, would it shock you if McDavid’s men won it this year or next akin to what Denis Potvin’s Islanders did in the late 70’s and early 80s?

Lowetide.ca

• Let me ask you a question: What if Slater Koekkoek and Devin Shore were called for jury duty and couldn’t get out of it. OR, got stuck in an elevator in a building that featured the slowest response team on the planet? What if the Oilers were forced to recall William Lagesson and Ryan McLeod and insert them into the lineup immediately? Would that make a massive difference to the Oilers?
• NHL teams need McLeod, Lagesson, Niemelainen types pushing up, but those jobs can also be filled through trade, free agency and even waivers at times. Replacing Nuge? Hyman? Puljujarvi? That’s a very difficult process, requiring some planning over a period of years.
• A quick final note on Lavoie. He’s four games in now, and hasn’t played a ton. I mentioned last season that Lavoie is working out some habits, and needs to keep his feet moving, needs to be more efficient as a skater (I think his foot speed is fine but am not an expert in this area).

BLH’s Thoughts: Lavoie has a history of being a streaky scorer, so for him to start the year slowly shouldn’t shock too many. We’ll want to see him start to chip in sooner than later before he gets into Yamamoto territory though. I can’t see things getting that bad for Rafa because he’s a big bodied guy and a natural goal-scorer,  if he keeps his feet moving and parks his ass around the net, eventually the puck is going to go in. 

Bob Stauffer (630CHED) made an interesting comparable for Ryan McLeod on his radio show yesterday. He said Darren Helm has a lot in common with McLeod with regards to how their careers started.

Helm dressed for Detroit’s farm club in Grand Rapids over 60 times in 2007-08 and then played 18 games in the playoffs for the Red Wings, but couldn’t claim a full-time spot with Ken Holland’s club in ’08 and was sent back to the AHL where he played another 55 games. 

McLeod as a point per game player in Bakersfield until the last ten games of the year where he played for the Oilers plus four more games in the post-season, but this year, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity and now he’s back in the AHL producing at a point-per-game again whilst working on some of the shortcomings that cause him to be sent down.

I can see what Stauffer is saying, but was never as good as McLeod offensively at the AHL level and McLeod’s playing style is almost polar opposite to Helm’s. The former Red Wing is a much more abrasive forward whereas McLeod is more of a playmaker. 

With all of that said, both of these players can fly!

The Daily Goal Horn

• “It is no secret that Kessel wants to be traded. It has been a storyline since the summer, and the Coyotes are working feverishly to grant his wish. As long as Kessel brings effort on a nightly basis, it’s hard to envision Tourigny, a first-year NHL coach, making the decision to pull him from the lineup.” – Craig Morgan, gopnx.com
• I believe that Tarasenko is whom most teams would prefer to land, but with the Blues off to a hot start they’ll likely hold onto him for awhile. Plus, Kessel is cheaper on the cap and will cost much less to acquire.